Flying Disc Ranch

In Robert Lower’s tropical desert oasis, things are allowed to get a little wild. The straight lines of towering date trees are blurred by bright globes of pomegranates and grapefruit, edible greens and delicate branches gathered underneath their canopy. Robert tends to the soil by encouraging this type of biodiversity, rather than trying to control it. His permaculture approach to growing his Barhi, Medjool, Dayri, Zahidi and Deglet Noor dates seems to work quite well – the palms are heavy with clusters of dates every time we set the table, and the bright flavors of his citrus always inspire our guest chefs. Gabriel Woo, Executive Chef at Bar Cecil, will be taking a break from opening his newest project at the Palm Springs Art Museum to join us in the field kitchen for another spectacular meal.