Sunset Dinner June 24, 2017

We kicked off our 2017 Sunset Dinner season on Saturday, June 24th. We had a wonderful chef, Heidi Pusina, cook a fabulous Asian inspired meal for us to enjoy. Our evening started off around 6pm when all of our guests began to arrive. We hung out on the deck and looked out on the farm as the day's heat (just under 100 degrees) slowly began to drift away. 

Hanging out on the deck awaiting the tour to begin.

Table set with fresh picked sunflowers and falling blue oak leaves.

Garlic drying for our CSA and market friends.

Around 7, as the sun began to set, the appetizers were served. There were spring rolls, grilled flatbread tarts, and moroccan bastillas. 

Spring rolls with pistachio sauce

Flat Bread Tarts

Andrew then took the group out for a tour of the farm. ​​

Heidi in the far back introducing herself and the evening's culinary adventure. Andrew preparing our guests for the tour.

Sunflowers, small corn plants, and all of our tomato and pepper plants under the long black shade hoops.

Sun beginning to set on the farm

Cucumber plants almost bearing fruits

When everyone got back from the tour, the main meal began. The evening was filled with tasty treat after tasty treat. Heidi did a wonderful job creating an Asian themed meal. There was a delicious soba noddle with memmi broth soup to start it off. Then there was a great "farmhouse" salad, with shaved beets, our signature lettuce mix, green beans, raspberries, pistachios and paneer!

Soba Noodles in Memmi Broth

Farmhouse salad

The main meal was a Korean bulgogi of beef and pork with ssamjang sauce. It was accompanied by coconut rice, miso-glazed summer squash and a cucumber kimchee. There were many more little surprises, and delicious sauces placed on the table to enhance the dishes even more. The meal ended with a tasty baklava and some mochis. It was a real treat to taste all of the local produce and meat prepared in an Asian style.

As always, there was great conversations being had throughout the meal. There were new and old friends sitting together. I really personally love to see people meet new people in our community and realize how they already might have known of each other. There is something magical about coming together around an amazing dinner sourced as locally as possible and just diving into creating a solid bond between everyone there. These dinners help us to fulfill part of our mission of our farm - "We strive to foster a healthy and engaging community environment through the shared production and consumption of organic produce." 

Thank you to all of our guests for coming, and for Heidi for putting on a fantastic meal! And thank you to Jill, for the use of her photos from the evening!
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Here is a little bio that Heidi put together about herself:
I am a native Californian and spent my childhood in the food mecca region of the San Francisco Bay Area, raised by a couple of culinary adventurers. I carried on the adventures through international and domestic travel and focused on culture and cuisine, which included regional cooking classes whenever possible. 
My first catering event was in 1996 and I have since catered events for 2 to 200 guests. I am drawn to the cuisines of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean region. Through extensive research and practice, I developed a repertoire that I am inspired to share with others. 
In addition to catered events, I have shared my passion with the students of Wawona Elementary School. In 2002, I started a cooking class for K-8th-grade students which focused on the world cultures and their cuisine. Over the years, both the students and I have studied the traditions, food types and ingredients, methods and techniques of dozens of cultures.
I advocate locally grown produce and harvested meats, and equally, I wish to inspire others to visit the local markets that provide ingredients for the many cuisines that represent the variety of cultures that dwell in our region."

The menu for the evening. There were even more dishes this evening that weren't even on the menu.