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.