The rainy season mud hasn’t yet dried on our boots, but Oregon chefs and farmers are heading to their greenhouses right now, planning and planting a full season of farm fresh local fare to enjoy this summer. Check out our sneak peak of 2014’s farm-to-table dinners—and book your spots ASAP!

Plate & Pitchfork

Portland’s veteran farm to table dinner series launches another season featuring all star chefs at picturesque locales. Every dinner starts with a farm tour and ends with a decadent four–five course meal. 

• July 12 Chef Benjamin Bettinger of Imperial and Jason Barwikowski formerly of the Woodsman at Carman Ranch in Wallowa
• July 20 Smith Berry Barn in Hillsboro
  
• Aug 2 Zenger Farm in Portland
• Aug 9 Chef Gregory Gourdet of Departure and Justin Wills of Restaurant Beck at Domaine Drouhin SOLD OUT
  
• Aug 10 William Preisch of HoldFast and Erik Van Kley of Little Bird Bistro at Domaine Drouhin SOLD OUT
  
• Aug 16 & 17 Sun Gold Farm in Forest Grove SOLD OUT
  
• Aug 23 Looking for an adventure vacation? Enjoy a three-day rafting adventure on the Snake River in Hells Canyon with Winding Waters River Expeditions. This package includes chef prepared meals and music from Nashville’s own Kai Welch.
  
• Sept 7 Chef Rich Meyer of Trifecta Tavern & Bakery with winemaker John Grochau of Grochau Cellars at Bjornson Vineyards
• Sept 14 Chef Anthony Cafiero of Racion at Apolloni Vineyards
• Sept 21 Thirty-mile loop bike ride followed by farm dinner with Chef Alex Yoder of Olympic Provisions and Chef Chris DiMinno of Chris King Precision Components, and wine from Illahe Vineyards at Boondockers Farm. Guests also have the option to purchase tickets for the dinner without joining the bike ride.
  

Tickets go on sale in March and for more information as it unfolds, check out their website.

Farm Dinners at Phantom Rabbit Farm

When a veteran farmer and chef collaborate on a food venture, you know you’re in for some extraordinary food. Head out for this idyllic vegetable farm in the West Hills for a seasonal dinner picked straight out of the ground by the chef himself. Sauvie Island Organics alum farmer Melissa Joubert and Chef Mark Wooten of Fireside developed the restaurant farm together in 2012 and have been cultivating specialty vegetable varieties for Portland restaurants on their 1–acre plot ever since. This growing season, Phantom Rabbit Farm is inviting guests out to the farm for “reflection of the moment” dinners that showcase seasonal harvest bounty prepared with a focus on the culture and history of each ingredient. Tour the farm and swoon over the organic, heirloom herbs and produce at these fantastic feasts.

Farm dinners will be held Sundays June 29th, July 27th, and August 24th.

For more information about the dinner series, email [email protected], or follow @wooten_mark as more details are announced.

Our Table in the Field

Experience a multi-course meal created with ingredients directly produced at Our Table’s farm via truly sustainable means. Guests will begin the evening with a farm tour, visiting the blueberry bushes, vegetable gardens, and orchards, all while tasting appetizers. Guests will wind up at the farm’s pond and dinner tables where Chef Joshua McFadden of Ava Gene’s Restaurant and farmers will recount the journey of the night’s meal from farm to table. Our Table is a working cooperative of farmers, food producers, customers that strive to honestly reflect the real cost of food production through the unity of all devoted parties.

Tickets are $85, available on Our Table’s site. Saturday, Aug 9, 4:30 pm–9 pm and Sunday, Aug 10, 4:30 pm–9 pm.

Dinners in the Field with Field & Vine

Chef Pascal Chureau (of West Linn's Allium Bistro) is hosting the second annual “Dinners in the Field” 2014 series of seven-course meals showcasing local farmers, winemakers, and the rich and bountiful land of Clackamas County, the Willamette Valley, and the Gorge. Field & Vine will partner with Oregon Farm Loop for at least six of the dinners, and a portion of the proceeds from dinners hosted at Farm Loop settings will be donated to Oregon Farm Loop to support its public educational activities.

For the second year in a row, “Dinners in the Field” will kick-off its inaugural dinner at local farm favorite Iverson’s Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm on May 3rd in Woodburn, Oregon. Guests will be surrounded by colorful tulip blooms in the farm’s renowned garden.  For dinners hosted during winter or early spring, the event will be held in a tented area, rain or shine, at the host farm or vineyard.  The cost for each dinner is $80 to $90 per person which includes a seven-course dinner, wine, beer and gratuity. 

• May 3 Wooden Shoe Farms in Woodburn
• June 8 Tualatin Estate Vineyard in Forest Grove
• June 21 Christopher Bridge Winery in Oregon City
• July 12 King’s Raven Winery in Oregon City
• July 20 Fiala Farms in West Linn
• August 1 Out in the Garden/Forest Edge Vineyards in Molalla
• August 16 Beckham Estate Vineyards in Sherwood
• August 23 Alpacas at Marquam Hill Ranch/Alexeli Vineyards in Molalla
• August 31 Rare Plant Research & Villa Catalana Cellars
  
• September 6 AlexEli Vineyards in Molalla
• September 13 Terra Vina in Wilsonville
• October 11 Phelps Creek Vineyards
  
• November 1 WillaKenzie Estate in Yamhill
• December 27 Flower Farmer and Phoenix & Holly Railroad with Christopher Bridge Wines 

For “Dinners in the Field” tickets, head to fieldandvineevents.com or give them a call at 971-258-8389. 

Get Dirty Farm Tours

Owner of culinary school Good Keuken Blake Van Roekel and sustainable food advocate Lane Selman have set out to help townies discover Oregon’s rich agricultural community firsthand. Guests will experience lambing season, get an up–close look at draft horses, and hunker down in an oyster bed! After the tour, guests will take a break from farm education for a chef-prepared picnic lunch and libations.

• March 22 Spring Lambing tour at Vitality Farms in Corvallis and Gathering Together Farm in Philomath
• April 19 Oregon Wine and Cheese tour at Quail Run Creamery and Big Table Farm on the Oregon Coast Range
• Beginning May 7 Weekly urban farm tours of five NE neighborhood farms
• May 31 Farming with Draft Horses at 47th Avenue Farm and Illahe Vineyards on Grand Island and the Dalles
• June 21 A Taste of the Sea with Jacobsen Salt in Netarts Bay

Destination tours are $69 per person, neighborhood tours are $49 per person, and are available for purchase online. For more details, check out Get Dirty Farm Tour’s website. 

chef in my garden series

Some of Portland’s most infamous chefs prepare meals on the grounds of local gardens around the city. This series is hosted by Growing Gardens, a non-profit dedicated to building gardens, supporting low income households and educating youth and adults alike how to grow healthy food sustainably.

• July 13 Jason French from Ned Ludd, in the gardens of Lee Kelly & Susan Hammer
• July 20 Naomi Pomeroy of BEAST & Expatriate, in the gardens of Curtis Thompson & Joe Mitchoff
• July 27 Dolan Lane of Bluehour, in the gardens of Margianne & Arthur Erickson
• Aug 3 Shane Ryan of Matt’s in the Market, in the gardens of Carolyn & Morry Arntson
• Aug 10 Aaron Woo of Natural Selection, in the gardens of Paul Duden & Francesca Stevenson
• Aug 17 Michael Stanton of Heathman Restaurant & Bar, in the gardens of Lisa Shara Hall & Kirk Hall
• Aug 24 Benjamin Bettinger of Imperial, in the gardens of Meredith and DA Hilderbrand
• Aug 31 Joshua McFadden of Ava Gene’s, in the gardens of Tige & Peggy Harris
• Sept 14 Johnny Leach of Clyde Common, in the gardens of Bob and Mignon Ervin

Tickets are $150 each. All dinners include wine! For full event descriptions, visit the web site. Tickets can be purchased online.