What do you get when you put together four sensational chefs with an abiding commitment to elevating “real food” and one of America’s oldest “farm to fork” restaurants? You get ready to enjoy a stellar meal with “Four Chefs at Patowmack” on Sunday, December 5th, 3-7pm, at The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm in Lovettsville, VA.
This Root to Table Dining Exclusive showcases a hearty, late season, locally sourced menu – and a most decadent dessert – from some of the top chefs in the region. Learn more about the venue, the menu – and the four friends who can’t wait to spend time in the kitchen together.
This fine dining experience is already close to selling out, so purchase your tickets now!
4 Sensational Chefs and 1 Great Venue
Each of these “four chefs at Patowmack” is committed to local farmers and food artisans. This dinner represents an opportunity for the talented chefs to plan a menu and work as a team while still expressing their individual personalities. And there are nods to classic dishes while introducing new flavors and textures.
Local farmers and food artisans are part of the flavor profiles. And these all star chefs are cooking and creating at one of the first US restaurants to embrace “Earth-to-table cuisine using our fields as the chef’s pantry.” Offerings from the restaurant’s late season gardens are prominently featured on the evening’s menu.
Patowmack Farm was established in 1986 and was one of the first certified organic farms in Virginia. Crops are grown and land is maintained through sustainable farming practices. The restaurant was founded in 1997 and is one of Open Table’s Top 15 DC Restaurants for Special Occasions.
Both the farm and restaurant are owned by Beverly Morton Billand, a former nurse turned organic farmer. It was her love for her family and a desire for them to eat healthy that inspired her to take up organic farming. And from there Ms. Billand was determined to share Patowmack’s locally sourced message.
“The whole concept is to grow as much as we can and bring it to the table. I’m one of the first in the U.S. to literally have a restaurant on a farm,” says Ms. Billand. “We pick everything from the garden and bring it to the table, and I want everyone to eat that way.”
Great Chefs – And Great Friends
“Four Chefs at Patowmack” not only highlights first rate culinary talent, it’s a chance for four industry friends to spend time doing what they love – cooking elevated locally sourced food. Here’s a “who’s who” in the kitchen, along with a peek at what’s on the menu.
Opening the dining experience are passed hors d’oeuvres prepared by all four chefs. While admiring the restaurant’s amazing views, guests will nibble on oysters, crispy duck, braised oxtail, and even fresh eggs from Patowmack Farm. “The idea of the egg itself is how in its simplest of forms, an egg can still be elegant,” says Host Chef Vincent Badiee of The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm. “Hopefully seeing the egg shows what we see differently.”
Diners will also enjoy a signature cocktail of Seasonal Switchel. Made with a variety of healthy ingredients, Switchel has been called “Nature’s Gatorade.” But this Switchel has a kick! Fine wines are also part of the four-course culinary adventure.
What’s in Store for Diners
Seated at communal farm tables, diners will begin their meal with an Iranian barley soup known as Ash-e-Jow by Chef Vincent Badiee. The soup includes a medley of leeks, clams and Virginia trout that brighten the earthy tone of the soup, explains Chef Vincent. Those who attended this past summer’s dining event at The Bavarian Inn experienced Chef Vincent’s Root to Table debut and his incredible cremoux made with fresh blueberries from Patowmack’s harvest.
When it comes to the menu, “I’m looking forward to bringing together some really great friends and celebrating the season as much as possible,” says Chef Vincent.
Guest Chef Tim Rowley of Leesburg’s popular Wine Kitchen handles the second course, a tasty ravioli based on classic Italian ingredients of Nduja sausage and Burrata cheese. Fresh pasta and seasonal local ingredients are hallmarks of Chef Tim’s cooking at Wine Kitchen. This robust dish is served with sage butter, lending another earthy aroma to the meal. Winter vegetables, black truffles, and butter squash crema complete the offering.
The Main Course
Diners are in for a treat with a main course prepared by Taste of Blue Ridge Top Chef and Root to Table favorite Erik Foxx-Nettnin, owner of The Polished Foxx, a locally sourced, high quality catering company. Chef Erik calls his dish “Paturage et Rivage de Virginie” – of Virginia’s pastures and shore.
“The inspiration for my course came from the pedigrees of the three chefs I’m cooking with,” says Chef Erik. “My course is based on classic fare with a tip of the hat to the past.” Continues the chef, “The fun and the challenge and the inspiration all came from the same place – the calibre of the chefs I am cooking with and the farmers.”
The pasture portion of Chef Erik’s dish is Virginia beef alouettes while the shore is represented by a blue crab terrine. The dishes are accompanied by sauces, a late fall vegetable fricassee, and gremolata, a bright and bold Italian condiment sprinkled over the main course. “With this dish,” explains Chef, “I get farms and trusted vendors on one plate.”
Bring Us Dessert!
Chef Jan Van Haute just signed on at the Hillbrook Inn & Spa in Charlestown, WV after a successful stint at Middleburg’s Goodstone Inn. Van Haute is making his debut as a Root to Table Top Chef with a dessert homage to his native Belgium. He’s incorporating texture and sweet & sour flavor into his dark chocolate dessert with pistachio nuts, cardamom, and orange.
While Chef Jan may be a Root to Table “rookie,” he has a celebrated culinary career. In addition to his time at Goostone, Chef Jan has served as Chef to the Belgium Embassy and even cooked for the country’s Royal Family. With Hillbrook, the chef wants to “make this a new culinary destination in West Virginia.”
Locally Sourced, Community, and Helping Each Other
The ties of locally sourced food, community, and helping each other run deep with these four chefs, as well as The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm. As a newcomer to Root to Table, Chef Jan offers up what makes the Taste of Blue Ridge alliance so special.
“Taste of Blue Ridge and I have similar mindsets,” says Chef Jan. “It’s about supporting local farmers and food artisans, thinking about the community we live and work in, and helping each other when we can.” For Chef, this includes being mindful of his culinary carbon footprint. “I don’t like big trucks coming up the driveway when I can get it from my neighbor.” And collaborating with other talented chefs helps develop a cooking style that’s a “more modern mindset and becoming more creative.”
Get Your Tickets for “Four Chefs at Patowmack”
“Four Chefs at Patowmack” is an exclusive Root to Table dining experience hosted by Taste of Blue Ridge, a community of chefs, farmers, and food artisans founded by “real food” advocate Nancy Craun. The community is known for its Root to Table Culinary Series where like-minded chefs come together to create elevated locally sourced food in beautiful environments.
“With Taste of Blue Ridge finishing its fifth year, we want to begin a tradition of an ALL-STAR event highlighting our best chefs for this past season,” says Ms. Craun. “ I am grateful to Beverly Morton Billand for being our host. Having sat down with these chefs as we planned the menu, I experienced their excitement to cook together.”
Tickets for this event are $225 per person all inclusive and can be purchased on EventBrite. This one-of-a-kind culinary experience is sure to sell out, so get your tickets and reserve your place at the table today!