Sustainable Chefs Look Westward this Summer

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, May 8th, 2009

Looks like ’09 is shaping up to be the summer sustainable dining takes NoVA by storm.

(Photo: LuluMom)

First came the news that the Outstanding in the Field folks were setting up camp at Ayrshire Farm all Labor Day weekend.

Now, we’ve got a pair of award-winning local toques spearheading dueling solstice (June 20) dinners at some of their favorite local farms.

Having successfully piloted/survived last year’s maiden OitF event here in the area, it appears Vermilion chef Anthony Chittum has fully succumbed to the cooking-under-the-stars bug. A Neighborhood Restaurant Group spokesperson said Chittum kept in touch with the OitF crew and immediately signed up when they mapped out a return trip.

Meanwhile, Chittum huddled with the NRG brass all winter in an effort to cook up their own “meet the farmer”-style dining experience.

The result: their debut Virginia Farmland Solstice Supper.

“It’s almost a 5-for-1 deal … getting to mingle with the farmers on their own property,” the NRG spokesperson said, noting that the participating specialty producers–Greenstone Fields, Moutoux Orchard, Potomac Vegetable Farms, Tree and Leaf Farm, and Wheatland Farms–collectively farm the adjoining tracts of land where the dinner will take place.

Guests will be invited to interact with the artisan purveyors, tour their respective properties or just enjoy the Virginia countryside prior to the meal and will be treated to wine pairings by local winemaker Dennis Horton as part of the seasonally-inspired banquet.

“This is definitely going to be an annual event,” the NRG spokesperson predicted, adding, “I think it’s a real natural fit for Vermilion.” The NRG aide noted, however, that the event could eventually evolve into more of a “harvest festival” involving other interested NRG properties.

That same day, Restaurant Eve founder Cathal Armstrong is poised to host the nascent Summer Solstice Farm Dinner at Sperryville’s Mount Vernon Farm.

An event spokesperson said a farm-to-table concept had been bandied about since last winter, but the dinner only really came together once Armstrong came aboard. The spokesperson noted that Armstrong has already been out to Mount Vernon Farm, Sunnyside Farm and Watterpenny Farm to become firmly acquainted with their wares, but warned stringent locavores to cut them some slack.

“Not every single thing will be local … because we don’t have a supply of trout in Rappahannock County,” the spokesperson joked.Best of all: a portion of the proceeds will go right back t the Rappahannock County Farmland Preservation Fund.

Reserve your ticket for Vermilion’s solstice event ($160 per person) here.  Claim your seat at Gourmet Rappahannock’s solstice sit-down ($180 per person) here.

–Warren

Tags: Anthony Chittum, Cathal Armstrong, Gourmet Rappahannock, Gut Check, Loudoun County, Neighborhood Restaurant Group, Northern Virginia Magazine, Outstanding in the Field, Restaurant Eve, Summer Solstice Farm Dinner, Vermilion, Virginia Farmland Solstice Supper, Warren Rojas