Spring Bloom 2018 – Farm to Table at Morningstar Farm

By Teri Williams

This event was island born! It was about community. It was about family. It was about local food and farmers. It was about wine and connecting.

Here is an email I received from Kika Westoff, event coordinator, describing the unique details of the experience:

We’re all getting super excited for our upcoming farm dinner on Orcas! Nate and I were up on the island this past weekend tasting wine with Stephanie and Cole Sisson, meeting with farmers and fishermen who will be providing all the food for the meal and taking final measurements of the beautiful barn with Steve and Mimi who own Morning Star Farm.

Needless to say, Orcas is magical and we’re beyond excited to share this experience with you all!

An additional bonus is that Cole and Stephanie (Doe Bay Wine Co.) were able to connect with seven Chilean winemakers who will attend the event and showcase their wines. The group is visiting the U.S. as part of a tour with their importer, and will serendipitously be in the San Juan’s after stops in New York and San Francisco. Many of these wines have never been sold in the states, so this will be quite the introduction!

Again, we are SO very excited to share this unique dinner with you all and thank you in advance for making your way to the Island!

And, here is the email blast from Doe Wine Company (Let me just say I was sooooo honored and excited to get 2 tickets for the event!):

Farm to Farm Table dinner featuring Orcas Native Chef Nate Simmons and Chilean Winemakers at Morningstar Farm, Saturday, June 16th – The winemakers are visiting the San Juan Islands as part of a US tour to introduce their wines. These wines are brand new to the US market, many are not even available for sale yet. Chef Nate Simmons went to school on Orcas, ran the kitchens of renowned Seattle restaurants Serafina & Cicchetti and now helps develop and manager the culinary program for Facebook. His events are legendary and always sell out quickly. $135 per person and 30 of the 40 seats for this event were pre-sold to his list. Only 10 seats remaining. RSVP to reserve your seat.

This was also about island raised generations coming back to Orcas to showcase and share what they have learned in the world. Both Cole Sisson and Nate Simmons went to school and grew up on Orcas. Nate’s dad, Eric Simmons (good to see ya again!) was the Spanish teacher for Orcas Island High School. The barn was located on Mimi and Steve’s Morningstar Farm where they have raised a family and mentored many interns of farming.

The dinner was so tasty and engaging … this is the only picture I took of the food.

The fresh menu was simple and tempting:

SEA – Dungeness crab, manila clams, seaweed, salmon skin and nori puff. The appetizers displayed on a wood tray at our table built anticipation around the menu and the wine pairings. I sipped a Jose’-Ignacio Sauvignon Blanc 2015.

GARDEN – coal roasted baby root vegetables, local mushrooms, raw milk ricotta & whey. Baby greens, peas, peavines & hen yolk, sourdough bread, farm butter with $ sea salt. A juicy Jose’-Ignacio Maturana: Camermenere 2014 was poured.

LAND – Buried lamb leg and lamb jus, smoked baby carrots, radish, honey and spruce, new potatoes, butter, herbs and garlic. Enjoyed a Jose’-Ignacio Maturana: Cabernet/Syrah 2013.

There were SWEETS served of raw milk panna cotta and strawberries, fresh chocolate cookies. We were so full by this time we had to take a pass on the last course. However, we did go down to the lower level of the barn where all the magic was happening with the food, thanked our food crew, caught a glimpse of the plating of the delicate dessert and wondered what the pairing would be for the finale.

I made many new friends from Orcas, Seattle and Chile and renewed connections with old (and younger) Orcas friends.

I definitely came home full.