Celebrate and Savor
February 2008
 Photo credit: Andrea Wyner
We are almost ready...
The 2008 Outstanding in the Field Summer/Fall schedule is nearly complete!
A warm hello to all of you that have recently joined our mailing list and are new to Outstanding in the Field. We're very excited about the 2008 farm dinner season and look forward to seeing both new and returning guests at the table.
This will surely be our most adventurous farm dinner season yet as we carry our long table to more than 35 scenic locations across North America. We've gathered all the ingredients necessary for a continent-wide feast, uniting farmers, ranchers, winemakers, fishermen, cheese makers, beekeepers, foragers, and celebrated guest chefs. This talented group's diverse knowledge of place and craft, together with your appreciation of food and community, creates unforgettable dining events at the source.
We founded Outstanding in the Field in 1999 with the goal of honoring the people whose passion and hard work bring good food to the table. A good local idea proved to be a good national and international idea, so we took the show on the road. Nine years later, we've created more than 80 events from coast to coast, each unique to the farm, the season, and the community.
We set out on our grand excursion with a clear goal: to foster a greater appreciation and understanding of where food comes from. (Of course, it also just seemed like a fun idea with ample opportunity for adventure!) We believed that learning more about the source of our food -- the "where" -- would result in greater respect and attention for people producing it -- the "who." This in turn would lead to better economic opportunities for these hard workers, and a more vibrant and vital food culture for us all.
Since our first dinner, nine years ago, the success of our model has inspired other individuals and groups across North America, and has contributed to a broad cultural awakening, most noticeable in the last several months, of the importance of local food. Proclamations like, "2008 will be the year of ethical eating" (NPR's Liane Hanson) clearly announced that a movement has begun.
Farm dinners have been put together by farmers, chefs, open space advocates, Slow Food groups, community advocates, and others. Several new farm dinner organizations have popped up across the land: Plate and Pitchfork (Oregon), Dinners at the Farm (Connecticut), Dinner in Paradise (Florida). These groups directly follow the example of Outstanding in the Field. More people in more places now have the opportunity to directly experience where their food comes from.
Dinner on a farm: it's a very simple thing, really. It's how the "culture" got into "agriculture": food is community. Please join us as we set the table.
You are invited to the feast.
Photo credit: Andrea Wyner
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Our recent news
- In our successful 2007 season, we completed our fourth tour of North America. Somehow the weather was beautiful at every single sold-out dinner! Click here to read about the tour on our blog and to see a map with details from our past tours.
- In early 2008 we were off to Europe to set our signature Outstanding table in Florence, Italy. From the countryside near Florence, we invited Tuscan culinary artisans to a beautiful curving table (itself a work of art) set in a Renaissance museum.
- In January 2008, CBS News ran a story about Outstanding in the Field, bringing our name to a larger audience. Here is a link to the show for those of you who missed it.
- By early summer 2008, we will have our very first cookbook. "Outstanding in the Field: A Farm to Table Cookbook" (Clarkson Potter, June 2008). The book details the Outstanding in the Field story, complete with tales of adventure and beautiful photography, along with more than 100 recipes gathered from or inspired by our dinner events.
- Outstanding in the Field dinners have benefited many worthy causes over the past 9 years. Click here to see a partial list of some organizations we have chosen to support.
- Outstanding in the Field has always sought to showcase and recognize farmers, producers, and culinary artisans. We present this extensive list of past participants and urge you to seek out the people who have put in the hard work necessary to bring in a bountiful harvest.
Oh yes -- one more thing -- the 2008 season schedule is nearly ready. Please watch your mailbox for a new message from us with details of the unforgettable dinners to come.
Jim Denevan
Founder, Outstanding in the Field
Our Website
Our Blog
Photo credit: Andrea Wyner
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