This is where the idea of Outstanding in the Field was born. We will take over the street with our long table and the city’s blessing and celebrate both the past and future of Outstanding In the Field. Founder Jim Denevan spent more than a decade here on Cedar Street as chef of Gabriella Cafe. The restaurant’s owner and host, Paul Cocking, is still here charming the customers with his dry wit. One of Jim’s first hires, Gema Cruz is now the chef. Gema, fellow Gabriella Cafe alum Kendra Baker and Jim will be reunited at this creative meal featuring the farmers and winemakers that have contributed all these years. Several OITF favorites (including Kendra, who now owns The Penny Ice Creamery) do business on this street, and we certainly hope they will join us for this special event. After we dine, we will walk down the street and settle in to watch the Oscar-eligible documentary, Man in the Field: The Life and Art of Jim Denevan.
This event is part of our special series of Community Table Dinners, where we highlight not just farmers and the ingredients they provide, but also the local makers and artisans whose work becomes our tablescape. The OITF mission is 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 place that helped create the meal. A portion of the proceeds from this event will go to Food, What?! to support their work engaging local youth with land, food and each other in ways that are grounded in love and rooted in justice.
We love visiting Rich and Laura Everett at their farm just outside of our hometown of Santa Cruz. They are one of our favorite and longest partnerships. In addition to selling organic fruits, vegetables and flowers in their farmstand, Rich has dedicated himself to mentoring a new generation of farmers. By teaching not only agricultural techniques but business and management, their program has become a kind of farm incubator. Meanwhile, Laura uses her background in viticulture to grow heirloom varieties of apples for their very own Soquel Cider. We’ll sip on some hard cider at reception before a leisurely farm walk that ends with a view of our table set alongside the clear waters of Soquel Creek. There, we’ll enjoy an Indonesian-inspired feast from Siska Silitonga of ChiliCali. Chef Siska cooked one of our favorite meals of the 2022 tour; our team is still talking about her spicy noodles and signature sambal sauce, which we hope will line the long table again this time around. If we’re lucky, she will forage some exciting ingredients from the woods around Soquel for us to enjoy.
Terroir isn’t just for wine. Join us in iconic growing region Sonoma County for a unique look at beverage from farm to glass for a special beer-pairing focused dinner from some of the best in the business. Award-winning Russian River Brewing is joining us at Alexander Valley Hops, where towers of heady hops climb up to twenty feet above our heads, giving us many dramatic options to set the table. Adam Dulye, our guest chef for the day, knows a thing or two about beer – he is the executive chef of the Brewers Association, a nationwide organization with a mission to educate on the compatibility of craft beer and contemporary cuisine. Not to mention, he’s joined us in the field kitchen more times than we can count. There’s no doubt his cuisine will complement Russian River’s best beers.
Lopez Island is a particularly beautiful place, not only because of the breathtaking ocean views along the craggy coastline or the grasslands stretching to gnarled forests on the horizon; the island’s people add to its unique beauty, earning it the name “Friendly Isle”. Flint Beach Ohana Farms is no exception, so we squeeze our trucks and trailers onto the ferry to get out there whenever we can. Sally and Tom Reeve grow pasture-raised Romney sheep and free-range chickens with a view of famous Iceberg Point. The farm’s flowers should be in full bloom as they walk us through their gardens to the table on a bluff overlooking the water, where Josh Ratza will be putting finishing touches on our dinner. At Setsunai Noodle Bar, Josh artfully blends Japanese influences with his passion for the Lopez Island agricultural community, featuring whatever is best in season. We know he’ll delight in cooking right at the source of the ingredients for the meal we’ll share.
If you’re looking for a show-stopping view from the table, this event should be high on your list. Located in the Pemberton Valley just outside of Whistler, BC, this 54-acre farm stretches underneath the majestic Mount Currie. It truly earns its nickname as the Sea to Sky Farm Experience. Trish and Jordan Sturdy will tour us through their rotating array of seasonal fruits and vegetables (they may even let us pick a surprise or two) before we sit down in the shadows of the towering green peaks that have made British Columbia famous. Phil Scarfone will join us in the field kitchen for a second time. The Top Chef Canada runner-up will bring out the best of what the valley has to offer; he may even share something he foraged from the nearby mountains if we’re lucky.
Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center grows organic vegetables, herbs and flowers on 12 of their 240 acres along the Snoqualmie River. The rest they leave as forestland for ecological restoration projects and agricultural research. What they grow they source to local groceries, restaurants, hunger relief agencies and schools—in addition to their vibrant farmstand and CSA. This is a supremely inspiring place, and we are thrilled to return to celebrate their work. We’re also thrilled to invite Victor Steinbrueck back to the field kitchen after cooking one of our crew’s favorite meals last summer. Victor’s family is deeply connected to Seattle – his grandfather (and namesake) is known for fighting to save Pike’s Place Market over 50 years ago. Now, Victor credits the market with giving him a passion for seafood, which he shows off through his locally-focused cuisine at Local Tide.
One night at this inspiring farm simply isn’t enough, so we are sticking around for a second day. Last year, a sprinkle of rain led us to set the table under their romantic pergola. This year we may end up under twining vines, on the beautiful green lawn alongside the treeline, or tucked into their vibrant rows of summer vegetables. We’ll have to see what each day calls for. Either way, we’ll have Mutsuko Soma to delight us with her Japanese cooking in the field kitchen. This may be her first time cooking with us, but this master chef has plenty of accolades already, including the title of “Seattle’s Soba Master” and a spot on the James Beard “Best Chef: Northwest” short list for 2023.
Our good friend and famed Seattle farmer Georgie Smith from Willowood Farm recommended we visit her neighbors on Whidbey Island this year. Alix and Brandon Roos recently took over this historic property, making Alix the fifth generation (and her daughter Zayne the sixth) to farm this land. They’re best known locally for their winter squash and fall pumpkin patch, but we think the views of Ebey’s Landing are worth the visit any season—not to mention their wealth of beautiful summer produce that will be hitting its peak. Georgie will be in attendance, of course, ready to reunite old friends and introduce new ones too.
Henequen, a type of agave used to make sisal as well as a fiery spirit, was once the major source of wealth throughout the Yucatan. About 15 miles from the center of Merida, our host Laura Kirar and her husband de ella Richard Frazier have transformed an abandoned, former 17th Century henequen plantation into an elegantly rustic estate, the perfect setting for our long table. Laura Kirar is a renowned furniture and interior designer who collaborates with skilled artisans in Mexico to create work combining ages-old techniques infused with a modern sensibility. For your event, she will stage a pop-up shop of her de ella tableware collection made from local materials including henequenes and jipi japa, a palm leaf. Chef Roberto Solis is a Mérida native who honed his craft in kitchens around the world, working with celebrated chefs in London (The Fat Duck), Copenhagen (Noma), New York (Per Se) and Tokyo (Narisawa). After years abroad, Roberto returned to Mérida with a mission to honor and elevate traditional Yucatecan cuisine, itself a smoky melange of indigenous Mayan foods and the international influences brought by the Dutch, French, and Spanish to the peninsula’s many port cities.
Henequen, a type of agave used to make sisal and a spirit, was once the main source of wealth throughout the Yucatan. About 15 miles from downtown, our hostess Laura Kirar and her husband Richard Frazier have transformed an abandoned 17th-century former henequen plantation into an elegantly rustic estate, the perfect setting for our long table. Laura Kirar is an artist and designer who has collaborated closely with skilled artisans from Mexico to express her practical and conceptual work. For this event, she will stage a pop-up store of her tableware collection. Chef Roberto Solís is a native of Mérida and has honed his art in kitchens around the world, working with celebrity chefs in London (The Fat Duck), Copenhagen (Noma), New York (Per Se) and Tokyo (Narisawa). After years abroad, Roberto returned to Mérida with a mission to honor and elevate traditional Yucatecan cuisine, which is a smoky blend of indigenous Mayan foods and the international influences brought by the Dutch, French and Spanish to the many port cities of the peninsula.
The sleepy coastal village of Todos Santos at the southern end of the Baja Peninsula is one of Mexico’s 36 pueblos mágicos or “magic towns.” It’s also a world-class fishing and surfing destination known for fresh-as-it-gets fish and sought-after swells. The semi-tropical waters are brimming with mahi mahi, yellowtail, marlin, and mackerel. Not far from the lapping waves is the Paradero, an austerely luxurious eco resort designed to immerse the visitor in the beauty of the surrounding landscape, with views of the sea, distant mesas and cactus studded desert, all set within 160 acres of family owned farms. Guest chef Eduardo Rios is at the helm of the property’s fine dining restaurant, where his farm-to-table menu makes use of the local harvest and the Paradero’s own market garden. Eduardo uses a traditional Oaxacan clay oven to turn out simple yet sophisticated dishes showcasing coastal Mexican cuisine. In our beach kitchen, Eduardo will cook us a feast of fresh fish and shellfish caught just beyond our seats—along with a bounty of indigenous vegetables and tropical fruits. While Eduardo tends to the meal, OITF founder Jim Denevan will be busy crafting his own version of beach art in the sand along the sparkling Pacific. If you’re looking for the ultimate Valentine’s Day experience, this may be it.
El tranquilo pueblo costero de Todos Santos, en el extremo sur de la península de Baja California, es uno de los 36 pueblos mágicos de México. También es un destino de pesca y surf de categoría mundial, conocido por su pescado fresco y su codiciado oleaje. Las aguas semitropicales de arena suave están repletas de dorado, cola amarilla, marlín y caballa. No muy lejos de las olas se encuentra el Paradero, un lujoso y austero resort ecológico diseñado para sumergir al visitante en la belleza del paisaje que le rodea, con vistas al mar, a las lejanas mesetas y al desierto cubierto de cactus, todo ello dentro de 160 acres de granjas familiares. Eduardo Rios es el chef invitado y está al frente del restaurante de alta cocina de la propiedad, donde su menú de la granja a la mesa hace uso de la cosecha local y de la propia huerta del Paradero. Eduardo utiliza un horno de barro tradicional oaxaqueño para elaborar platos sencillos pero sofisticados de la cocina mexicana de la costa. En nuestra cocina de playa, Eduardo nos preparará un festín de pescado y marisco fresco capturado justo al lado de donde nos sentaremos, junto con una gran cantidad de verduras autóctonas y frutas tropicales. Mientras Eduardo se ocupa de la comida, el fundador de OITF, Jim Denevan, se dedicará a crear su propia versión de arte playero en la arena del resplandeciente Pacífico. Si buscas la mejor experiencia para San Valentín, ésta puede ser la tuya.
