When Lynn and Lee Stromberg founded Lettuce Be Local, one of their goals was to strengthen the community by bridging the gap between farms and consumers. Just a few short years later, pushing the “farm to table” concept, they determined that a Local Farmer Dinner would be a great way to educate—through eating—by creating an opportunity for area farmers and chefs to work together to show what local can yield.
Three dinners later, following their first ever FARMstalk2016, the 2016 Farmer Dinner was bigger than anyone had expected: over two-hundred people took a seat under a tent at Lilac Hedge Farm in Holden where they feasted locally sourced ingredients and talent.
To feed this many people, notable Central Mass. chefs worked together to create a four course dinner, which included hors d’oeuvres by Chef Alina Eisenhauer of Sweet Kitchen and Bar; smoked Central Mass. trout, farm curry, mushrooms and grains by Chef Jared Forman of deadhorse hill;
charred summer vegetables with romesco, fresh herbs and dry cured hogzilla loin by Chef Damian Evangelous of Armsby Abbey; beef roulade with dirty grains, beans, and green sauce by Chef Brian Treitman of B.T.’s Smokehouse; and, ginger spiced, golden beet cake with blueberry compote by Chef Lina Reinhardt of Tangerini’s Spring Street Farm. Each meal had an optional wine and beer pairing by Nashoba Valley Winery & Orchard and Medusa Brewing.
For those who haven’t attended a Farmer Dinner hosted by Lettuce Be Local, be certain to check their website for what’s coming up for next year, because the feeling of community that comes from sharing a meal with those who grow, harvest, and prepare is a feeling that cannot be easily duplicated.
