Fred Tremblay and Isabelle Leveau planted the first vines at Vignoble Camy only ten years ago, but they make wines the old fashioned way – starting in the fields, listening to nature, and responding from there. They’ve earned a regional reputation for their winemaking in their comparably short tenure. You’ll find their wine in some of the best restaurants in Quebec, but it is not available for sale to the public, nor do they typically host visitors. Needles to say, it’s pretty exciting that they have invited us to set our table in their beautiful vineyards. Keep an eye out for Champlain Sea shells in the limestone soil (artifacts from 15,000 years ago when this whole region was underwater!) as we walk through their rows of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir on the way to the table for dinner by Josh Crowe from Taverne Monkland. Chef Josh is a passionate advocate of using Quebecois ingredients. His relationships with farmers across the region help him source the best products for his thoughtfully prepared “cuisine du marché”, keeping Taverne Monkland on top of lists of local favorites even 26 years after its opening.
Archives: Events
Events
Galena Community Table
OITF seeks to connect us through a celebration of all that is handmade, local and personal – forging bonds between those at the table and the people and the place that helped create the meal. Galena’s Main Street is an ideal environment for such a celebration. Termed a “Helluva Half Mile,” the stretch is an assortment of locally owned businesses housed in buildings bursting with quaint, historic 1800s architectural details. Our table of local makers’ work will frame the culinary creativity of Galena local Kevin Scharpf. He currently runs Brazen Open Kitchen and Otto’s Place, but he has quite the resume under his belt—including a run on Top Chef and multiple appearances at the James Beard House. Chef Kevin will be working with host farmer Laurana Snyder from Sinsinawa Mound Collaborative Farm to create his menu. The collaborative farm works with beginning farmers to provide mentorship, education and infastructure. By breaking down barriers to exploring a career in agriculture, they are creating opportunities for more people to contribute to a thriving local food system.
This is one of a special series of Community Table Dinners, where we highlight not just farmers and the ingredients they provide, but also local makers and artisans whose work becomes our tablescape. A portion of the proceeds from this event will go to JDLF Gives, a community foundation that works to connect residents of Jo Daviess County with local food and nutrition and preparation education. Their mission is to expand access to local food for the benefit of the community, economy and environment.
Mead Ranch
This is among the most beautiful table sites on our tour—and that’s saying a lot. Here, Mead Ranch cattle range on impeccably green grass beneath the towering peaks of the Grand Tetons. Brad and Kate Mead run their ranch with a conservation ethic, and even went so far as to place their land under conservation easement in 2002, ensuring the pristine natural beauty will be preserved for generations to come. Chef Joe Boyles from The Kitchen will bring his Asian-influenced cuisine to the table for a memorable exploration of bold flavors and playful textures to match the beauty of this special site. Our crew is sure to head to nearby Jackson on their day off in the area, where the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar offers a chance to play a friendly game of pool or work on their dance steps to live country music.
Sage Farm Goat Dairy
We have been coming to this gorgeous part of the country for quite a few years now and this family-run micro-dairy in Stowe is among our very favorite stops. Molly Prindell and her sister, Katie, run a small family operation with the help of their husbands, who pitch in with tractor work, compost management and maple syrup-making while Katie raises the goats and Molly makes the award-winning cheese. After reception, we’ll take a stroll around the property culminating in a picturesque hayfield with a panoramic view of the Green Mountains—an iconic Vermont setting. Meanwhile, Cara Chigazola Tobin of Burlington’s Honey Road will be joining us in the field kitchen for another year, bringing her inventive Mediterranean cuisine and local-first ethos to our summer feast. And she will surely utilize plenty of Sage Farm’s beautiful cheeses.
The North Farm
The North Farm, on the shores of Seneca Lake, is pretty hard to beat when it comes to beauty. It has golden grasses, a picturesque barn and wildflowers dotting the walking paths. The Paillard-Elkin family own the property, while Klaas and Mary-Howell Martens have been farming it for over 40 years. The Martens became leaders in the organic farming community about 20 years ago, and are now passionate agricultural educators. They rotate crops throughout the seasons, so we never know what will be in bloom when we arrive – but we know it will be both beautiful and delicious. At Good Luck Restaurant in Rochester, our guest chef Dan Martello helped pioneer seasonally-driven cuisine in the area, and we can’t wait to see to see what he brings to the field kitchen.
Tantré Farm
Richard, Deb, and their daughter Ariana live full time on their 115 acre farm where they grow diverse vegetable crops, run one of Michigan’s largest CSA programs, and coordinate outreach and educational programs for local K-12 students. These focus on the connection between personal health to that of the environment and the food we eat. Last year, we spent two magical, albeit drizzly, days in their barn watching rainbows arc over their fields. This year, we can’t wait to get out into the gardens for dinner to celebrate this hardworking family and the bounty of Michigan summer. OITF’s very own kitchen manager will make his debut in the field kitchen! Brent Foster works with our guest chefs to ensure their meal is a success at each event, but we’re giving him the day off to be the guest chef while we’re in his home state. His much-talked about pop-up, Husky Boi, serves up reimagined Midwestern cuisine with a creative, nostalgic twist.
Seedling Farm
There is plenty to see and taste here, and farmer Pete will give us a good look around. Our tour includes unusual varieties of fruits including loganberries, medlars, paw paw and blood peaches plus many types of apples which are made into fresh-pressed cider and vinegar. Pete is a big fan of OITF. We sometimes see him across the country at other events, standing out in someone else’s field. A few years back Pete came to an OITF Napa Valley event at Julie Johnston’s Tres Sabores Winery. This year, we will bring Julie and her wines out to Michigan where she will pour some of her favorites. Our guest chef Max Robbins has been taking his own inspiration from Napa as he opens The Oakville Grill and Cellar in Chicago. There, he focuses the rotating menu on different wineries from California, pairing selected wines with modern Midwestern cuisine.
Domaine Lebreuil
Jean-Baptiste Lebreuil spent years in wineries around the world before coming back to take over the family business, an 84-year-old winery in Burgundy. He has welcomed us into his home for several years, and we are always delighted to see his friendly smile along with the the metered rows of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and the winery’s stunning chateau. A place this illustrious deserves an equally illustrious chef, and Christophe Ledru is the man for the job. He’s worked with many of the country’s best chefs in dining rooms with multiple Michelin stars, but he still remains true to his roots—always asking if his food is something he would eat with his mother. We are thrilled to have him back for another summer meal between the vines.
Jean-Baptiste Lebreuil a passé des années dans des vignobles autour du monde avant de revenir pour reprendre l’entreprise familiale, un vignoble de 84 ans en Bourgogne. IIl nous accueille plusieurs fois chez lui et nous sommes toujours ravis de retrouver son sourire amical, sans parler du magnifique château et du domaine viticole. Christophe Ledru sera de nouveau notre chef invité pour la soirée. Il a un CV impressionnant, ayant travaillé avec plusieurs des meilleurs chefs du pays dans des restaurants aux multiples étoiles Michelin, mais il reste fidèle à ses racines, demandant toujours si ses plats sont ceux qu’il mangerait avec sa mère. Nous ne doutons pas qu’il apportera ce haut niveau de qualité à la cuisine du champ.
Tenuta San Carlo
Welcome to Maremma, the wildest part of Tuscany. This is the home of Etruscan coastal villages, medieval hill towns, pristine beaches and of course, Super Tuscan wines. Nestled within this wonderful, wild land is Tenuta San Carlo, where Ariane Lotti’s family has been farming for four generations. This farm is simply bursting with life from the tree-lined entrance to the secluded seashore far beyond the organic rice fields. Last year, we dined under the shade of native pine trees after a hayride to the beach, but the vast beauty of this property allows for endless variations of experience. We’re inviting back brothers Alessio and Giulio Cech from Posto Pubblico to cook us dinner, since they wowed us with the delicious dishes they made from Ariane’s rice, wheat, and vegetables last time. We can only hope they bring another leg of prosciutto to share this time around.
Lowry Ranch
When Nick Trainor was 18, he set a goal to have 500 head of cattle by the time he was 30. Over the past ten years, he has expanded his business to 26,000 acres on Lowry Ranch, in partnership with the Colorado State Land Board. Just 10 miles outside of Denver, he practices adaptive cattle grazing, which not only grows grass-fed beef, but restores and protects the ecological health of the landscape. We’ll dine at the long table nestled in the rugged terrain of one of the largest contiguous tracts of native prairie grass in the state. Kelly Whitaker and Taylor Stark will bring their James Beard-nominated celebration of Colorado’s wild and foraged to the plate with their signature seasonal cuisine that has made The Wolf’s Tailor a guest favorite year after year.