Taxonomy: 2022 Tour

Night one at this hidden Hamptons gem, where the Foster family tends to 200+ acres of potatoes, vegetables, and grain. They also have a really cool collection of beautifully restored antique farm vehicles, including a tractor, farm truck, and two small airplanes (there’s even a small air strip on the property). Potatoes were once Long Island’s most prolific crop and the Fosters have been growing potatoes here for generations. These days, much of their thoughtfully grown spuds go into their estate-made vodka and aquavit, which we’ll taste during reception before we get a brief tour of the distillery. Meanwhile, our guest chef Whitney Ellis of ÆSHES – launching this summer – will be cooking up a bespoke wood fired feast in the field kitchen. We have a feeling the menu will include some of Foster Farm’s famous heirloom tomatoes, which will be at their peak in September.

Before the Hamptons became a world-famous summer beach destination, it was home to a wealth of potato farms — and the Fosters are some of the only remaining potato farmers on Long Island. To this day, the family grows 200 acres of potatoes in addition to 30 acres of fresh vegetables and a small lot of grain. A heap of their spuds go toward Sagaponack vodka, which we’ll have the chance to taste at reception before sitting down at the long table to enjoy a meal from our good friend Jason Weiner. Jason is a bit of an OITF celebrity. He’s been doing events with us since 2008, and this will be his 15th appearance in the field kitchen, more than any other chef in OITF history. Earlier this year, we worked with Jason at Holman’s Harvest down in Palm Beach, Florida, where he opened an outpost of his popular Bridgehampton restaurant Almond in 2019. We’re thrilled to host him back on the East End again this summer.

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.

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.

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.

Grey Barn is a team effort: the creamery team; the livestock and forages team; the bakery team; the veggies, flowers and herbs team. Together they contribute their knowledge, passion and hard work to this bucolic place on the western tip of Martha’s Vineyard that produces literally everything we’ll need for a stunning dinner on the island. And we’re eager to see what Chef Nathan Gould creates for us. Nathan’s culinary influences run the gamut, from a childhood learning classic French techniques with his mother and grandmother, to on-island stints at the Harbor View Hotel and Beach Plum, and his most recent gig creating omakase menus as Executive Chef at Boston’s Japanese-inspired O Ya. That’s a deep resume, and we can’t wait to taste it in action on the plate.

 

* This is a BYOB event. Please note that the cost of the ticket does not include alcohol.