Regions: Pacific Northwest

Visiting the San Juans in late June is pure magic. The clear blue water shimmers beneath a sun that stays up late into the evening; the smell of fir trees, salt water, and summer lingers in the air. And Orcas Farm is a particularly special place all on its own. There are heritage apple trees, free-grazing sheep and bountiful beds of specialty fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs that farmers George and Molly grow for the local community — including some of the island’s best chefs. Among those chefs is Jay Blackinton of Hogstone’s Wood Oven. Jay is deeply committed to seasonality and locally grown goods, and his menus are constantly changing depending on what’s available nearby. He’s also a hunter, butcher, forager and a master of the wood burning oven. Expect a wood-fired feast featuring Orcas Farm’s summer bounty, plus a few foraged things perhaps.

This is a supremely strong pairing of farm and chef. Last year’s event was one of our most inspiring to date. Oxbow is a 240-acre non-profit farm, protected forest, conservation and education center dedicated to regenerative agriculture, environmental education, and native plant restoration. They grow a huge amount of organic produce for the Seattle community, including hunger relief organizations and local schools. Melissa Miranda is a deeply conscientious and talented chef who draws inspiration from the Filipino flavors and food traditions of her childhood. During the pandemic, she converted her Seattle restaurant Musang into a community kitchen serving those in need. We are thrilled to see what she brings to the field kitchen this time around — we’re still thinking about last year’s local cod with calamansi vinaigrette.

Taylor Shellfish is home to some of the most celebrated oysters in the Pacific — and their property along the Puget Sound is a certifiably beautiful place to dine. The Taylor family has farmed shellfish in the Puget Sound since 1890 and have been pioneers of sustainability from the beginning. We’ll get a crash course on oyster farming from the family at the table while we slurp on fresh shellfish raised right beyond our seats. The evening also will include a diurnal display of mother ocean, with the tide rising and falling (you may get your feet wet) and a waxing moon. Guest chef Cameron Hanin will wear his wellies to cook up the evening’s feast in the field kitchen. Cameron has an impressive culinary resume of celebrated kitchens in NYC and Seattle and is currently the Chef and Pizzaiolo at Lupo, where he cooks up Neapolitan pies, pastas, and wood-roasted local vegetables. He’s also the chef/owner of Guerrilla Pizza Kitchen, a naturally leavened pizza pop-up where he combines elements of music, art and politics into his food. Come hungry!

When you have the chance to slurp on wildly delicious oysters along the sparkling Puget Sound, it’s good to stay a second night. Oyster farming is an absolute labor of love, and Taylor Shellfish has been growing some of the West Coast’s best since 1890. At the table, we’ll get to learn all about the oyster farming process from the Taylor family themselves, all while slurping on oysters, quaffing Washington wines, and feasting on a meal by guest chef Victor Steinbrueck. Victor was born in Seattle and Local Tide is his ode to the Pacific Northwest. The restaurant’s menu features a bounty of locally grown produce and sustainably caught PNW fish and shellfish in the form of rockfish banh mis, hand-cracked Dungeness crab rolls, cured salmon sandwiches and many more delicious things. Just about the perfect match for our meal amongst the oyster beds.

Fibrevolution is an extraordinarily inspiring place. Farmers Shannon Welsh and Angela Wartes-Kahl are working to revive and redefine Oregon’s fiber flax industry — bringing local, organic flax back to the forefront of American fiber production. They’re launching Oregon’s first fiber flax mill in over 50 years, and conducting trials to scale their model across the country. We’ll get a tour of the property, including a field-to-fabric demonstration where we’ll see the process from start to finish. Then we’ll sit down in the flax fields for a meal from guest chef Doug Adams. Doug’s a Texas native who’s made quite the name for himself since moving to Portland back in 2008—from appearing on Bravo’s Top Chef to working in some of the city’s hottest kitchens including Imperial, Paley’s Place and Pok Pok to opening his own spot, Bullard, with a menu inspired by his Lone Star roots. Now he’s running The Royal Coachmen, a pop-up culinary series that combines his passions for wood-fired food and fly fishing. We can’t make any promises, but it’s possible his famous fried chicken will make an appearance on the menu. Either way, expect a sumptuous summer feast surrounded by blooming blue flax flowers.