| JULY 25, 2010 -- Jonathan Rapp, chef/owner of River Tavern in Chester, was ahead of the curve when it came to producing benefit farm-to-table dinners, communal summer repasts that bring people together in the open air to celebrate farming, cooking and eating in Connecticut.
With Yale culinary director Thomas Peterlik, Rapp has set the bar when it comes to outdoor wine dinners that are sumptuous, elegant, spirited summer socials that offer the best when it comes to good food and good company. This year's dinners will be held Aug. 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14 at Barberry Hill Farm in Madison and Aug. 19, 20, 21, 26, 27 and 28 at White Gate Farm in East Lyme (www.dinnersatthefarm.com). Plans for the dinners began months ago, and as the dates draw near, Rapp is in high gear. But he still found time to share his farm-to-table culinary tale by "spilling the beans" with Java.
Q: When you started, were there other farm dinners in Connecticut?
A: We were the first in Connecticut and weren't really aware of anyone else doing it. It wasn't an original idea. Outstanding in the Field in California began about nine years ago and built farm dinners into a major business. We've been doing ours since 2007, and in the last couple of years, there has been an explosion in interest in farm-to-table dining. That comes, I think, from customers' interest in local foods for lots of different reasons.
Q: Like?
A: For me, it was to cook with the freshest ingredients. I think there are valid environmental concerns when it comes to choosing fresh as well. I think there is a psychological and emotional benefit from a diet that is based on food from people you know. It connects people to food. At a farm dinner, you see it growing, you see the farm, you eat the results, which are fresh and delicious.
Q: But there is a business component to your dinners, right?
A: We lost money for a couple of years. It's hard to figure out the finances because it is expensive to produce, and we want to make it an over-the-top experience. The set-up is huge, with the tents, the tables, the kitchen, and we have refined how we do them now. We had 12 dinners the first year at 11 different farms. So moving everything from one place to another and then cooking was huge. We have about 150 people each night. This year, we will be having 12 dinners in August at just two locations - at White Gate Farm in East Lyme and Barberry Hill in Madison. And that means not so much moving around and [makes it] a little easier because once we are set up, we will be staying put for a while.
Q: How do you cook dinner for 150 people each night?
A: This year, we will have seven chefs getting things ready. We do a different menu each night, seven courses plus seven or eight appetizers. Everything is cooked the day of the dinner from scratch.
Q: How do you know you are doing it right?
A: The biggest compliment is that people keep coming back, and some come to every dinner. And it's a mixed audience. There are foodies, people who are into the local food movement, some who are there just because it is a happening thing to do. And why you come colors how you see the dinners. Colin McEnroe came and wrote about it, calling it a magical experience that reminds you of how important food and the idea of sitting down together is. One of the most important things we want to get across is the idea of sitting down together communally and enjoying a meal.
Q: So the dinners are not just for food snobs?
A: Absolutely not. This year we want to get as many people as possible to our dinners because part of the mission is to promote local foods. Making it solely an elitist, expensive event does not fulfill that mission. We offered $100 a person tickets up until May 1, and now they are at $150. That may sound expensive, but when you look at what you get, including wines with all the courses and the fact that it includes a donation to organizations this year - including CitySeed Farmers Markets, the Working Lands Alliance and the Connecticut Farmland Trust - it is a bargain.
Q: How do you keep the idea of farm dinners new?
A: To some extent, we don't need to because the basis of what we are doing is so special. The basic idea and the format are timeless. Every year, though, we get better at doing it. The service is better. The food is better.
Q: Do you think the dinners are a food fad?
A: We were a little concerned about that after the first year, and when the economy soured and fuel prices went up and the supposed rationales for local food seemed diminished, we got nervous. But I think it has proven to be a lot more durable than we thought. I think we are playing a role and getting people excited about eating locally. There are so many valid reasons that local food is better for us and our communities. In the wake of the economic crash, people are looking for ways to be more connected to one another. When it comes to food, there is more to life than money and convenience.
|
