We finish off our mini-residency on the wild hillside farmed by Andrew Baker, Lisa Hinton and Ashli Johnson. Once again we’ll enjoy a range of their uniquely American wines while gazing out at the spectacular views of the Appalachian Mountains and feasting on the fruits of the surrounding land. Chef Eric Adjepong will be joining us in the field kitchen for a meal featuring enticing flavors from the West African diaspora. He’s lived on three continents, traveled extensively, and even completed a stint on Top Chef—but we’re sure he’ll be happy to be cooking close to his home in Washington DC while taking us on a culinary trip across the world.
Taxonomy: Upcoming Events
Barrier Island Oyster Co.
Charleston has become a must-visit American city partly because of its explosive local food scene. Certainly, the charming architecture, cobblestone streets and amazing waterfront don’t hurt either. We’re setting the table just south of the city at Barrier Island Oyster Co.— a thriving oyster farm where hosts Josh Eboch, Kendra Tidwell and Hamlin Auld raise Lowcountry oysters at the mouth of the open ocean. We’ll slurp some delectable bivalves alongside crisp wines while overlooking their floating cages. Then we’ll sit down to dinner with Kevin Getzewich from The Kingstide. Chef Kevin showcases the Lowcountry’s seafood bounty through his woodfired preparations, pairing it with his favorite seasonal ingredients.
Love is Love Cooperative Farm
This is one of our favorites. Our fruitful relationship with farmers Joe and Judith started out many years ago and we have been coming back to set our table here ever since. Love is Love is now worker-owned, growing nutritious, consciousness-raising food and flowers for the North Georgia region while providing living wages and benefits for all the cooperative’s employees. Importantly, they are working towards a future in which their farmland will remain agricultural in perpetuity. We love to set our table in their beds of summer produce, and can’t wait to welcome the chefs from Chai Pani into the field kitchen. Their “mindblasting” street food-inspired Indian cuisine has earned them recognition from the James Beard Foundation and the New York Times, and will certainly delight everyone at the table.
Moose Hill Farm
Moose Hill is the second highest point between Boston and Providence, and it happens to look out at a spectacular view of the first: Great Blue Hill. It has been an agricultural site since the 1600s, and is now managed by The Trustees of Reservations, who have revived its history as a cattle farm. The expansive property is full of hidden history peeking out of dry stone walls, hiding in the picturesque barn and wandering up the walking paths to the hayfield, where you can catch a glimpse of the Boston skyline. Our guest chef, Erin Miller, passionately sources New England’s best ingredients for her intimate, thoughtful restaurant, Urban Hearth. She is sure to have an incredible time planning a menu for us. It will be that perfect few weeks of summer that makes chefs in New England rejoice, when the long wait of winter redeems itself with a riot of perfect produce to compliment Moose Hill’s beef.
Wedge Oak Farm
It’s been a while since we last visited Karen Overton and her family at Wedge Oak Farm. Our first trip there was about ten years ago, when Karen immediately asked Seth to guide a loose Mangalitsa pig back into its pen — it’s been love ever since. The Overton family has raised a range of poultry and cattle since 1904 on their beautiful, tree-sprinkled land, including their famed Mangalitsas, considered the “Kobe beef of pork”. We promise to double check the locks on the pigpens before bringing you to the table for dinner with guest chef Levi Raines. He runs the kitchen at The Dutch, a classic American spot in Nashville’s Gulch neighborhood by James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Carmellini, building the menu around the best of what’s in season — a perfect fit for peak produce season in Tennessee.
Moose Hill Farm
These views are too good to stay for just one night, so we are back at Moose Hill Farm for round two. This historic cattle farm spans 347 acres of restored woodlands and pastures, with a charming farmstead that operates as a nature-focused preschool on weekdays. After reception, we’ll have a wander through the hayfields up to the table — where there’s a panoramic view of Great Blue Hill. Derrick Teh will join us in the field kitchen with modern Malaysian-inspired cuisine from his lauded pop-up, Sekali. What started as a pandemic project now has a loyal following, and has earned Chef Derrick a place as a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Northeast. We can’t wait to see what he creates for us from Moose Hill’s offerings.
Bonton Farms
We’re back for the third year in a row with this incredible mashup of inspirational chef and site. Before Daron Babcock started Bonton Farms, this area of South Dallas was devoid of any fresh food options for its residents. Now, they have a vibrant urban farm, farmer’s market, and café with a mission to invest in both the soil of their gardens and the soul of their community. As we wander through their garden beds full of mid-summer produce, you’ll see some free-range chickens, friendly goats, and pigs. Then we’ll sit down to dinner in a grassy field where you’ll feel like you’re miles away from the big city. Guest chef Chad Houser will be back in the field kitchen to delight us with his award-winning food. Chad works with at-risk youth at his non-profit restaurant Cafe Momentum where they learn life and career skills while cooking up locally sourced menus featuring house-made charcuterie, cheese, and vinegars. We can’t wait to welcome him and his well-known sense of humor back to Bonton while we dine beneath the big Texas sky.
Stone Acres Farm
Jim met Dan Meiser at the Hickories in 2021, and decided to swing by his farm the next day. After thirty seconds on this 200-year-old estate, he knew we had to host an event here. Between the orchards, vegetable gardens, greenhouses, and ornamental garden behind the pristinely preserved manor house, there is outstanding beauty and history in every corner of the property. In addition to the CSA and farmstand, Stone Acres provides farm-fresh produce to the 85th Day restaurant group, which includes the Oyster Club and Port of Call in nearby Mystic. Chef Renee Touponce runs the kitchen at both locations, focusing on the freshest ingredients from coastal Connecticut’s many farms and fishermen. She never ceases to impress us – there or in the field kitchen. Last year, she received a standing ovation for her dinner in the fields at Stone Acres, and we cannot wait for this year’s encore.
Boggy Creek Farm
Boggy Creek holds a lot of history for both Austin’s farming community and OITF. We visited on our first cross country tour in 2005, when the future of OITF was feeling uncertain at best. Carol Ann Sayle and Larry Butler offered us some much-needed encouragement to continue our storytelling mission, and now we stop by every year for a little boost. Carol is a pioneer of urban farming in the US, and her charming farmhouse is one of the oldest existing homes in Austin. Every time we stop by this oasis in the middle of the city, we are surprised to see how Austin has evolved around it, turning into a world-class destination. In the field kitchen, we’re celebrating another piece of OITF history and inviting back the team from La Condesa, who first joined us in those early days. Rick Lopez is now their executive chef, and helped lead the team to a spot on the James Beard shortlist for Outstanding Restaurant in 2023. Chef Rick will surely show off his bold mexican flavors and his passion for locally sourced produce at the long table.
Watson Farm with 401 Oyster Co.
The Watson Farm is a historic 265 acre farm in the Narragansett Bay. After five generations, the Watson family bequeathed it to the New England Historic Society with the stipulation that this beautiful land remains a working farm in perpetuity. These days, the farm is managed by Max Sherman, who keeps it home to grass-fed Heritage Red Devon cattle and sheep raised sustainably for meat and wool. We’re excited to explore the farm, but we are especially excited about its coastline. Brian Pinsky from 401 Oyster Co. will share his story of oyster farming in Rhode Island before we sit down to a seafood-focused dinner from Benjamin Sukle, who is currently quite busy – opening a brand new restaurant, Gift Horse, while moving his acclaimed Oberlin to a new space. We can’t wait to give him a bit of a break to join us in the field for the day.