One long table set between the vines surrounded by rolling golden hills and the pink light of early summer sun. A place like this deserves two nights. This plot of land in the eastern end of Santa Ynez Valley is ideal for growing warmer-climate grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc and host vintner Jeff LeBard and his team transform all that high-quality fruit into some very scrumptious wines in their on-site cellar. We’ll sample many varieties of their delicious wines alongside our meal from guest chefs Lauren and Christina Olufson. Lauren and Christina have quite the culinary chops between the two of them, including long tenures at Suzanne Goin’s a.o.c. and Luques in L.A. In 2019, the couple opened Bossie’s Kitchen in Santa Barbara in The Live Oak Dairy building, a Milpas Street landmark built in the last phase of Art Deco in the late 1930’s. At Bossies, they’re committed to sourcing local and organic ingredients from the abundance of area farms. This dynamic duo cooked for us earlier this year at Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm and we are thrilled to have them back in the field kitchen.
Taxonomy: Upcoming Events
Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center
This is a supremely strong pairing of farm and chef. Last year’s event was one of our most inspiring to date. Oxbow is a 240-acre non-profit farm, protected forest, conservation and education center dedicated to regenerative agriculture, environmental education, and native plant restoration. They grow a huge amount of organic produce for the Seattle community, including hunger relief organizations and local schools. Melissa Miranda is a deeply conscientious and talented chef who draws inspiration from the Filipino flavors and food traditions of her childhood. During the pandemic, she converted her Seattle restaurant Musang into a community kitchen serving those in need. We are thrilled to see what she brings to the field kitchen this time around — we’re still thinking about last year’s local cod with calamansi vinaigrette.
Forlorn Hope
This vineyard and winery is the brainchild of host vintner Matthew Rorick and the result of his very hardworking team of vignerons, farmworkers and cellar hands. We feel quite lucky to dine among their 75 acres of organically grown grapes in the Sierra Foothills — where steep rows of vines are surrounded by thick woods and cascading hills gleaming under the California sun. The property’s limestone soils and 2,000 ft. elevation make for elegant, distinctive wines with deep aromatics, texture, and acidity. And low intervention winemaking without additives or commercial yeasts means the wines maintain their natural terroir. We’ll taste all those delicious wines alongside a Mediterranean meal from guest chef Kevin O’Connor. He’s a Sierra Foothills native passionate about hunting, foraging, and cooking outdoors. He’s also a self proclaimed olive oil geek and a certified olive oil sommelier. This is bound to be a fun one.
Taylor Shellfish
Taylor Shellfish is home to some of the most celebrated oysters in the Pacific — and their property along the Puget Sound is a certifiably beautiful place to dine. The Taylor family has farmed shellfish in the Puget Sound since 1890 and have been pioneers of sustainability from the beginning. We’ll get a crash course on oyster farming from the family at the table while we slurp on fresh shellfish raised right beyond our seats. The evening also will include a diurnal display of mother ocean, with the tide rising and falling (you may get your feet wet) and a waxing moon. Guest chef Cameron Hanin will wear his wellies to cook up the evening’s feast in the field kitchen. Cameron has an impressive culinary resume of celebrated kitchens in NYC and Seattle and is currently the Chef and Pizzaiolo at Lupo, where he cooks up Neapolitan pies, pastas, and wood-roasted local vegetables. He’s also the chef/owner of Guerrilla Pizza Kitchen, a naturally leavened pizza pop-up where he combines elements of music, art and politics into his food. Come hungry!
Lower Town Farm
Gordon Ramsey calls the meat from this farm “the best tasting meat in the world.” On this 500-year-old family farm, host farmer Matt Chatfield is a passionate and conscientious sheep farmer and a staunch supporter of regenerative agriculture. For the last ten years, his Cornwall Project has established working relationships with some of London’s best chefs to shorten their restaurant supply chains and boost the local farming economies. Matt raises beef cattle and “cull yaws” – the Cornish term for retired sheep slaughtered at 5-6 years – and partners with famed butcher Philip Warren to dry-age the meat. We’ll host a tight team of chefs in the field kitchen, including Cornwall native Ben Quinn who brings expertise in wood-fired and outdoor cooking. Longtime OITF friend Adam Dulye will hop the pond to join Ben for a feast that celebrates cull yaw as much as the summer bounty of Southwest England’s vibrant farming community. And Jim plans to do some drawing in the sand along the rugged Cornwall coast.
Taylor Shellfish
When you have the chance to slurp on wildly delicious oysters along the sparkling Puget Sound, it’s good to stay a second night. Oyster farming is an absolute labor of love, and Taylor Shellfish has been growing some of the West Coast’s best since 1890. At the table, we’ll get to learn all about the oyster farming process from the Taylor family themselves, all while slurping on oysters, quaffing Washington wines, and feasting on a meal by guest chef Victor Steinbrueck. Victor was born in Seattle and Local Tide is his ode to the Pacific Northwest. The restaurant’s menu features a bounty of locally grown produce and sustainably caught PNW fish and shellfish in the form of rockfish banh mis, hand-cracked Dungeness crab rolls, cured salmon sandwiches and many more delicious things. Just about the perfect match for our meal amongst the oyster beds.
Pear Ridge Orchard
This stunning orchard on the famed Hood River Fruit Loop is a seriously breathtaking venue for an open-air meal. From the table, you’ll get spectacular views of Mt. Hood, the sparkling Columbia River, and rolling hills dotted with evergreens and wildflowers. Not to mention the lingering scent of ripening apples and pears and a particularly gorgeous sunset. We first came to Pear Ridge last year after an introduction from Jim’s brother Bill — an organic pioneer who’s consulted with orchardists around the world including our host Jason Mann. Guest chef Ryley Eckersley has worked in countless restaurants around the world, from New York to London to Belize to Barcelona, before joining the team at Quaintrelle. Since settling in Portland, he’s made close connections with the region’s plethora of local farms and producers, which inspire his inventive seasonal menus at Quaintrelle. We first worked with Ryley last year at Ayers Creek — and we are thrilled to have him back in the field kitchen for our meal between the trees.
Everett Family Farm
Everett Family Farm feels a bit like a sanctuary from our hurried modern world, so it only seems appropriate to spend two nights here. Perhaps we’ll dine along the soothing stream in the shade of tall trees or in the abundant vegetable beds or in the fields near their picturesque red barn. Either way, we’ll feast on the fruits of farmers Rich and Laura’s loving labor. This time, we’ll have guest chefs Carlo Espinas and Emmanuel Galvan collaborating in the field kitchen. Carlo is well aquainted with the field kitchen. He went on tour with us in 2019 as our kitchen expeditor, helping our crew of guest chefs at nearly 100 events across the country. He also worked at some of the Bay Area’s best kitchens including Chez Panisse before opening The Lede in Oakland — an ingredient-driven restaurant celebrating the vast geography, history, and seasonality of California. Chef Emmanuel is the man behind Bolita Masa, a popular San Francisco pop-up selling fresh masa to local shops and restaurants. He uses landrace varieties of maize grown in Mexico and nixtimalizes the corn himself before grinding it with an electric-powered grinder fit with volcanic stones. If we’re lucky, he’ll bring along some of his salsa macha, a sweet and spicy salsa made with locally grown peanuts, seeds and chilies.
Cooper Mountain Vineyards
The very old Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines at Cooper Mountain were planted by Dr. Bob Gross and his wife Corinne back in 1978. At first, the family sold grapes from the Old Vines Vineyard to other wineries. They began making their own Cooper Mountain wines in 1987 and were early adopters of organic and biodynamic farming practices, earning certificates from Oregon Tilth and Demeter. Today the family farms five estate vineyards and daughter Barbara is at the helm. We’ll gather at the long table to dine in the splendor of the Willamette Valley and savor wines that reflect the family’s deep commitment to the soil. Meanwhile, guest chef Heather Kintler will craft the evening’s meal in the field kitchen. Before opening Normandie, Heather spent 16 years as Executive Sous Chef at The Veritable Quandary (or VQ), one of Portland’s oldest and most beloved restaurants. She also spent time as Sous Chef & Co-Farm Manager at Side Yard Farm & Kitchen, where she developed an even deeper appreciation for thoughtfully grown produce and root-to-stem vegetable cooking. Normandie is a seafood-centric bistro that celebrates the abundance of the PNW — combining simple ingredients with bold flavors and elevated techniques. We can’t wait to see what she cooks up between the vines for us.
Peter Martin Ray Vineyard
This vineyard at the top of the Santa Cruz Mountains overlooking the lights of Silicon Valley was first planted in the early 1900s by Burgundy native Paul Masson. (You may recognize that famous name!). Masson sold the property after prohibition to Peter’s dad, Martin Ray – a California legend who also planted the nearby vineyards that are now Mount Eden. Many of California’s modern Pinot Noir were planted with genetic material taken from this historic site. This is a rare opportunity to visit a very special place and taste the extremely limited-production wines made from the fruit that grows here. Guest chef Telmo Faria spent his childhood cooking at his father’s restaurant in the Portuguese islands, purchasing fresh fish and produce from seasonal stalls along the coast. Now he does the same at Uma Casa, crafting creative Portuguese menus sourced from the Bay Area’s wealth of local farms and fisheries. Our good friend Donnie Masterton will fly up from Mexico to join Telmo in the field kitchen for a very special meal to match some very special wine.