Lizzie Moore is the energy behind Boca Farm in Napa.  I first met Lizzie at her farm back in October last year.  She was the first farmer who told me "Yes, I want to be a part of this." As the Farm Director, she is responsible for the many facets of the farm.  Not only does the farm produce a lot of fresh produce for fine, local restaurants, It also supports a community garden helping community members grow their own food.  If that wasn't enough, Lizzie also operates a "Kid's Garden" that was planted by students, and will be the space where teachers from partner schools will teach garden classes in the fall.  Finally, Boca started a wonderful CSA program this season which, as of this writing, is close to being sold out.  
     Come out this season and meet Lizzie at our September 15th farm dinner and learn how she does it.  

Mindy and Juston are the husband and wife team behind Full Table Farm.  Located just down the road from Thomas Keller's "The French Laundry", they can be found selling specialty produce and mainstays at the local farmer's markets.  They both started farming as a way to simply grow their own food to sustain themselves.  This grew into what they have today.  They both are truly wonderful people and are excited to be a part of two of our dinners this season.  They take great pride in how little they do to their garden in spite of all the hard work they put in. I've heard stories of vacuuming up pests by hand.  Now this is dedication! They can tell you the history of each piece of produce. So if you’re curious, just ask.  They'll be providing the bounty for both the July 28th dinner at Connolly Ranch in Napa and the September 1st dinner at a location as yet to be determined.

Several colleagues told me I absolutely had to speak with Mark and Theresa regarding their participation in our farm dinners.  So, after I heard a bit about what they did and the legendary tomatoes, I had to pay them a visit.  That visit was fantastic.  Mark showed me around and told me all sorts of wonderful stories about peddling produce at his little farm stand in the early days to where they are today.  I will let him tell all the stories with his wife Theresa at both of their dinners taking place on July 14th and September 29th.  We will be featuring the fruits of their labor at Connolly Ranch in Napa on both dates.  Come out and hear the stories for yourself.  

To be honest, there are not that many farmers in the Napa Valley that aren't 100% vested in grapes.  Many farmers that aren't growing just grapes understand the importance of diversified agriculture. Barbara and David are no exception. Located by Oak Knoll in Napa, they are raising some rare breed chickens in the hopes of maintaining genetic diversity and helping to protect the future of our food supplies.  It's clear to see the passion in Barbara when she speaks about her chickens.  I'll let you experience this for yourself at their dinner on August 4th, right on their farm.

I have had the fortune of connecting with a man by the name of Douglas Hayes.  He is the one behind the Napa Valley Buckeye Chickens.  I was invited by his farm (or “A Preservation Sanctuary and Learning Center” as he has coined it) to see his operation and try to convince him to be a featured farmer for one of our Beyond The Kitchen farm dinners.  While he has a lot of space (over 30 acres) he has a very small area devoted to the raising and perfecting of the Buckeye chicken breed.   Douglas is committed to preservation, education, and sustainable agriculture.  Through the many hours speaking with him, I feel that he has always been this way.  This is not a trendy thing for him to be doing, rather a way of life he has always embraced.  He is passionate about local food systems and has been a strong advocate of getting back to tradition.  His philosophy, while seemingly simple, resonates with me:  “If animals are raised with love and respect, processed with love and respect, cooked with love and respect, and served with love and respect, then we eat love and respect, and we are healed.” Join us at his August 11th dinner at his farm in Calistoga to feel and taste this passion, and be healed.