ROLLING INTO her first season at Harvest, Mary Dumont, named Best New Chef of 2006 by Food & Wine magazine (for her work at Dunaway Restaurant at Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, New Hampshire), is starting to feel her oats. Well, maybe not her oats, but her apples, and everything else that's local and seasonal. Dumont gets her apples from Applecrest Farm in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. Her new fall menu, which features butter-poached prawns with celery root, Macomber turnips, and Applecrest's heirloom apples, is a keeper. One of Dumont's favorite dishes is the Jamison Farm rack of lamb with reserved lemon gnocchi, baby carrots, and mint gremolata. She's so pumped about Jamison and its farmers, John and Sukey Jamison, that she invited them to co-host the monthly Harvest Review Dinner on November 6. >> Congratulations to David Waters and the rest of the Community Servings family on the completion of a new building with a state-of-the-art industrial kitchen and a space for new initiatives, such as on-site nutrition classes and a food-service job-training program. In this season of food and festivity, you might want to think about volunteering. Visit www.servings.org to find out how you can help. >> Welcome to Marco Suarez, the new executive chef at Eastern Standard. An Argentinean-Italian, Suarez worked for chef Tony Ambrose and at Top of the Hub before becoming sous chef at Andy Husbands's Tremont 647. In 2006, he was the founding executive sous chef at Bouchée on Newbury Street. >> Upcoming classes this month at Stir include "Bistro Wines of France" on November 12 and "Thanksgiving with Friends" on November 14 and 15, at which chefs Barbara Lynch and Ben Elliott will enliven the traditional holiday fare and create a Thanksgiving menu to include oyster stew, roast pheasant, and apple galette. Wine director Cat Silirie will share suggestions for perfect Thanksgiving wine pairings.
