Happy Valley Restaurant Week to Offer Special Dishes, Showcase Local Food Scene

More than 20 restaurants throughout Centre County will offer special dishes as part of a revamped weeklong showcase of the local food scene.

Happy Valley Restaurant Week will take place Monday, June 21 to Saturday, June 27.

“Happy Valley Restaurant Week is a celebration of the growing food scene in Centre County,” event organizer Maggie Anderson said in a statement. “We hope the dishes give you a new perspective on your favorite restaurant and also inspire you to visit a place you haven’t tried yet.”

Anderson, a food writer and marketing specialist, and her collaborator, photographer and designer Matt Fern, developed the idea after being approached by the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau about revamping Happy Valley Culinary Week, which was last held in 2019 and had taken on various forms over the years.

“We looked around the county and saw all these creative, amazing chefs and thought—what if we just let them run wild for a week?” Anderson said.

Restaurants from areas including State College, Pine Grove Mills, Lemont, Bellefonte and Hublersburg will be taking part.

Pine Grove Hall, 101 E. Pine Grove Rd., will be offering a Vietnamese beef heart tartare tostada as its special dish.

“Having one thing to focus on rather than a whole menu allows us to keep our attention on the dish at hand, the fine details, and where we are sourcing all of its components,” Tory Glossner, chef de cuisine at Pine Grove Hall, said. “I think Happy Valley Restaurant Week is a great way to get people excited to get back into restaurant seats and try new things.”

Other special offerings include a coconut infused strawberry milkshake at State Burger Co., 101 S. Allegheny St. in Bellefonte; soft shell crab sandwich with a summer squash slaw and chili yogurt lime sauce at Chumley’s, 108 W. College Ave.; pan seared cod with smoked pineapple mango salsa and scallion rice at the Hublersburg Inn, 449 Hublersburg Road in Howard; bone-in braised pork chops with bourbon-glazed peaches at Federal Taphouse, 130 S. Fraser St.; and vegan/gluten free Mac and Cheez with grilled tofu, shiitakes and arugula pesto at Webster’s Bookstore Cafe, 133 E. Beaver Ave., to name a few.

For a full list of restaurants and specials, visit happyvalleyrestaurantweek.com.

The Adventure Bureau and its Tourism Grant Committee provided Anderson and Fern a $10,000 grant to revitalize the annual showcase of local restaurants.

“We felt it was important to continue the tradition of Culinary Week, and were impressed with the vision and creativity organizers had for Happy Valley Restaurant Week,” Fritz Smith, President and CEO of The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, said. “This week will showcase the talents of the many amazing local chefs—culinary artists really—that we are fortunate to have in Happy Valley.”