sip. savor. style. : Magic in the Field

Riverbend Farm- Delano, Minnesota

Last night we headed to Riverbend Farm in Delano for the Outstanding in the Field dinner and let me tell you, Mr. Jim Denevan, in signature straw cowboy hat and flip-flops, along with his traveling team of hospitable hosts/servers/haulers/stokers and sommeliers (there are seven of them that do everything) as well as co-host Scott Pampuch from Corner Table did not disappoint. I posted a few months back when I secured the tickets and have seriously been counting the days on the calendar since. Check out the post here as it explains a little more about the movable coast to coast feast that is Outstanding in the Field. The young team arrived the night before in their 1962 vintage bus that is packed to the gills with books, laundry, blankets, pillows, socks, backpacks, you name it. I thought they seemed like a contemporary version of Robert Mitchem's The Drifters- carefree young souls looking to explore the US (and Europe this fall) through it's farms, local growers, and good times; ultimately creating a magical, memory laden evening for those that are seated at their table. I think there might also be a few other things happen' on that bus, but who I am to speculate...let's just say if I was a lot younger it looked like a fun way to see the country and beyond.

The storied vintage bus that takes the team from farm to farm

So I haven't been to Delano in a long time, at least not since a lifelong friend of mine used to be married to a horsey fellow out there, otherwise I really don't have any reason to drive 30 miles west of the cities unless I want to ride a horse or visit a farm. My friend is no longer married to the horsey guy which means she certainly no longer lives in Delano, which means last night was the first time I have been there in oh, at least 15 years. But I have to say I was surprised at how picturesque it was. Soft, green pastures; row upon row of corn and wheat; pretty red barns dotting the fields. Sounds cliche, but Minnesota farmland is pretty much what you imagine. It was an absolutely glorious evening and the energy of the event unfolded just like the courses of beautiful food that hit the table.

The signature long, white clothed table

It's always interesting when you sit down to a meal, whether at a dinner party, wedding, whatever, and you don't know the folks next to you. I figured that anyone attending this dinner would be of the food/wine/restaurant/interesting-type-to-chat-with crowd and I wasn't far off. We were seated next to a recently transplanted couple from Santa Cruz, California (the place founder Jim Denevan calls home) who have been here all of three days and are artists and musicians. To my right were a darling young couple (and newly pregnant!!!) and his parents from Minneapolis who were charming, interesting, and loads of fun. We quickly got acquainted and exchanged some dirty gossip about people we knew in common, while another young lady from Wayzata (also with three boys and all bearing Biblical names, I might add) chirped in with her white eyelet dress every now and then. They were all great neighbors and we enjoyed the conversation, amazing food, and delicious wines together.

It is definitely true that a certain magic happens when perfect strangers bond over food and drink in the middle of an open field. Throughout the meal there was a happy, satiated glow at that long white table in the wheat- both literally and figuratively. As the sun began to set (and the bugs began to bite!) the path to the "parking lot" was lit with candles. You could hear the laughter across the field of new found friends and feel the energy of a crowd that was not only well fed, but whose souls were generously nourished.

Goodbyes were said and hugs were sincerely exchanged, and off into the night we went. There was a kinetic buzz that lingered over that farm and we have Jim Denevan and his team to thank for creating a memorable, delicious, magical, outstanding evening in the field.