It wouldn’t be a complete Outstanding in the Field season without our annual last-dinner-of-the-year foraging feast at the iconic Pie Ranch in Pescadero. Stomping around the woods this time of year can uncover some truly incredible secrets of the forest. Our host forager and king of mushrooms Todd Spanier will lead us on a treasure hunt through the moss-covered redwoods, and give some valuable insider knowledge on the forests of Northern California. We’ll also hear from Pie Ranch host farmers Nancy Vail and Jered Lawson, who have been operating their 14-acre farm in the shape of a slice of pie since 2005. Guest chef Brad Briske is deeply dedicated to sourcing from small-scale Bay Area farms like Pie Ranch. He’s cooked a few events for us over the years and each of his menus is uniquely inspired by whatever’s freshest and best at the time. At his Soquel restaurant Home, he’s known for hyperlocal California cuisine featuring everything from house-cured wild game to handmade pastas to fresh-caught Monterey Bay fish. Expect a feast full of foraged mushrooms (this is the height of porcini season!) and fall vegetables paired with earthy autumn wines.
Taxonomy: New 2022 Events
Sausalito Waterfront with Heath Ceramics
Take a seat at almost any restaurant in San Francisco, and chances are that you’ll be eating your dinner off the simple, elegant, and impeccably well-made plateware from Heath Ceramics. We’ve been serving our family-style farm dinners on Heath platters for over a decade. At this very special event, we’ll begin with a glass of wine and a hands on demonstration on how these ceramics are crafted. From there, we’ll take a short walk to the Sausalito waterfront, where we’ll dine on a seafood-heavy feast, featuring local catch from host fisherman Kenny Belov of TwoXSea. In the waterfront kitchen will be Ravi Kapur, Kevin Keovanpheng and Brett Shaw of OITF-favorite restaurant Liholiho Yacht Club and the newly opened Good Good Culture Club, both in San Francisco. Ravi has cooked with us on beaches, in vineyards, between fields of vegetables and even at an organic coffee farm on Maui. We can’t wait to reunite for this very unique late fall seaside event.
Joseph Fields Farm
Farmers Joseph and Helen Fields will host us at their 50 acre organic farm on John’s Island, where they grow for several local farmers markets. Joseph, a third generation farmer, was born and raised on the farm on John’s Island and entrenched in Gullah culture. They will tour us through their vegetable fields before we sit down for a feast of Filipino-infused Lowcountry