Cooking outside. It’s something I grew up doing in Hawaii since most of our meals were cooked on a grill. I’ve always found being outside very comforting. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a “roughing it” kinda gal BUT sitting outside and sipping a drink while Kyle fires up the grill is my perfect day off.
Outstanding in the Field is hands down our favorite event of the year! It pairs chefs with farmers and holds a dinner for about 200 guests on the farm. It doesn’t get more farm-to-table than that! The dinner is served family style at one LONG farm table. I love how bountiful the table looks when we send 60 platters of food to the table. Then people eat and drink until we practically need to roll them home. It’s a beautiful thing! As the sun sets lanterns are brought out so guests can enjoy the cool breeze while they enjoy dessert and after dinner drinks.
For a 2nd year in a row we were fortunate enough to host our dinner at The Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture. It is a non-profit farm that is near and dear to our heart. Kyle and I spent many hours with the farmers and our cooks weeding, planting, and foraging at Arcadia and we are always excited to expose new people to it. Arcadia brings young children to the farm to teach them about healthy eating. They also run the Mobile Market, a bright green bus that brings crates of farm fresh food to otherwise underserved neighborhoods and helps educate communities about how to prepare nutritious food for their families. Plus, there are 5 bee hives there that I get honey from for desserts at Birch and Barley so I like to have a reason to visit the farm to check on the bees 
The weather was perfect, Kyle and I were surrounded by some on our favorite people and the guests seemed to really enjoy their meal. Greg was there to pair beers, which always blows people away… A few of the standout dishes were a farro salad with radishes and grilled cucumber that was to die for. Kyle also made a beautiful dish of seared skate served over lightly dressed baby dandelion greens. It was so fresh and flavorful. For dessert I prepared birthday cake with a twist. It was a cake layer with carrot cake, parsnip cake, cream cheese mousse and toasted walnuts. It was served with carrot caramel and ginger ice cream…
Outstanding in the Field comes to the DC area every year but they travel all over the US so be sure to get on their mailing list and if they come to your town I recommend buying a ticket. It’s a splurge but it’s a wonderful event.
