Erin Meeker is the chef at Sassafras Catering, and she wrote this about her experiences at the Farmer Chef Connection:
On Monday I had the great pleasure of attending the Farmer/Chef connection for the first time. To say that I had a fantastic time would be an understatement. Anne Berblinger had asked me to sit on one of her discussion panels for Farmer/Chef 101 and although I was a bit nervous about being on a panel for the first time, I ended up learning so much about how farmers decide what to grow each year and then how to price it that I wish the class had gone on all afternoon. It was nice that I was able to discuss the ordering needs of a caterer as we are generally planning our menus months in advance so instead of being able to use whatever is fresh at the time, I have to consult planned grow lists from farmers and build my menus around what they project will be ready. It’s a great game of produce roulette.
The other amazing aspect to the day was the personal access to so many farmers. Sassafras produces a line of artisan preserved goods, and we have been having a difficult time sourcing a few of our ingredients directly from Oregon, particularly watermelons. On Sunday, I was able to talk to at least a dozen farmers and quite a few expressed interest in growing heirloom watermelons for us this summer. I am so excited about the idea of pickling watermelons that have interesting skin patterns or purple flesh to add a new color palette in our jars!
When you add the amazing lunch and delicious teas, coffees, and pastries into the whole mix, I can’t imagine a better day for a food geek like myself. The hardest part about this whole experience is that now I have to wait 364 days to attend the next one!
If you attended the Farmer-Chef Connection and would like to write about an aspect of your day, email us.