When summer hits, I always find myself thinking of the picturesque breakfast scene in ”Call Me By Your Name,” where the family dines outdoors as the Italian summer blankets the stone fruit, fresh eggs and bread on the table with soft June light.
In a dream world, I want to start and end every day like this.
Well, it turns out that I just might be able to. While Charlotte is certainly not in Italy, we do share the same sun, which — with the help of water and a few farmers’ hands — grows colorful produce fit for a dreamy summer spread.
This summer, Charlotteans can experience something similar at a whole lineup of farm-to-table dinners, brunches and even some serious pie baking contests, thanks to nearby farms and local restaurants.
Farm-to-table dinners are more than just about pleasure for guests. This type of direct dining that skips out on middleman and mass production represents a type of consumption that is:
- More environmentally-sound (sustainable production and less food transportation miles)
- Healthier (if one sees health as a measure of fresh, produce-forward, local ingredients)
- More connected and community-centric as producers and consumers come together to exchange meals and stories
In many ways, farm-to-table dinners are a component of a regenerative movement, where growing crops for food is just as much about ecosystem health, soil quality, climate consciousness and human well-being as it is about the crops.Many of the farms hosting these dinners place emphasis on regeneration and sustainability, and while sustainable is a sometimes cloudy umbrella term, what it means here can be anything from biodiverse crops and organic lettuces to closed-loop farming practices.
There’s a whole subset of foodies who are into the regenerative, change-making capacity that food has over the flashy, fleeting, quick-and-easy aspects of the factory farmed food scene that has defined a whole half century of food in America.
The former would be considered part of the aptly-named Slow Food Movement.This grassroots-gone-global organization embraces those long, slow drawn-out pleasurable meals (hello, farm-to-table dinner under the stars) as opposed to the fast frenzy of quick consumption.
And at the end of the day, a farm-to-table dinner is really just fun. Meet new people, learn a little something about that squash on your plate and eat a wholemeal prepared staggeringly fresh.
Some of the restaurants Charlotte loves, such as L’Ostrica and RestaurantConstance, have embraced sourcing from these types of sustainability-minded local farms and have really leaned into the idea that seasonal produce can tell a whole story itself on the plate.
Chef Sam Diminich, who runs Your Farms Your Table restaurant group andRestaurant Constance, said: “These farms are the heart of what we do — they are the whole reason we exist.”
Diminich started the Farmer Dinner series at his restaurant “to showcase the local bounty we have and support our farmers.” Knowing the people — and the stories — behind dishes are the “not-so-secret ingredient that adds emotion and soul to our hospitality.”
JUNEBERRY RIDGE
Location: 40120 Old Cottonville Rd, Norwood, North Carolina 28128
When: June 23, July 13, July 14, July 28
Cost: Varies
Instagram: @juneberryridgenc
About an hour outside of Charlotte proper is a hospitality-focused regenerative farm, Juneberry Ridge. It’s an absolute hidden gem. Upcoming farm dinners and brunches will take place on June 23, July 13, July 14 and July 28. Get $30-$100 tickets here.
If folks are looking for more than just a farm meal, Juneberry hosts farm stays with regenerative farming workshops, movement and wellness experiences (like forest bathing), yoga, trails and, of course, meals featuring native ingredients grown directly on the farm. While the cabins are splurges, Juneberry hosts yogaclasses, agriculture seminars and pop-in Juneberry music jams featuring fireside chats and regenerative farmed food (aquaponic salads and regenerative pork muffaletta sammy) for those looking for a mini day trip.
by Kayleigh Ruller
