Tupelo chef-owner Matthew Harris was the featured guest at the latest farm dinner at Gracie’s Farm, part of the Wanship-based farm’s goal to highlight local chefs this summer.
But for Gracie’s Farm Director Lynsey Gammon, the collaboration was especially meaningful.
Before Gammon took the role at the farm owned by The Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Collection, she had her own farm called Mountain Song Farms. With that project, Harris was invited to do her farm dinners.
“He was the first chef I ever worked with,” Gammon said. “The first chef to buy my produce.”
Harris said for his menu — served family style on the long, communal table with 100 guests — he looked back at what those early dinners were like.
The result was a rainbow of color, salads and savory dishes piled high across the table.
A beet and watermelon salad topped with fennel slices and orange flower petals, carrots and avocados tossed in a yogurt dressing, and an Asian-inspired cucumber and snap pea salad made up the first course. Served as main entrees, beef, pork and salmon proteins were dressed in their own variety of farm-grown ingredients, along with a vegan squash-blossom dish. Gracie’s produce even snuck into the dessert course with a zucchini bread cupcake included on a plate of assorted sweet treats.
Of course, Harris opened the meal with a taste of Tupelo’s famous buttermilk biscuits with honey butter.
Gammon thanked the diners for attending and explained that purchasing tickets to their events is the best way to support the small farm, which recently lost a huge chunk of its crops due to a flood.
For more on upcoming dinners at Gracie’s Farm, visit graciesfarm.com.
