GUEST CHEF SLOW DOWN DINNER

FEATURING CHEF NUGUST KAZA & CHEF TAMLA OBRIEN

 Saturday, February 23rd

6:00pm - Special Pre-dinner CSA field farm tour and 6:30PM - Seating for Slow Down Dinner

The next Ridge to Reef dinner will be hosted by Chef Negust Kaza, Executive Chef at the lauded Tutto Bene restaurant and a member of the VI Culinary Olympic Team. Chef Kaza enjoys creating food inspired from the islands and utilizing local ingredients. In 2009, he won first place at the Taste of St. Croix for his vegetarian Curry Carrot Soup, earning him his big break to later join the VI Culinary Olympic Team.  He has gone on to win gold and place numerous times at the Taste of the Caribbean, making the USVI very proud! He will be joined with Chef Tamla O'Brien, trained in French and Italian cuisines and with a background in working with local farms from Oregon to St Croix, and was a traveling Chef for the PGA Tour. She recently opened the Red Couch Cafe, and loves to reach into her rich vegetarian and vegan background as she transforms raw produce into creative culinary treats. Rumor is there may be some farm-based aphrodisiacs 

If you can make it earlier, please join in with our farmers on a photographic "golden hour" farm tour from 6:00 to 6:30pm. 

THE DETAILS

Enjoy 6 courses of our farm’s (and a few other local farm's) certified organic crops and grass fed livestock and poultry. In between each dish plating, enjoy brief presentations and stories from the farmers and chefs. Dress is island casual. Arrivals are welcome starting at 6:00 pm, and dinner seating is 6:30ish. Seats are limited and are first-come-first serve, reservations and confirmations required. 

Make reservations either by:  Leave a message at 340-220-0466 upon which they reply with confirmation or visit their website for dinner reservations at www.vi.locallygrown.net.

GUEST CHEF SLOW DOWN DINNER

FEATURING MASTER CHEF TAHIRAH ABU-BAKR

 Sunday, January 27, 2013

6:00pm - Special Pre-dinner CSA field farm tour and 6:30PM - Seating for Slow Down Dinner

The Ridge to Reef Farm is loaded down with produce and are ready to share the bounty in another Guest Chef Slow Down at Ridge to Reef Farm!

Chef Tahirah is known across the land and sea for her daring tastes and creativity deriving from her personal communication with fresh food.  Master Chef for over 30 years, Tahirah draws from her knowledge of fine southern, nouvelle-farm cuisine executed in a Caribbean style true to island style.

Please join in with the farmers on a photographic "golden hour" farm tour from 6:00 to 6:30pm. 

THE DETAILS

Enjoy 6 courses of our farm’s (and a few other local farm's) certified organic crops and grass fed livestock and poultry. In between each dish plating, enjoy brief presentations and stories from the farmers and chefs. Dress is island casual.

Seats are limited and are first-come-first serve, reservations and confirmations required. Make reservations either by visiting their website at http://vi.locallygrown.net/market/index/3166 or leave a message at 340-220-0466 upon which we reply with confirmation. 

See their New website at www.ridge2reef.org

GUEST CHEF SLOW DOWN DINNER with CHEF BRIAN WISBAUER w/ Kiki and the Flaming Gypsies

@Ridge to Reef Farm, September 22nd, 6pm                                          

Are you ready for the next Slow Down dinner? Join us under the half moon for the return of our friend Chef Brian! Over the past 6 months he has been delving deeper into on farm dining in Tennessee, and now he's bringing it back here. Once rumored to make a soup so great that it cured cancer, his magic returns to the Ridge to Reef Community Center!

Before he left, Chef Brian was at Blue Water Terrace and Executive Chef of Blue Moon Cafe in Frederiksted. Brian has made his mark in the territory, as the 2009 top entree winner at the Taste of St. Croix, and chef posts at Ritz Cartlon St. Thomas, Zebo's, and the Northside Frenchie favorite Craig & Sally's. Brian also has taught Slow Food cooking at VISFI during our Ridge to Reef Beneficial Farmer Training Program, and he brings something special and unique every time. 

Also joining in on the evening are the fabulous Kiki and the Flaming Gypsies!

 THE DETAILS

Reach the farm on the newly paved roads through the rainforest on Saturday, September 22nd for our next Guest Chef Slow Down Dinner. Each seasonal element is infused through 6 courses with chosen from our farm’s certified organic crops and grass fed livestock. In between each dish plating, enjoy brief presentations and stories from the farmers and chefs. Dress is island casual. Arrivals are welcome starting at 6pm, and dinner seating is at 6:30pm. Seats are limited and are first-come-first serve, reservations and confirmations required. Make reservations instantly with a membership at our on-line food market http://vi.locallygrown.net/market/index/31665, reply to this email, or leave a clear voice message with your party name, number, & contact info at 340-220-0466 upon which we reply with confirmation. Please remember we have limited seats and any cancellations should be made at least 48 priors prior so we can contact the waiting list.

Show your support for our food production and farming education by making a love offering for the evening of a suggested $60 to $100 per person. Donations go toward organic farm operations and seasonal expenses so we can increase our capacity to provide more organic food and educational programs to St. Croix.  Please consider as well gratuity for your farmer/servers and kitchen staff. We thank you in advance for your generous contributions and hope that you enjoy your farm dining experience to its fullest!

Produce and dinner reservations are at www.vi.locallygrown.net.

Visit the Institute at www.visfi.org.

Upcoming Events & Courses calendar

This donation dinner series is all about slowing down, having fun, and reconnecting with fresh, local, organic food. It is held in the community center of the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute. Food is sourced primarily with local organic farm provisions sourced from the VI's premier web based local food market www.vi.locallygrown.net! Want to know who our secret chef is? Come and find out! Also, sign up on our mailing list at www.visfi.org for the official announcement. This dinner is a Six Course event, BYOB. Suggested donation is $50-100.

With such a demand for last month's over-booked Guest Chef Slow Down Dinner, which had people sitting on every single chair we could muster, we are offering two evenings with Chef Keith Weitzman and Friends! Reserve a seat early, as we expect each night to fill.

In addition to Chef Keith, he is bringing some secret special culinary guests both nights for unpredictable feats of farm-to-table culinary creativity! This culinary dream team will be working with the farm's CSA selections, local meats, and the new generation of Ridge to Reef Farm staff and students to indulge and expand your gastronomic world. This is the ultimate farmer's market, where local sustainable food will be taken to new heights from the fields surrounding you right to the table.

Make dinner reservations at www.vi.locallygrown.net.

The farm is on the west end of the island, and Sugar Beach is on the north shore, in the center of the island.  The island only is 26 miles long, so nothing is really far.  The west end is picturesque and is worth a day's touring.  The farm is on the mountainous west side of the island and can be reached through the rain forest.  The view across the valley into the blue Caribbean is spectacular!  Even if you do not go to the slow-down dinners, it is worth a trip to see and talk to the ecologically knowledgeable staff about how they run their farm and to take in the pleasures of the west side of the island.