Oaxaca is the capital of mezcal. As complex and nuanced as fine wine, mezcal can be made with more than three dozen types of agave, each contributing its own flavor to the finished blend. Many of these maguey species grow in the wild, and some take up to 20 years to mature. Mezcal Real Minero is one of the only female-owned palenques in the state, and Graciela and her brother Edgar are considered some of the world’s finest producers. Their great grandfather, Papa Chico, was one of the town’s early palenqueros. We will taste through several smoky mezcals before our meal from guest chef Rodolfo Castellanos. He was the first winner of Top Chef Mexico and is very much a local culinary celebrity here. At Origen, Chef Rodo’s menus honor the native ingredients and traditional cooking techniques of his Oaxacan homeland.
Oaxaca es la capital del mezcal. Tan complejo y lleno de matices como un buen vino, el mezcal puede elaborarse con más de tres docenas de tipos de agave, cada uno de los cuales aporta su propio sabor a la mezcla final. Muchas de estas especies de maguey sólo crecen en estado salvaje, y algunas tardan hasta 20 años en madurar. Mezcal Real Minero es uno de los únicos palenques propiedad de mujeres en el estado, y Graciela y su hermano Edgar están considerados como unos de los mejores productores del mundo. Su bisabuelo, Papa Chico, fue uno de los primeros palenqueros de la ciudad. Degustaremos varios mezcales ahumados antes de la comida del chef invitado Rodolfo Castellanos. Fue el primer ganador de Top Chef México y es toda una celebridad culinaria local. En Origen, los menús del chef Rodo honran los ingredientes autóctonos y las técnicas culinarias tradicionales de su tierra natal, Oaxaca.
It’s easy to be enchanted by the lush rows of avocados, pomegranates, passion fruits, and guavas at this ranch along the central California coast. Add a dazzling view of the Pacific and you’ll probably pinch yourself. Farmer Nick Brown is lucky enough to have grown up on this ranch, and he now holds the reins at Rincon Tropics — with a focus on farming fruit naturally without the use of pesticides or sprays. He’ll tell us all about farming techniques on the farm tour before we settle into a long table dinner surrounded by tropical leaves, budding blossoms, and ripe citrus fruits dangling over our seats. Guest chef Joshua Pressman has cooked at a slew of L.A.’s best restaurants, including Rustic Canyon and Korean-inspired pop-up Dandi before helming the wood-fired oven at Bettina in Santa Barbara. Bettina is known for creative Neapolitan-style pizzas and small plates featuring seasonal ingredients from California’s central coast, including the lovingly grown fruits of Rancho el Rincon.
Prepare to be wowed by this haven of tropical fruits including guavas, passion fruit, avocados, cherimoya, dragonfruit, pomegranate, and citrus. Not to mention sweeping views of the Pacific, the Channel Islands, and the California coast. Host Jehanne Brown has curated a Mediterranean and tropical paradise highlighting the natural topography, various microclimates, and soil types to grow and showcase the best specialty fruits that this historic property has to offer. Her son Nick Brown, a sixth-generation farmer in the Carpinteria Valley, grew up on this ranch where he learned the ropes of farming fruit naturally with no pesticides or sprays. The Browns use a variety of regenerative techniques including cover crops, beneficial insects, and interplanted fields to produce some seriously stunning fruits that happen to be well-loved by some of the best chefs in Southern California, and beyond. Guest chef Jessica Largey has quite the culinary accolades under her belt, including a James Beard Award and a tenure as Chef de Cuisine at three-Michelin-star Manresa in Los Gatos. So the meal is bound to wow us, too.
From our table on the iconic Malibu Pier, you’ll get to enjoy the meditative sound of ebbing waves below your feet as you dine on the day’s fresh catch. Plus a panoramic view of the sparkling Pacific, soaring seabirds and Malibu’s majestic rolling hills. Our guest chef will helm the pier kitchen for a meal that celebrates both land and sea, and feature the bounty of fresh fish and seafood available, plus plenty of peak season produce from the plethora of area farms.
Pinnacle Farms is a wonderful place to dine outdoors. We may choose to set the table in their lush golden fields of heritage grains, or perhaps the fragrant citrus grove, the blossoming fruit orchard, or the historic Iraqi date garden featuring rare Maktoom dates. Or there’s always the bountiful rows of unique vegetable varieties including heirloom beans and corn. Farmer Janna is a passionate and conscientious farmer who’s worked tirelessly to revive some of the Southwest’s native crops including White Sonoran wheat, Chapalote corn, and Rio Bavispe pinto beans. We’ll get to taste many of these delectable edibles with our meal from guest chef Jeff Kraus from Crêpe Bar in Tempe. A former food truck, Crêpe Bar is known for sourcing high-quality seasonal ingredients from Phoenix-area farms and has quite the glowing press to boot. Join us for a vibrant, jovial and inspiring meal under the Arizona sun.
This 5-acre oasis of organic vegetables, fruits, and flowers located just on the border of Joshua Tree National Park is surrounded by a gorgeous desert landscape and is known for its fabulous sunsets as well as its fabulous produce. Host farmers Eric and Gardenia run an impressive operation that provides weekly produce boxes to communities across the valley. They’re an inspiring and dedicated bunch, and we can’t wait to hear more about what they’re up to on the farm tour.
Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California is Mexico’s premier wine region, and it’s gained quite a bit of attention over the last few years. In addition to delicious wines, the region boasts rolling hills, a pleasant Mediterranean microclimate, and a close-by coastline with seriously stunning sunsets. Rancho El Mogor is one of the Valle’s very best and most beautiful vineyards. This small-scale, family-run winery produces only 550 cases of wine each year and carefully crafts each vintage by hand. Our host vintner Natalia grew up on this land and will have much to teach us about its history as we taste through their world-renowned wines. Guest chef Drew Deckman runs the vineyard’s on-site outdoor restaurant, where he keeps a rotating seasonal menu featuring the bounty of organic vegetables grown on-site and other local products from the surrounding region. Join us for an unforgettable and intimate meal in the vines.
El Valle de Guadalupe en Baja California, es la principal región vinícola de México, y ha ganado bastante atención en los últimos años. Además de deliciosos vinos, la región cuenta con colinas onduladas, un agradable microclima mediterráneo y una costa cercana con atardeceres realmente impresionantes. Rancho El Mogor es uno de los mejores y más bellos viñedos del Valle. Esta pequeña bodega familiar produce sólo 550 cajas de vino al año y elabora cuidadosamente cada cosecha a mano. Nuestra viticultora anfitriona, Natalia, creció en esta tierra y tendrá mucho que enseñarnos sobre su historia mientras degustamos sus vinos de renombre mundial. El chef invitado, Drew Deckman, dirige el restaurante al aire libre del viñedo, donde mantiene un menú rotativo de temporada con la abundancia de verduras orgánicas cultivadas en el lugar y otros productos locales de la región circundante. Únase a nosotros para disfrutar de una inolvidable e íntima comida en los viñedos.
“Dos Pueblos,” meaning “Two Villages,” was named by Juan Cabrillo, who landed along this stretch of coastline in 1542, where the Mikiw and Kutamu tribes had settled on both sides of the canyon. What was once the largest orchid farm in the world is now a stunning 50-acre property rich with history, known for its glorious glass-paned greenhouse, and an awe-inducing view of the Pacific. What a magnificent place to dine al fresco. Especially when chef Jason Neroni is in the field kitchen. After spending time in some of the world’s most prestigious kitchens including Le Cirque and El Bulli, he opened several successful spots of his own across the West Coast before settling in at The Rose. There, he’s known for globally inspired Southern California cuisine sourced from an abundance of area farms.
This event marks ten years of long table dinners at this friendly farm of pastured laying hens. After COVID kept us away last year, it’s about time we check in on our old farmer friends Dale and Robert — and see how “the girls” are doing too. Dale and Robert have much to teach about raising pastured birds, and we look forward to learning more from them each time we visit. This year, there’s been talk of setting the table in their newly planted orange grove — which in January, should be exploding with fragrant blossoms and ripe fruit. Guest chefs Alexia & Rhys Gawlak have been a part of the Orlando food scene for over twenty years and are known for seasonal, scratch-made cuisine sourced from local farms. They’ll cook up quite the scrumptious feast in the field kitchen.
A stunning spot in Tulum calls for another night at the long table. We won’t be ready to leave the teal blue waters, sunny skies, and white sand beaches… nor the fresh-caught seafood, tropical fruits and enchanting cuisine of this coastal community in the Yucatán peninsula. We are thrilled to enjoy another evening along the Caribbean sea and another meal featuring the very best of the abundance of local farms and fisheries.
