Terroir isn’t just for wine. Join us in iconic growing region Sonoma County for a unique look at beverage from farm to glass for a special beer-pairing focused dinner from some of the best in the business. Award-winning Russian River Brewing is joining us at Alexander Valley Hops, where towers of heady hops climb up to twenty feet above our heads, giving us many dramatic options to set the table. Adam Dulye, our guest chef for the day, knows a thing or two about beer – he is the executive chef of the Brewers Association, a nationwide organization with a mission to educate on the compatibility of craft beer and contemporary cuisine. Not to mention, he’s joined us in the field kitchen more times than we can count. There’s no doubt his cuisine will complement Russian River’s best beers.
Taxonomy: Upcoming Events
Flint Beach Ohana Farm ⛴
Lopez Island is a particularly beautiful place, not only because of the breathtaking ocean views along the craggy coastline or the grasslands stretching to gnarled forests on the horizon; the island’s people add to its unique beauty, earning it the name “Friendly Isle”. Flint Beach Ohana Farms is no exception, so we squeeze our trucks and trailers onto the ferry to get out there whenever we can. Sally and Tom Reeve grow pasture-raised Romney sheep and free-range chickens with a view of famous Iceberg Point. The farm’s flowers should be in full bloom as they walk us through their gardens to the table on a bluff overlooking the water, where Josh Ratza will be putting finishing touches on our dinner. At Setsunai Noodle Bar, Josh artfully blends Japanese influences with his passion for the Lopez Island agricultural community, featuring whatever is best in season. We know he’ll delight in cooking right at the source of the ingredients for the meal we’ll share.
North Arm Farm
If you’re looking for a show-stopping view from the table, this event should be high on your list. Located in the Pemberton Valley just outside of Whistler, BC, this 54-acre farm stretches underneath the majestic Mount Currie. It truly earns its nickname as the Sea to Sky Farm Experience. Trish and Jordan Sturdy will tour us through their rotating array of seasonal fruits and vegetables (they may even let us pick a surprise or two) before we sit down in the shadows of the towering green peaks that have made British Columbia famous. Phil Scarfone will join us in the field kitchen for a second time. The Top Chef Canada runner-up will bring out the best of what the valley has to offer; he may even share something he foraged from the nearby mountains if we’re lucky.
Hearst Ranch
For most, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dine on the Hearst family’s private ranch, where cattle graze freely with zebras and African deer on the grassy hillsides along the coast of San Simeon. We are lucky enough to be returning to serve dinner on the ranch for the third year in a row. We’ll start the afternoon at the winery with Jim and Debi Saunders before a healthy stroll to the table set on San Simeon Point. While we take in the 360-degree views of the ocean and the ranchlands, Joe Hou from San Francisco’s Tenderheart will craft a playful meal inspired by his Chinese-American roots, and utilizing the best of California’s bountiful early summer produce. The walk to this table is sure to work up a healthy appetite — make sure to wear your walking shoes!
Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center
Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center grows organic vegetables, herbs and flowers on 12 of their 240 acres along the Snoqualmie River. The rest they leave as forestland for ecological restoration projects and agricultural research. What they grow they source to local groceries, restaurants, hunger relief agencies and schools—in addition to their vibrant farmstand and CSA. This is a supremely inspiring place, and we are thrilled to return to celebrate their work. We’re also thrilled to invite Victor Steinbrueck back to the field kitchen after cooking one of our crew’s favorite meals last summer. Victor’s family is deeply connected to Seattle – his grandfather (and namesake) is known for fighting to save Pike’s Place Market over 50 years ago. Now, Victor credits the market with giving him a passion for seafood, which he shows off through his locally-focused cuisine at Local Tide.
Hacienda Subin
Henequen, a type of agave used to make sisal as well as a fiery spirit, was once the major source of wealth throughout the Yucatan. About 15 miles from the center of Merida, our host Laura Kirar and her husband de ella Richard Frazier have transformed an abandoned, former 17th Century henequen plantation into an elegantly rustic estate, the perfect setting for our long table. Laura Kirar is a renowned furniture and interior designer who collaborates with skilled artisans in Mexico to create work combining ages-old techniques infused with a modern sensibility. For your event, she will stage a pop-up shop of her de ella tableware collection made from local materials including henequenes and jipi japa, a palm leaf. Chef Roberto Solis is a Mérida native who honed his craft in kitchens around the world, working with celebrated chefs in London (The Fat Duck), Copenhagen (Noma), New York (Per Se) and Tokyo (Narisawa). After years abroad, Roberto returned to Mérida with a mission to honor and elevate traditional Yucatecan cuisine, itself a smoky melange of indigenous Mayan foods and the international influences brought by the Dutch, French, and Spanish to the peninsula’s many port cities.
Henequen, a type of agave used to make sisal and a spirit, was once the main source of wealth throughout the Yucatan. About 15 miles from downtown, our hostess Laura Kirar and her husband Richard Frazier have transformed an abandoned 17th-century former henequen plantation into an elegantly rustic estate, the perfect setting for our long table. Laura Kirar is an artist and designer who has collaborated closely with skilled artisans from Mexico to express her practical and conceptual work. For this event, she will stage a pop-up store of her tableware collection. Chef Roberto Solís is a native of Mérida and has honed his art in kitchens around the world, working with celebrity chefs in London (The Fat Duck), Copenhagen (Noma), New York (Per Se) and Tokyo (Narisawa). After years abroad, Roberto returned to Mérida with a mission to honor and elevate traditional Yucatecan cuisine, which is a smoky blend of indigenous Mayan foods and the international influences brought by the Dutch, French and Spanish to the many port cities of the peninsula.
Vivero Yautepec
Traveling south on the main highway from Mexico City, you need to make a decision. Shall you continue heading southward to Cuernavaca, dubbed the “City of Eternal Spring” and a popular getaway for Mexico City urbanites, about 90 minutes north? Or will you turn east toward Tepoztlán, the reputed birthplace of Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec feathered serpent god, known for its weekly crafts market and steep trails climbing up into the dramatic cliffs that tower above the town? Either route will ultimately lead you to our table in Yautepec, set for dinner in the stunning star fruit orchards of Vivero Yautepec. Vivero is Mexico’s largest grower of the radiant star fruit and grows a vast variety of other exotic fruit trees. Vivero’s founding family also were the original propagators of the haas avocado variety; most of the haas growing throughout Mexico are the product of their original seedlings. Guest chef Andrea Blanco will come out from the stunning colonial-style mansion in Cuernavaca that houses Pixca Reforma, where her menus feature a rotating seasonal menu of wood-fired pizzas and small plates made with local ingredients. Chef Andrea will create a menu inspired by the glowing star fruit in the trees around us as the stars emerge from the evening sky.
Viajando hacia el sur por la carretera principal desde Ciudad de México, hay que tomar una decisión. ¿Seguirá hacia el sur hasta Cuernavaca, apodada la “Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera” y una escapada popular para los citadinos de Ciudad de México, a unos 90 minutos al norte? ¿O bien girará hacia el este, hacia Tepoztlán, el reputado lugar de nacimiento de Quetzalcóatl, el dios azteca de las serpientes emplumadas, conocido por su mercado semanal de artesanía y sus empinados senderos que ascienden a los espectaculares acantilados que se elevan sobre la ciudad? Cualquiera de las dos rutas te llevará en última instancia a nuestra mesa en Yautepec, preparada para cenar en los impresionantes huertos de frutas estrella de Vivero Yautepec. En Mexico, Vivero es el mayor productor de la radiante carambola (fruta estrella) y cultiva una gran variedad de otros árboles frutales exóticos. La familia fundadora de Vivero también fue la propulsora original de la variedad de aguacate haas; la mayoría de los haas que crecen en todo México son producto de sus plántulas originales. La chef invitada Andrea Blanco saldrá de la impresionante mansión de estilo colonial de Cuernavaca que alberga Pixca Reforma, donde sus menús presentan una carta rotativa de temporada de pizzas a la leña y pequeños platos elaborados con ingredientes locales. La chef Andrea creará un menú inspirado en el resplandor de los frutos estrellas (carambola) en los árboles que nos rodean mientras las estrellas emergen del cielo nocturno.
Cañada de la Virgen
We first came to San Miguel de Allende in 2018, and each time we return, we discover someplace new. Chef Donnie Masterton was in our field kitchen for that first dinner, and since then, he’s always been our guide. This time he’s taking us to a really spectacular spot—a ranch on SMA’s western border where cattle graze freely on native pasture. The property also encompasses an archeological site believed to have been constructed around 530 AD by the Otomi people, dedicated celestial observers who studied the star cycles and their relation to the timing of key agricultural tasks such as seeding and harvesting. Thanks to the ranch matriarch, who advocated for the pyramid’s preservation, the pre-hispanic ruins are now a national park. We will set our table in the grasslands above the imposing Cañada de la Virgen, a spectacular canyon that cuts through central Mexico’s high-elevation plateau. We will learn about the area’s fascinating history, then sit down for one of Chef Donnie’s unforgettable meals. Donnie earned his culinary chops working with such legendary chefs as David Bouley at Montrachet, Patrick Clark at the Hay Adams Hotel in D.C. and NY’s Tavern on the Green, and Joachim Splichal’s Patina Group in L.A. He opened The Restaurant to rave reviews in 2008 and celebrates his 14th anniversary in SMA this year. This promises to be an experience for the ages.
Vinimos por primera vez a San Miguel de Allende en 2018, y cada vez que volvemos, descubrimos algún lugar nuevo. El chef Donnie Masterton estuvo en nuestra cocina de campo para esa primera cena, y desde entonces, siempre ha sido nuestro guía. Esta vez nos lleva a un lugar realmente espectacular: un rancho en la frontera occidental de SMA donde el ganado pasta libremente en los prados nativos. La propiedad también abarca un sitio arqueológico que se cree que fue construido alrededor del año 530 d.C. por el pueblo otomí, dedicados observadores celestes que estudiaban los ciclos de las estrellas y su relación con el momento de las tareas agrícolas clave, como la siembra y la cosecha. Gracias a la matriarca del rancho, que abogó por la conservación de la pirámide, las ruinas prehispánicas son ahora un parque nacional. Pondremos nuestra mesa en los pastizales que se encuentran sobre la imponente Cañada de la Virgen, un espectacular cañón que atraviesa la meseta de gran altitud del centro de México. Aprenderemos sobre la fascinante historia de la zona y luego nos sentaremos para disfrutar de una de las inolvidables comidas del chef Donnie. Donnie se ganó sus habilidades culinarias trabajando con chefs legendarios como David Bouley en Montrachet, Patrick Clark en el Hay Adams Hotel de D.C. y Tavern on the Green de Nueva York, y el Patina Group de Joachim Splichal en L.A. Abrió The Restaurant con muy buenas críticas en 2008 y este año celebra su 14º aniversario en SMA. Promete ser una experiencia memorable.
Apricot Lane Farms
We’ve been eager to visit this incredible place ever since we saw The Biggest Little Farm, an inspiring documentary that chronicles John and Molly Chester’s journey to become farmers dedicated to the health of the soil and everything that grows from that. From the air, the farm looks like a Jim Denevan art installation, with spiraling orchards and radiating patches of linear row crops. Spanning 234 acres just 40 miles from Los Angeles, the farm is a wonderland of fecundity where John and Molly use certified organic, biodynamic and regenerative agricultural methods to grow more than 160 varieties of vegetables, 75 varieties of fruits, and raise sheep, cows, pigs, chickens and ducks with care and respect. If you’ve seen the film, you know a bit about the labor and love and many rounds of trial and error it took to reclaim this once-barren land and create the dynamic ecosystem it is today. John and Molly will tell us what they’ve learned and put into practice here since they first embarked upon the project in 2011. Sisters Rory and Maeve’s popular new spot, Rory’s Place, in Ojai is the organic culmination of growing up in their mom’s Santa Monica bakery, Maeve’s stints running the kitchen at Gjelina in Venice and Saltwater in Inverness, and Rory’s warm front-of-house hospitality and wine knowledge. Together, the sibs and their team will glean the farm’s vast pantry and bring their wood-fired cookery out to the field to create a meal to remember.
Rancho el Rincon
The mother and son team of Jehanne and Nick Brown host us for another night in their beautiful orchards, a Mediterranean paradise on California’s Central Coast. Nick grew up on the ranch and spent his teen years manning the family’s table at the local farmers market. Now, in addition to overseeing the orchards, he helms Rincon Tropics, which delivers California sunshine in the form of fresh fruit straight to customers’ homes across the U.S. and to Michelin-starred restaurants up and down the Central Coast and SoCal. Nick will teach us about finger lime “caviar”; how to eat a creamy cherimoya; and what to do with passion fruit pulp. Where will we set the table? Perhaps under citrus trees with bright fruit glowing like string lights in the boughs above. Maybe between rows of guava, dragon fruit or pomegranate. Before we enter the bower for dinner, we’ll feast on coastal views of the sparkling Pacific and the distant dark bumps across the waves that are the Channel Islands. This is a very special place, and our guest chef will honor it with a meal to celebrate its natural grandeur. Inspired by the area’s abundant produce and coastal vibes, Chef Josh Pressman turns out small plates and delish pizzas from the wood-fired oven at Bettina. Josh came out to Rancho el Rincon with us last year, and we’re stoked to have him back again!