Traveling south on the main highway from Mexico City, you need to make a decision. Shall you continue heading southward to Cuernavaca, dubbed the “City of Eternal Spring” and a popular getaway for Mexico City urbanites, about 90 minutes north? Or will you turn east toward Tepoztlán, the reputed birthplace of Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec feathered serpent god, known for its weekly crafts market and steep trails climbing up into the dramatic cliffs that tower above the town? Either route will ultimately lead you to our table in Yautepec, set for dinner in the stunning star fruit orchards of Vivero Yautepec. Vivero is Mexico’s largest grower of the radiant star fruit and grows a vast variety of other exotic fruit trees. Vivero’s founding family also were the original propagators of the haas avocado variety; most of the haas growing throughout Mexico are the product of their original seedlings. Guest chef Andrea Blanco will come out from the stunning colonial-style mansion in Cuernavaca that houses Pixca Reforma, where her menus feature a rotating seasonal menu of wood-fired pizzas and small plates made with local ingredients. Chef Andrea will create a menu inspired by the glowing star fruit in the trees around us as the stars emerge from the evening sky.
Viajando hacia el sur por la carretera principal desde Ciudad de México, hay que tomar una decisión. ¿Seguirá hacia el sur hasta Cuernavaca, apodada la “Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera” y una escapada popular para los citadinos de Ciudad de México, a unos 90 minutos al norte? ¿O bien girará hacia el este, hacia Tepoztlán, el reputado lugar de nacimiento de Quetzalcóatl, el dios azteca de las serpientes emplumadas, conocido por su mercado semanal de artesanía y sus empinados senderos que ascienden a los espectaculares acantilados que se elevan sobre la ciudad? Cualquiera de las dos rutas te llevará en última instancia a nuestra mesa en Yautepec, preparada para cenar en los impresionantes huertos de frutas estrella de Vivero Yautepec. En Mexico, Vivero es el mayor productor de la radiante carambola (fruta estrella) y cultiva una gran variedad de otros árboles frutales exóticos. La familia fundadora de Vivero también fue la propulsora original de la variedad de aguacate haas; la mayoría de los haas que crecen en todo México son producto de sus plántulas originales. La chef invitada Andrea Blanco saldrá de la impresionante mansión de estilo colonial de Cuernavaca que alberga Pixca Reforma, donde sus menús presentan una carta rotativa de temporada de pizzas a la leña y pequeños platos elaborados con ingredientes locales. La chef Andrea creará un menú inspirado en el resplandor de los frutos estrellas (carambola) en los árboles que nos rodean mientras las estrellas emergen del cielo nocturno.
We first came to San Miguel de Allende in 2018, and each time we return, we discover someplace new. Chef Donnie Masterton was in our field kitchen for that first dinner, and since then, he’s always been our guide. This time he’s taking us to a really spectacular spot—a ranch on SMA’s western border where cattle graze freely on native pasture. The property also encompasses an archeological site believed to have been constructed around 530 AD by the Otomi people, dedicated celestial observers who studied the star cycles and their relation to the timing of key agricultural tasks such as seeding and harvesting. Thanks to the ranch matriarch, who advocated for the pyramid’s preservation, the pre-hispanic ruins are now a national park. We will set our table in the grasslands above the imposing Cañada de la Virgen, a spectacular canyon that cuts through central Mexico’s high-elevation plateau. We will learn about the area’s fascinating history, then sit down for one of Chef Donnie’s unforgettable meals. Donnie earned his culinary chops working with such legendary chefs as David Bouley at Montrachet, Patrick Clark at the Hay Adams Hotel in D.C. and NY’s Tavern on the Green, and Joachim Splichal’s Patina Group in L.A. He opened The Restaurant to rave reviews in 2008 and celebrates his 14th anniversary in SMA this year. This promises to be an experience for the ages.
Vinimos por primera vez a San Miguel de Allende en 2018, y cada vez que volvemos, descubrimos algún lugar nuevo. El chef Donnie Masterton estuvo en nuestra cocina de campo para esa primera cena, y desde entonces, siempre ha sido nuestro guía. Esta vez nos lleva a un lugar realmente espectacular: un rancho en la frontera occidental de SMA donde el ganado pasta libremente en los prados nativos. La propiedad también abarca un sitio arqueológico que se cree que fue construido alrededor del año 530 d.C. por el pueblo otomí, dedicados observadores celestes que estudiaban los ciclos de las estrellas y su relación con el momento de las tareas agrícolas clave, como la siembra y la cosecha. Gracias a la matriarca del rancho, que abogó por la conservación de la pirámide, las ruinas prehispánicas son ahora un parque nacional. Pondremos nuestra mesa en los pastizales que se encuentran sobre la imponente Cañada de la Virgen, un espectacular cañón que atraviesa la meseta de gran altitud del centro de México. Aprenderemos sobre la fascinante historia de la zona y luego nos sentaremos para disfrutar de una de las inolvidables comidas del chef Donnie. Donnie se ganó sus habilidades culinarias trabajando con chefs legendarios como David Bouley en Montrachet, Patrick Clark en el Hay Adams Hotel de D.C. y Tavern on the Green de Nueva York, y el Patina Group de Joachim Splichal en L.A. Abrió The Restaurant con muy buenas críticas en 2008 y este año celebra su 14º aniversario en SMA. Promete ser una experiencia memorable.
We’ve been eager to visit this incredible place ever since we saw The Biggest Little Farm, an inspiring documentary that chronicles John and Molly Chester’s journey to become farmers dedicated to the health of the soil and everything that grows from that. From the air, the farm looks like a Jim Denevan art installation, with spiraling orchards and radiating patches of linear row crops. Spanning 234 acres just 40 miles from Los Angeles, the farm is a wonderland of fecundity where John and Molly use certified organic, biodynamic and regenerative agricultural methods to grow more than 160 varieties of vegetables, 75 varieties of fruits, and raise sheep, cows, pigs, chickens and ducks with care and respect. If you’ve seen the film, you know a bit about the labor and love and many rounds of trial and error it took to reclaim this once-barren land and create the dynamic ecosystem it is today. John and Molly will tell us what they’ve learned and put into practice here since they first embarked upon the project in 2011. Sisters Rory and Maeve’s popular new spot, Rory’s Place, in Ojai is the organic culmination of growing up in their mom’s Santa Monica bakery, Maeve’s stints running the kitchen at Gjelina in Venice and Saltwater in Inverness, and Rory’s warm front-of-house hospitality and wine knowledge. Together, the sibs and their team will glean the farm’s vast pantry and bring their wood-fired cookery out to the field to create a meal to remember.
The mother and son team of Jehanne and Nick Brown host us for another night in their beautiful orchards, a Mediterranean paradise on California’s Central Coast. Nick grew up on the ranch and spent his teen years manning the family’s table at the local farmers market. Now, in addition to overseeing the orchards, he helms Rincon Tropics, which delivers California sunshine in the form of fresh fruit straight to customers’ homes across the U.S. and to Michelin-starred restaurants up and down the Central Coast and SoCal. Nick will teach us about finger lime “caviar”; how to eat a creamy cherimoya; and what to do with passion fruit pulp. Where will we set the table? Perhaps under citrus trees with bright fruit glowing like string lights in the boughs above. Maybe between rows of guava, dragon fruit or pomegranate. Before we enter the bower for dinner, we’ll feast on coastal views of the sparkling Pacific and the distant dark bumps across the waves that are the Channel Islands. This is a very special place, and our guest chef will honor it with a meal to celebrate its natural grandeur. Inspired by the area’s abundant produce and coastal vibes, Chef Josh Pressman turns out small plates and delish pizzas from the wood-fired oven at Bettina. Josh came out to Rancho el Rincon with us last year, and we’re stoked to have him back again!
OITF visited Rancho el Rincon, just south of Santa Barbara, for the first time last year, and we knew we’d be back. The view of the sparkling Pacific was stunning, and we set the table under trees burgeoning with ripe citrus. Host Jehanne Brown raised her son Nick here. A sixth-generation Carpinteria farmer with a deep love for this land, Farmer Nick tends acres of pesticide-free tropical fruit trees—citrus, guava, avocado, pomegranate, passion fruit, cherimoya. Rancho el Rincon is all about small-scale, labor-intensive farming that delivers hand-picked fruit at the peak of freshness and flavor with minimal intervention. Nick will walk us around and tell us how he does it all. Then The Dutchess team will take over. Opened just last year, The Dutchess took Ojai by storm with Kelsey Brito’s luscious pastries and Chef Saw Naing’s fabulous Burmese-Indian cuisine. Using the harvest from our friends at Tehachapi Heritage Grain and produce from 50/50 Farm—established a few years ago when The Dutchess owners Zoe Nathan and Josh Loeb, who still operate the famed Rustic Canyon and other L.A. faves, moved out to Ojai to start farming—The Dutchess exemplifies the locavore ethic, interpreted through a Burmese-Indian lens. Think tea leaf salad, braised beef masala, tandoori-style chicken and kabocha squash curry.
Farmer Robert Lower’s date garden is a magical place. Robert dreamed this place up in 1979, then set about to literally create it from scratch, interplanting rows of date palms and citrus in the desert of the Coachella Valley. Today, this oasis of softly rustling palm fronds and fragrant citrus blossoms is a beautiful setting for our long table. And Farmer Robert definitely knows how to have a good time; he’s been a regular at our Coachella Music Festival appearances for years. Chef Brian Redzikowski of Kettner Exchange will join us in the desert kitchen; this is his eleventh time as an Outstanding guest chef. Together, farmer and chef will make magic happen in the garden.
Wow. We pinch ourselves every time we get the chance to return to Kualoa Ranch. This spectacular slice of land on the windward coast of O’ahu was once a place of refuge for Hawaiian kings. Now it’s home to a 4,000-acre nature reserve and working farm that occasionally doubles as a Hollywood film set (an impressive list of movies and TV series were filmed here, including Jurassic Park). When it comes to table views, this is just about as beautiful as it gets. Majestic mountains and verdant valleys are surrounded by secret beaches, tropical fruit orchards and ancient aquaculture ponds brimming with oysters and shrimp. Not to mention herds of happy grazing cows, heritage pigs and a plethora of fresh vegetable beds—all part of Kualoa’s diversified agricultural program, which offers responsibly raised food to the local O’ahu community. We’ll get a taste of all that goodness with our meal from guest chef Ed Kenney. Ed’s helmed the field kitchen quite a few times since we first started coming to O’ahu back in 2012. He’s also a regular James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: West. Born on the island and hugely passionate about his local food and farming community, Ed runs each of his celebrated O’ahu restaurants on the premise of “local first, organic whenever possible, with aloha always.” That’s our kind of chef.
Rex Clonts is a fifth-generation farmer who grew up here in Oviedo, a charming town populated by chickens that freely roam the streets. Rex’s grand-dad was the original Big Daddy, who moved his young family to central Florida in 1923 and started out with a plot of celery planted in the rich Black Hammock soil of Seminole County. Today Rex and his wife Denise still grow celery for their neighbors, selling it along with a vast variety of other vegetable crops, from choi sum to purple-topped turnips. Committed to organic agriculture, BigDaddy’s re-certifies their farm every year and regularly tests the soil to monitor fertility, using carefully selected cover crops and no-till farming to rebuild the fields as a vital living ecosystem. Summer is downtime for Florida farmers, but in January, the place will be bustling with energy, and burgeoning fields will give Chef Bruno plenty to work with. Brazilian-born Bruno has lots of experience with improvising, having worked in high-end spots like Normans, taught at Le Cordon Bleu, operated a food truck and captivated central Florida tastebuds with his roving, after-hours Foreigner Experience pop-ups. Now he’s settled into his own brick-and-mortar place, and he’ll bring his omakase menu to BigDaddy’s field.
Chris Kenrick’s six-acre farm in Tampa is beaming with life and overflowing with all sorts of organically grown vegetables and herbs. It’s also home to the area’s oldest-running CSA program and farmer’s market, providing hundreds of Tampa Bay residents with fresh-as-it-gets produce year-round. Chris is a champion of local foodsheds and sustainable agriculture and believes in growing community from the ground up. His community-driven ethos includes farmer apprenticeship programs, hands-on educational workshops, farm tours and events for both children and adults. We’ll celebrate this inspiring work with a feast in their beautiful fields along Sweetwater Creek. Guest chef Eric McHugh spent more than twenty years in Tampa Bay area restaurants, including Hew Parlor at The Fenway Hotel, before helming the pans at Hotel Haya’s famed Flor Fina. He’ll bring us a taste of the restaurant’s unique menu inspired by the Cuban and Latin roots of Tampa’s Ybor City neighborhood. Think coconut clam chowder, calamansi ceviche and wood-fired brick chicken with plantains.
This 7-mile stretch of white sand beaches and turquoise waters is spectacularly beautiful and beaming with Old Florida charm. You’ll feel your shoulders relax the moment you arrive here, and once you dig your toes into the silky sand, you may never want to leave. The island’s laid-back lifestyle is one of the reasons we keep coming back. The other is the plethora of fresh seafood and locally grown produce we’re lucky to feast on at the table. And then there’s the views of swimming dolphins and manatees paired with glorious sunsets over the Gulf. This year we are thrilled to welcome Ed Chiles—owner of the Anna Maria restaurant, Sandbar—and his team to the beach kitchen for the third time. Ed’s restaurant Sandbar is known for its seasonal seafood-centric menu sourced from nearby waters and nearby Florida farms. He’ll be joined by four other star chefs from the Chiles Group including Ted Louloudes & Helena Vavrikova of Anna Maria Bake House, Thomas Villetto of Beach House Waterfront Restaurant, and Aaron Kulzer of Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant. Host fisherman Brian Lacey is a good friend of the Chiles restaurant group, supplying them with everything from stone crab to Spanish mackerel to mullet. And farmers Zack Rasmussen & Natasha Ahuja of Gamble Creek Farms provide the vegetables. The three of them will join us at the table to tell us the story of what’s on our plates, while we toast to their hard work with a few glasses of crisp wine on the beach.
