Regions: Northeast

An idyllic place to dine. Garden beds bursting with peak summer produce, herds of happy sheep grazing in the farm’s rolling green pastures, trees heavy with ripe fruit. And then there’s the trout pond, the brightly colored flowers and the friendly flock of hens. We’ve been coming to the Hickories since 2013 and we’ve been back nearly every year since, often for two nights in a row. Farmer Dina Brewster and her team grow over 160 varieties of vegetables, fruits and herbs plus pastured hens and sheep for meat and wool — which means guest chef Johan Jensen has plenty to pick from for the evening’s menu. He opened Whitecrest Eatery in 2019 to much acclaim, quickly becoming one of Stonington’s most celebrated restaurants. We are thrilled to welcome him to the field kitchen for the first time.

Brooklyn Grange is one of the first rooftop farms in the country. And this 3.2-acre Sunset Park location is their newest venture — where an abundance of vegetables, herbs, flowers, and honeybees is paired with a particularly spectacular view of Lady Liberty. Brooklyn Grange operates some of the world’s largest rooftop soil farms, producing over 100,000 pounds of organic vegetables each year for the New York City community and donating over 30% of their produce to individuals in need. It’s both a very impressive operation—and Kyrelle Leefatt and Pedro Arvizu of 1:1 Foods are an equally impressive pair of chefs. Brooklyn Grange introduced us to 1:1 Foods, a culinary social enterprise focused on community-led food justice through collaborative events, catering and community gatherings. They source locally from farms like The Grange, paying particular attention to businesses who use regenerative growing practices and pay fair wages, all while investing 100% of their profits back into grassroots food justice work. Kyrelle is a Brooklyn native who helmed the kitchen at The Meat Hook and Threes Brewing before taking the role as 1:1’s Culinary Director, where he crafts menus with international flavors and techniques inspired by his childhood in Bed Stuy. Pedro Arvizu is 1:1’s COO as well as a talented pastry chef who will cook the evening’s seasonal dessert. You can expect a stunning summer meal to match the scenery.

Knee High Farm is a women-owned and operated farm in eastern Pennsylvania focused on employing and empowering women in agriculture while creating a stronger, more resilient local community through food. Here, Farmer Emma and her crew tend over 100 varieties of vegetables, fruits and herbs using regenerative organic practices that protect the soil and surrounding ecosystem. Kitchen Garden Textiles is another women-centric endeavor, founded by Heidi Barr. They produce elegant, heirloom-quality napkins, produce bags and aprons, all made with 100% organic linen locally crafted in Pennsylvania. Emma and Heidi’s Pa. Flax Project aims to revitalize the flax for linen industry that originated in Pennsylvania in 1691. This dinner will feature tablecloths and napkins from our collaboration with Kitchen Garden Textiles. We are proud to feature these custom textiles at a number of our dinners this year. Guest chef Ari Miller wears Kitchen Garden Textiles aprons in yet another example of what he calls “relationship cuisine” — his approach to creating unconventional dishes sourced from local producers with whom Chef Ari has formed close relationships. We are excited to see this very special farmer / maker / chef relationship in action.

Maine is a magical place. Ancient oaks and firs mingle with rocky beaches, sparkling seas and sunny summer skies. Not to mention many different varieties of succulent seafood, including oysters—which we’ll taste at the table from local legends Glidden Oyster Company, who’ve been raising oysters here since the 1980’s. They suggested we set the table at Salt Bay Farm & Nature Center, a gorgeous, 115-acre expanse of protected land and marshes with spectacular views across Great Salt Bay and a mile of shimmering shorefront. The land is part of the Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust, which works to protect wildlife and water quality and connect the community to nature through walking trails, oyster gardening and educational programs. We’ll get a good look around the property before sitting down to a seafood-centric feast from guest chef Ben Jackson. Chef Ben is the James-Beard-nominated chef at Magnus on Water in Biddeford where he keeps a nature-inspired small plates menu featuring all sorts of delicacies from the sea and surrounding farms and woods. This will be his OITF field kitchen debut!

Dandelion Spring Farm is home to rows of tender greens, vegetables, cut flowers and herbs, which means there’s lots of pretty spots to place the table — and lots of goodies for our guest chefs to play with. Farmer Beth is a lifelong lover of herbalism and grows a huge variety of medicinal and culinary herbs including tulsi, hyssop and lemon verbena. And guest chefs Damian and Ilma are some of her very best customers. They’re the talented team behind Chaval, a highly acclaimed Portland restaurant with a focus on Mediterranean flavors and a deep dedication to peak season local produce. Their zero-waste kitchen makes use of everything from root-to-stem and nose-to-tail, including a serrano-ham-infused ice cream made with scraps from their charcuterie program. This is bound to be a fun one.

This family-run micro-dairy in the mountainous town of Stowe is intentionally small, producing award-winning cheeses from happy, healthy Alpine goats. Farmer Katie milks the goats and Molly crafts all sorts of cheeses with the milk, while their partners Bob and Dave manage the maple grove. Lelia Evans runs the Market Garden School, a farming and gardening educational program for kids in the community. Sage Farm’s acres of rolling green pastures makes for a stunningly beautiful spot to dine outdoors. And we’re thrilled to welcome guest chef Cara Chigazola Tobin back to the field kitchen for the second year in a row. She’ll take the night off from her James Beard-nominated restaurant Honey Road to whip up a Mediterranean feast — with plenty of goat cheese, of course.

It’s been a few years since we’ve set the table at this gorgeous farm property in upstate New York and we are thrilled to be welcomed back by our hosts Josh and Brent. This spot boasts romantic views complete with a picturesque pond, flower gardens, an elegant farmhouse built in 1802 — plus a friendly herd of goats whose milk is used to make Beekman 1802’s world-famous artisanal cheese and skincare line. This time around, we’re lucky to have husband and wife team Sohail & Sara Zandi of Brushland Eating House join us in the field kitchen. Their family-style restaurant is known for hyper-local menus, comforting classics and warm hospitality. Expect a peak summer season feast surrounded by idyllic grassland and fragrant flowers.

The Berkshires are outstandingly beautiful: rolling green hills, sparkling streams, lush forests, and mystic morning fog. Tucked away within all that beauty is Indian Line Farm, a 17-acre oasis of certified naturally grown vegetables, herbs and fruits. Indian Line Farm became the country’s first Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in 1985, and our host farmers have stewarded this land since 1998, partnering with The Nature Conservancy and The Community Land Trust in the Southern Berkshires to preserve the land as a working farm forevermore. Guest chefs Daire Rooney and James Corcoran are celebrated chefs in the Berkshires. They have helmed the kitchen at a slew of local hotspots and made many appearances at the James Beard House before opening Marjoram + Roux together in 2020. This will be our second event at Indian Line Farm and our first time working with chefs Daire and James. Join us in welcoming them to the culinary circus!

Farmers Ben and Rachael raise cows, chickens and pigs as close to the “wild” as possible: they roam freely through acres of lush pastures dotted with wildflowers and thick woodlands. This is a very inspiring place and an equally beautiful spot to dine outdoors. This year, chef Benjamin Sukle will return to the field kitchen to cook us a feast of Wild Harmony’s thoughtfully raised meat plus lots of peak summer vegetables and fruits. Chef Benjamin has quite the culinary resume, including a brief stint at Noma in Copenhagen and two James Beard nominations for Best Chef: Northeast. At Oberlin, he’s known for creative, seasonally driven menus that celebrate the rich agricultural landscape of Rhode Island. His homemade sourdough bread and nduja were big hits at the table last time around — perhaps we’ll see an encore this year?