Harvest Dinner....Farm to Table

The First Harvest Dinner at City Roots
Notice the Tractor in the background...priceless!

Sooooooooo, this is what I did last night....your jealous, right? I would be if I were you:)  Because it was truly an amazing dinner event.

My friend, Vanessa Driscoll from the green event planning company, The Southern Greenie,   116 Espresso and Wine Bar, Executive Chef Ryan Whittaker, City Roots Farm Manager, Eric McClam have come together and created a unique and fun dining experience for Columbia’s very first Harvest Dinner! I am here to  tell you  "It did NOT disappoint!"

City Roots Farm, everyone mingling while drinking their American Harvest Beet Juice Cocktails

I got to spend time with my bestie, Christie, and eat, drink, and be merry. Who could ask for a better night. Ahem...we all know this girl loves to eat, and have a glass of wine or in this instance a beer (or 3:;) with her meal. These sorts of Slow Food affairs are popping up all over the country, and I am so excited and lucky that there is an event like this so close to me.

The tablescapes were simple, clean and just plain pretty. 
Simple white plates with over scale napkins.  My kind of table!

Eating amongst the veggies.

What is a farm without a Baby Pig??...lets hope this little runt escapes his fate like our dear Friend Wilber...this little one week old was just grunting away, and was quite the mascot!

A true Farm to Table meal, served Family Style with a long table of 50 people.  You get to pass the big platter of food, chat and really get to know the people sitting with you.

I was lucky enough to sit next to City Roots Fam Manager, Eric McClam and chat about Farming, tractors, and Microgreens, and Heirloom tomatoes.

Microgreen salad served family style.

1st course....Dolmades wrapped in Baby Turnip Greens with a MicroGreen Salad.

Pulled pork with veggies and German spaetzle.

The Chef Carving the Pork Belly...I had a front row seat:)

I mean really, talk about KNOWING where your food comes from...we got to sit in the fields where some of our meal was harvested...much of the meal was represented by the very people who either Harvest or Raise the food we were eating...or know very much about where it came from.  We had everything from a Micro Green salad to a Pork Belly roulade (via Righteous Ranch) with Dirty Rice, and each course was paired with a different New Belgium Beer. 

 I did not get a photo of the Desserts, but the girls from Pink Magnolia furnished the dinner finale.  Including cupcakes, apple pie, and cookies. They were delicious too, and I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention that I ate my fair share:)

I am salivating just remembering....as the sun set, my belly was full, and I was happy as a clam. After the meal, some people congregated around a fire by the farm building and chatted about food and traditions.  And quite frankly, that is what it is all about.....Food bringing people together... A night that I hope to enjoy again soon.

Sooooo, if you are in town, you must go to Harvest Dinners  get your tickets, because they are starting to FLY out the door:)

Have a great weekend, ya'll.  I am so inspired to pull out the table into the yard and have a harvest meal myself....yay Fall!

One thing leads to another...

After I got over my shock of that beautiful island from my post yesterday, I thought I would flip through a little more of my House Beautiful.  I came across the gorgeous spread (which happens to be the cover) of a pied-a-terre in New York that Phoebe Howard and her husband, James Michael designed for the, from the movies couple Erica and Harry from Something's Gotta Give. (one of the best movie sets of all time BTW!)

Anyway, this photo (another 2 page spread!) got me to thinking about table settings.

via House Beautiful

So I linked on over to Mrs. Howard Personal Shopper, Phoebe Howard's blog and started poking around, you know, avoiding laundry and dishes like the plague!

I clicked the events page and saw that....
 
Eddie Ross is going to have a event in Charlotte on November 4....hmmmm, check calendar, nothing going on, immediately email RSVP, and I am in Like Flynn!  YAY! YAY! YAY!  I had been moping around feeling sorry for myself that I didn't live closer to Elizabeth from Pretty Pink Tulips to go to her event with Eddie, which sounds like soooo much fun!

I am a sucker for a beautiful table setting and I love new tips and tricks, and since we will be hosting Thanksgiving this year in our new digs, I think of it as a necessity to go.  Don't you?

Here are some of Eddie and Jaithan's Thanksgiving  table settings.

via Eddie Ross, his spread in Lonny

via Eddie Ross

Via Eddie Ross

I am going shopping with he and Jaithan on Saturday November 6 at the Metrolina Antique Show too,(which is sold out!) you don't think he will think I am a stalker, do you?  I like to think of myself as an enthusiastic fan!

Getting more excited by the minute!

BTW: I am so glad I didn't do laundry or dishes....I may have NEVER known about this.