Recap: Arcadia Farm Harvest Dinner
DC
,
Farm to Table
,
food
Two Sundays ago, my good friend Marissa and I had the
opportunity to attend the Arcadia Farm Fall Harvest Dinner in benefit of the
Veteran’s Farmer’s program. As we entered the iconic grounds of the Woodlawn Estate, we were taken by the raw natural beauty of the venue. The large
colonial style home that once belonged to George Washigton's Mount Vernon Estate, sits on this beautiful space, home
to a kid’s farmer camp, beekeeping classes, among other exciting
programs. The programs place a diverse
group of people from the DC metro area in touch with nature and organically
grown produce. Now, Arcadia will
launch a program teaching Veterans to be professional farmers in an effort to
not only provide job training to a much needed group, but also to fill the
crucial gap of an ageing farmer population.
Upon arrival, we were immediately welcomed by Pamela Hess, the executive director of Arcadia who has a long professional history with Marines as an embedded journalist covering Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom during key periods of the war. Pam gave a heartfelt speech to welcome us to the dinner. One of the things she said that resonated with me as a veteran was the fact that there is so much humanity amidst a war. If there is one thing I learned from my deployments, it’s exactly that.
As we walked the grounds, we were welcomed with delicious mini tacos and tuna canapés accompanied by a lovely cherry and sparkling wine aperitif. We walked by a bounty of Swiss chard, corn, tomatoes, among other seasonal vegetables. We enjoyed seeing what the farm had to offer and wondering why the tomatoes in our respective yards did not turn out as bountiful.
We took a seat in a family style setting where we shared the
table with a spectrum of people: from an Arcadia staff member who started her
career in the Peace Corps in Paraguay to a Gastroenterologist. Although there was a variety of personalities
in between, to include the first lady of Virginia, Mrs. McAuliffe, there was
one thing we all bonded over: the exquisite dinner.
Our dinner began with pork belly and a ceviche, two of my favorite items this summer made by Chef Jesse Miller from Café Saint Ex. We enjoyed the perfectly cooked pork on a bed of apple butter. The ceviche had a nice spicy kick and the perfect citrus balance. We then moved on to more beautifully made dishes by Haidar Karoum, executive chef of Proof . We sampled a delicious cauliflower salad seasoned with tahini (one of the favorites at the table) and an eggplant and shrimp salad. The second course was rounded with a Korean-style marinated beef made by Danny Lee of Mandu DC.
For the third course we indulged in a slow roasted pork with spiced peach chutney by Chef William Morris of Vermilion. The pork was flawless but the star of the dish was the chutney, the table devoured it! We then found a tiny space to fit the perfectly crisp fried chicken and refreshing watermelon and papaya salad by Jonah Kim. To conclude, we spoiled our taste buds with the most amazing corn ice cream I’ve ever had paired with a fresh blueberry pie. I don’t even like ice cream like that, this one made me a convert.
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