This past weekend Woods Hill Table restaurant had the honor of serving a couple of our farmers from The Farm at Woods Hill.
Part of the inspiration behind the restaurant is to understand how all the food is produced and build relationships with those who cultivate the farms. In my dedication to that mission, my family bought a farm for the restaurant to source beef, pork, chicken, eggs, honey, berries, apples, and some produce. It was especially meaningful to have the farmers in the restaurant and give them the opportunity to see what the chefs did with the ingredients they provided.
I go back and forth to the farm frequently. Executive Chef Charlie Foster and Executive Pastry Chef Doug Phillips have been there a few times, however, since the restaurant opened, we have not had time yet to bring the rest of the staff to the farm. This dinner allowed the staff to meet the farmers. It was great to give them all a chance to meet and give the line cooks and support staff the time to ask them questions.
The fun started Friday evening when our Farm Manager, Amber, and her boyfriend, Sam walked through the doors. Saturday night, we served Chris, our new Assistant Farm Manager, who lives there now with his fiancé Lily. Amber, Sam, Chris and Lily all live on the farm.
On each evening, we gave them a tour of the restaurant for the first time so they were able to see our refrigerated butcher room, blast chiller, smoker, and all of the other unique aspects of Woods Hill Table. The chefs thanked them for their product, and the line cooks and customers asked them a lot of questions such as what the orchards were like, what the gardens were like, what the chickens and pigs foraged on, and said they would love to go visit. Amber said she was very happy that the chefs and the customers were so interested and caring about what she was doing on the farm.
Amber and Chris loved seeing the pictures of the farm on display in the restaurant. They even recognized the individual animals in the pictures.
They both gave the chefs positive feedback: It’s a good product but what they have done with it is brilliant–all of the flavors are interesting and compliment the natural flavor of the meat without smothering it.
In having our farmers out to the restaurant, it brought us full circle back to the intent and inspiration behind opening Woods Hill Table: reconnecting people to their food supply and wholeheartedly supporting those who cultivate the earth while producing food that nourishes our bodies. The connection between the farmers and the chefs is beautiful to witness. And I was pleased with the level of awareness and the depth of questions from many of our customers. A successful and happy weekend for Woods Hill Table.
Thank you for your continued support of this endeavor and your patience with us as we deal with the challenges of opening a new restaurant.
