Farm, to Table, to Belly...

Tonight I got to do what I have dreamed of for almost ten years- attend a farm(er) to table dinner, ON A FARM. I was able to get tickets to the Lettuce Be Local Farmer's Dinner, held at the beautiful Mesa Farm in Rutland, MA. The goal of the dinner is to draw attention to the fabulous farmers that provide incredible products to local chefs, restaurants, and caterers. It was also an opportunity for the chef's that regularly source their products locally to really show them off, complete with beer and wine pairings. I have been giddy for almost a week- and when we pulled up I was almost twitching. 

I mean, c'mon, it's GORGEOUS. Mainly, I was relieved that I was able to get dressed and together in time- when my friends who I attended with arrived at my house, I was still in my towel trying to figure out what I was going to wear!! 

We entered the equestrian barn which had been all done up for the event- hay bales, lanterns, greenery. Long tables filled the center of the barn, with stations for beer and wine, charcuterie, crudite, fresh squeezed juice by Nu Cafe, black tea with blueberries and coffee by Reverly, and photo station with Meatloaf the very fake bull surrounding. Immediately we were offered fantastic hors d'oeuvres- the highlight was the liver meatballs with bacon and onion jam, served by my favorite waiter from Volturno! We kept going back for those and the pickled rhubarb and pickled snap peas. DELICIOUS. 

Once we were seated, we got to partake in a true culinary adventure. The chefs were Nick Geraci and Tim Russo from Volturno, Rob Fecteau from Birchtree Bread, Damian Evangelous from Armsby Abbey, Brian Treitman from BT's Smokehouse, and Alina Eisenhauer (yes, THAT Alina Eisenhauer, from Food Network's Chopped, Cupcake Wars, and the winner of Sweet Genius. Oh, yeah, and she just cooked at the James Beard house. No biggie, right???? Can you tell she's my chef-hero???)  from Sweet. There are really no words to describe the meal- it was just delightful from start to finish. Highlights were eating fresh greens, including clover, flowers, and herbs paired with heirloom tomatoes. Oh, and sitting across from the farmers, Catherine Bauman and David Beyer (B & B Farms) that grew and picked said delicious greens.  Ahh, and the grass-fed confit brassicas (I totally had to google brassicas- it means cruciferous vegetables, like cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli, kale, and cabbage- basically every vegetable I love) with grilled onions and crunchy yum yum something or others...yeah, I'll just post pictures of the menu and wine/beer pairing list. The wine was from a variety of places, and the beer too- however, three were from Medusa Brewing, in little old Hudson, MA. I actually really liked the beers I tried, which for me, is kind of epic! Go check them out- I have it on authority that their pretzels are wonderful.

It was all just amazing. Who knew that you could make sweet pea and lemon thyme panna cotta??? And top it with fresh blueberries from B & B Farms in New Braintree? Um, Alina did. I have to say that being able to experience the dishes with the farmers that grew the raw ingredients was unreal. I so much enjoyed learning more about the process, and I left with a new appreciation for where my food comes from- starting with the people!

I guess the whole point of me going on and on is to say that FOOD IS AWESOME. Get it locally, grow it, cook it, enjoy it. Play with your food! Be brave, and eat the flowers! Go check out the restaurants and chefs that participated, you won't be dissappointed.

Oh, and obviously, get tickets for next year's Farmer's Dinner! It is such an amazing experience!