A pristine beach typically inaccessible by foot. The soundtrack of seabirds, ebbing waves and a gently flowing stream. A few cows grazing on the bluffs overhead. Platter after platter of thoughtfully prepared seafood plucked from the water that morning. It doesn’t get much better than this. Plus, guest chef Jessica Yarr will be barefoot in the beach kitchen cooking up a feast of her famous Eastern European fare. Her Santa Cruz pop-up Chicken Foot has earned much acclaim over the last couple years, known for its delectable combination of traditional Ukrainian flavors and colorful California produce. Dig your toes into the sand and stick around for dessert — she might bring some of her famous chocolate beet cake, or perhaps a batch of chamomile doughnuts.
Archives: Events
Events
Happy Valley Farm
The field that started it all. This beautiful apple orchard belongs to OITF founder Jim Denevan’s brother Bill and Jim spent many seasons here thinning apples, collecting brush and picking fruit as a teen. The idea for Outstanding in the Field was born with this place in mind: one long table right here, where these heirloom apples were planted several generations ago along the Santa Cruz coast. We first set the table here back in 1999 and we’ve been back a few times since. This year, our guest chef is Jim Denevan himself. Jim spent many years as the chef at the lauded Gabriella Cafe before venturing around the country in the big red bus. Bill is a pioneering organic farmer and will give us an educational tour around the property while Jim and crew cooks away in the field kitchen.
Verdant Hollow Farms
Produce and pasture. You’ll find it all here in the rolling green fields of southern Michigan. Verdant Hollow Farms is home to a menagerie of milking goats, heritage pigs, Katahdin sheep, geese and laying chickens. All watched over by June and Cash, Colorado Mountain dogs who help keep coyotes, foxes, and hawks at bay. Verdant Hollow is dedicated to regenerative farming practices, and the multi-species livestock earn their keep; each has a unique purpose and skill, and all provide rich compost for gardens of greens, fruit and vegetables and for the high tunnel greenhouse where cold-hardy crops grow all year long. Guest chef Abra Berens is a former farmer herself. She’s also the author of Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables and Grist: A Practical Guide to Cooking Grains, Beans, Seeds, and Legumes, which made the NY Times list for Best Cookbooks of 2021. She’ll feel right at home in the field kitchen.
Blue Moon Acres
Rice in New Jersey? Yep, it grows here at Blue Moon Acres farm in the rural eastern edge of the Garden State, along with a diverse salad bowl of micro-greens. Jim and Kathy started farming here in 1992 and soon thereafter sold their crop to their first restaurant customer in New York. Things just grew from there. What started as a backyard operation is now a 63-acre organic farm planted to micro and mezza greens, all manner of vegetables and several varieties of rice. That’s music to the ears of guest chef Sam Freund, whose New American restaurant White Birch is deeply committed to sourcing seasonal ingredients from local farms like Blue Moon. Sam’s a New Jersey native and a French-trained chef who worked in celebrated kitchens across the U.S. including Eleven Madison Park in NYC and TAG Burger Bar in Denver before opening his locally sourced sandwich spot Slamwich Scratch Kitchen and the more upscale White Birch. This is our first time hosting Sam in the field kitchen — join us in welcoming him to the culinary circus.
Blue Moon Acres
As food writer Florence Fabricant of the New York Times recently wrote: “California and South Carolina are the usual sources for American-grown rice, but you can add New Jersey to the list.” Blue Moon Acres grows rice using the Korean Farming Method. At its heart, it’s all about the microbiology of the soil. You’ll have to come to New Jersey to see what that entails, and why it’s such an excellent approach to healthful farming. Along with many varieties of rice, host farmers Jim and Kathy Lyons grow several types of salad greens and microgreens, so guest chef Alex Spitale will have plenty of quality ingredients to work with. Perhaps he’ll be inspired to create a fabulous Blue Moon risotto or paella. Our mouths are watering already.
Tantré Farm
Our second night at Tantré Farm, dining amongst 100 varieties of vegetables, herbs, berries, melons and flowers lovingly grown by farmers Richard and Deb. They’ve grown this place from 40 acres to 115 acres over the last twenty-something years, and their working farm is now surrounded by lush woods and wetlands that make for very beautiful scenery when dining al fresco. On night two, we’ll feast on a meal from guest chef Omar Anani of award-winning Moroccan bistro Saffron de Twah. During the pandemic, Chef Omar converted his restaurant into a community kitchen, serving over 100,000 meals to hospital workers and community members in need. Now the restaurant is back open and busier than ever, so we are thrilled to have him on a night off in the field kitchen. Expect a feast featuring Moroccan flavors and many fruits (and vegetables) of Tantré Farm’s loving labor.
Thaxton’s Organic Garlic
This event is as good as it gets: a table wrapped around the tall trees in the Thaxtons’ charming backyard with over twenty varieties of garlic hanging in the barn. The Thaxtons are our family, and a seat at this table welcomes guests into the fold. Every summer we look forward to the long journey to Ohio, knowing we’ll be welcomed into the loving arms of Chris and Fred. Guest Chef Vinnie Cimino — whose restaurant Cordelia is opening later this year — will do delectable things with all of their lovingly grown garlic. We are honored to have him back to the field kitchen after an unforgettable meal last year.
Island Beach State Park
OITF’s first event on a New Jersey beach! Our guest chefs will gather their harvest from the fields of the Garden State and seafood from the Atlantic Ocean to create the meal for our table on this stunning stretch of sand surrounded by soaring seabirds and sparkling seas. Island Beach State Park encompasses ten miles of sandy beaches, rolling dunes, forests and marshes, plus an extensive wildlife population and hundreds of plant species. Needless to say, it’s quite the spot to dine al fresco. Chefs Ashley and Chris opened Black Eyed Susans back in 2010, where they quickly gained a following for their house-made pastas, pizzas, and seafood dishes among locals and summer vacationers. Dishes change seasonally depending on what’s available from their roster of local farmers and fisherpeople — so we’re very excited to see what they cook up with the region’s late summer bounty. If you’re a fan of OITF founder Jim Denevan’s artwork, don’t miss this one! Jim will create one of his monumental 3D sand sculptures near the table.
Blooming Glen Farm
We’ve been coming to this 40-acre farm in beautiful Bucks County since 2011. The place is overflowing with fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs, and our table here is often one of the biggest of the season. Farmers Tom and Tricia have lovingly tended this land since 2006, using sustainable and organic farming practices that enrich the soil and make for some very sweet and delicious produce. And Tom gives one of the best farm tours — he’s hilarious and the jokes keep coming at the table. This year, we welcome guest chef George Madosky to the field kitchen. He’s the Chef de Cuisine at Fork, a Philadelphia institution that’s been forking out farm-to-table menus far before it was cool. We know he’ll be in heaven at Blooming Glen — especially in September, when late summer tomatoes, peppers and zucchini coincide with early autumn roots and squashes.
Blooming Glen Farm
Blooming flowers, bountiful rows of vegetables and fruits, gorgeous green fields laced with corn, cover crops and wildflowers. This 40-acre farm in Bucks County is a dreamy place to dine. A place like this deserves two nights — it’s our tenth year coming to Blooming Glen, afterall. And host farmers Tom and Tricia feel like family. On this night, we welcome back guest chef George Madosky for a second evening in the field kitchen, making this our first double header with a chef this year.