All year long, Chef JC is the top dog in the kitchen. He makes all the big decisions, sets the menu, and makes sure the restaurant is running smoothly. When newer kitchen staff have ideas, they don’t always make it onto the menu. But when the last dinner of the season has been served, JC lets the new staff run their own dinner service. They can create the menu and serve whatever they like. The chef doesn’t even show up usually.
This year, by the end of a tough season, we didn’t have many newbies left. Even so, Ricky, Shea, and Olivia created their own menu, and JC helped out by washing dishes. This special dinner was already sold out over a week beforehand from word of mouth. The staff had told all of their friends and family about it, and the reservations flowed in. Hence why we didn’t advertise it.
The dinner menu was:
- salad with grapes and beets
- celeriac soup and curry eggplant
- black pepper salmon terrine/corn/fennel capellaci of kabocho and kabocha
- mozz stuffed pepper with broccoli puree
- larded pork loin with cavelo nero and polenta
- quince galette and buttermilk foam
Below is the photographic story of our end-of-the-season Special Staff-Made Meal, a creative detour from the typical Farmstand fare.
Shea writing out the menu.
Habanado peppers stuffed with mozzarella.
(A habanado pepper is a habanero with the heat bred out of it.)
Grilled pork-belly-larded pork loin.
Shea skillfully making her delectable pasta.
Delicata raviolis and cubed kabocha squash. Mmmm.
The special menu of the night!
Salad greens with golden beets and a grape vinaigrette.
Creamy celeriac soup with curried eggplant.
Stuffed habanado pepper with broccoli sauce.
Delicata stuffed ravioli with browned butter and thyme.
Bacon-stuffed larded pork loin.
JC washing dishes. As usual. You can see he’s in this for the glamour.
Black pepper salmon terrine a la Gentry.
Quince gallettes for dessert, served with buttermilk foam. Beautiful.
