Our second evening in the wide open, rolling grasslands of Texas Hill Country. Built in 1985 for the film “Red Headed Stranger,” Luck, TX is an Old West movie town located in Willie Nelson’s backyard on the outskirts of Austin. Willie Nelson’s wife Annie was a longtime customer of TerraPurezza when it was just a 5-acre ranch. In May of 2020, Annie asked ranchers Tina and Orion to move onto Luck Ranch and convert it to regenerative practices. Now they raise pigs, chickens and sheep here, with plans to add cattle, bison, quail and other animals over the next few years — as part of a holistic system mimicking the earth’s natural cycles. Chefs Todd and Jessica came out to cook with us at Boggy Creek when Outstanding came through Austin last year. We’re stoked to see them again, and this one will certainly be a one of a kind experience.
Taxonomy: 2022 Tour
Thorne Family Farm
Make a turn off Highway 1 and head uphill. Soon you’ll find yourself in a world that feels miles away from famous beaches and seaside mansions. This is the Thornes’ place, a 25-acre farm where three generations have worked the land since Larry’s parents purchased the property in 1938. Local restaurant chefs rely on the lovingly tended produce grown here, from dry-farmed tomatoes that really taste like tomatoes, to all manner of vegetables and the juicy berries – strawberries, ollaliberries, blueberries – that Thorne Family Farm is famous for. Guest chef Joshua Gill will make great use of Larry Thorne’s lovingly grown produce in the field kitchen. His Beverly Hills restaurant Mírame is known for its creative, ever-changing menu of Mexican flavors and seasonal ingredients from area farms, ranches, and fisheries. Before opening Mírame in 2020, Joshua made his mark as Chef de Cuisine at Joe’s Restaurant in Venice, helping it earn its first Michelin star back in 2008. Then he opened Tacos Punta Cabras, a shining star of L.A. ‘s Alta California cuisine, before traveling the world for many years as a restaurant consultant and chef. Expect a creative feast of contemporary Mexican fare — like salmon skin chicharron, parsnip al pastor tacos, and pressed pig face tostadas. Yum.
Boggy Creek Farm
Boggy Creek is a charming urban farm we have been coming back to again and again for more than a decade. As boom times bring changes to Austin, it’s nice to know you can still walk the grounds and browse for dinner ingredients at the Boggy Creek farmstand set alongside the historic 1840s farmhouse — the oldest home in Austin that is still standing! Our table fits just so alongside the thriving fresh vegetables. We welcome guest chef Kevin Cannon to a favorite field kitchen for his first time at the helm. His team at Barley Swine, an Austin favorite committed to local and ethical sourcing, joined us way back in 2013. We’re excited to have them back and to see what Texas flavors they cook up at one of our most beloved places to set the table.
Flying Disc Ranch
We can’t wait to get back to the garden. Robert and his dates and citrus make regular appearances at Outstanding’s table at Coachella. After the enforced hiatus, this year was our seventh gig at the fabulous festival of music and art, and we look forward to bringing the table to Robert’s mystical place in the fall season. In October, the desert weather has cooled and it’s the perfect time to visit the magical garden, where date palms are interplanted with rows of citrus trees. Guest chef Gabriel Woo will cook an Autumn feast in the field kitchen. He’s a Coachella Valley native and the chef behind Bar Cecil, a modern American bistro in Palm Springs known for its indulgent and colorful menu featuring lots of locally sourced seasonal produce. Before opening Bar Cecil last year, Gabe gained an enthusiastic following for his communal dinners at boutique hotels Sparrow’s Lodge and Holiday House. We first worked with Gabe earlier this year and we are thrilled to welcome him back for a very special meal beneath the whispering palms.
Peeler Farms
This 3,000-acre ranch in South Texas is home to hundreds of Wagyu cattle, goats, sheep, horses and water buffalo who happily graze on green and golden pastures. There’s also a few real life cowboys who may ride by as we dine beneath the Big Texas Sky. The Peeler family has been raising cattle here for more than a century and take great pride in humane handling, high-quality processing and soil-healthy practices like rotational grazing. Guest chef John Brand is a big fan of the ranch and we’re thrilled to host him in the field kitchen for the fourth year in a row. The restaurant at Hotel Emma is consistently one of San Antonio’s hottest spots, with a creative farm-to-table menu that highlights the region’s multicultural foodways and its year-round agricultural bounty.
Temecula Olive Oil Co.
The table in the grove at Temecula is among our most beautiful. It seems like every tree has been shaped to provide the most beautiful possible dining site. There is actually some truth to that. Ten years ago, when we set our first table here in the grove, many small branches needed a trim so guests could dine comfortably. The trees have now grown and there is quite a bit more room. Maybe OITF and the Temecula olive grove are growing in concert. Chef Brian Redzikowski has grown alongside the trees also; this is his eighth time as an Outstanding guest chef.
Temecula Olive Oil Co.
Olive green. You see it everywhere here, including the farm-fashionable clothing of host farmer Thom. So much love and care goes into this farm. It’s really one of the most well cared for properties you will ever see. You may feel lightheaded with intoxication from all the beauty as we dine in dappled sunlight under arching branches. If it happens you have some of your own farm-fabulous olive green somewhere in your closet it’s time to bring it out and join Thom. Guest chef Anthony Wells of Juniper & Ivy will don his green in the field kitchen. Anthony’s worked at Juniper & Ivy since it opened back in 2014, forging deep relationships with local farms and fisherpeople and helping the restaurant earn its stripes as one of San Diego’s very best. He was named a 2022 James Beard Semifinalist for Best Chef: California. Grab a seat in the grove to learn why.
Ampelos Cellars
Guest chef Clark Staub loves cooking in the field kitchen. He’s always up for anything – ask him about ferrying all his ingredients out to a sand spit in Morro Bay for dinner a few years back – and we love any excuse to bring him along with us. This will be Chef Clark’s tenth dinner with us (we’ll also see him earlier this season in Big Sur), and that doesn’t count his appearances at Coachella. He’s definitely an OITF favorite. We’ll be returning to set the table with our friends at Ampelos Cellars again this year. Host vintners Rebecca and Peter are always a welcoming site to a crew that has traveled the country for five months. The Santa Rita hills have the climate and soil that leads to very good wine — there will be no shortage of that as we dine together beside the vines.
Bonton Farms
Not too long ago, this South Dallas neighborhood was a food desert. Now it’s home to several urban gardens, a food market, café and coffee house — plus a 40-acre farm that supplies the local community with fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, milk, honey and eggs. Host farmer Daron Babcock built this place from scratch with a goal of increasing food security, economic stability, health and wellness for his neighbors in need. Guest chefs Tiffany Derry and Tom Foley run Roots Southern Table and Roots Chicken Shak, two beloved Dallas restaurants rooted in Southern flavors and food traditions. Among their delicious offerings is Tiffany’s famous duck-fat fried chicken. Perhaps she’ll fry some up for us alongside our meal featuring Bonton’s bounty of autumn vegetables and herbs.
Burnt Hill Farm
It’s a rare opportunity to dine between the vines in the Piedmont Plateau — which is why we’re staying three nights. We’re thrilled to have another opportunity to stroll through their 117 acres of golden grape vines, vegetable beds, fruit trees and free-grazing farm animals. And to taste through many delicious varieties of their thoughtfully made wines, of course. Host vintner Andrew Baker is a conscientious farmer and winemaker who maintains a regenerative system meant to mimic nature in the vineyard and makes wine using zero additives in order to best reflect this historic property’s terroir. Guest chef Bryan Voltaggio will helm the field kitchen on our final night. He was mentored by Chef Charlie Palmer and has gone on to accrue quite a few culinary accolades, including an appearance on Top Chef and two James Beard nominations. He’s also opened several popular restaurants in Maryland including his newest venture, Thacher and Rye, where he cooks up locally sourced Mid-Atlantic cuisine.