June 9, 2015 – Learn the secrets of farm-to-table cooking while enjoying award-winning wines from Holman Ranch. That’s the recipe for a lovely evening at the final regular session of EMB’s popular In Your Backyard series at Holman Ranch Tasting Room in Carmel Valley.
Executive chef Ken MacDonald of Edgar’s Restaurant at Quail Lodge is teaming up with Jamie Collins of Serendipity Farms on Tuesday, June 16 for the event, organized by Edible Monterey Bay so that readers can personally meet the local chefs, farmers, fishermen and food artisans who fill the pages of our magazine every quarter.
Using ultra-fresh, seasonal produce, chef Ken will demonstrate creative ways to make dishes that allow these signature ingredients to shine. Jamie Collins, who writes the column “What’s in Season” for EMB and has been farming since 2001, will discuss how to plant your garden with menus in mind and provide tips for cooking your harvest.
Ken MacDonald, who speaks with a delightful Scottish brogue, has turned the kitchen at Quail’s once-staid clubhouse restaurant on its head since arriving two years ago. He has banned frozen foods and serves all-organic ingredients from meat to spices, sourced from as tight a radius as he can manage.
He gets his strawberries from Serendipity Farms and, with Collins’ help, plans to build a 10-acre restaurant garden on the grounds of Quail Lodge. He sources other ingredients from Borba Farm in Aromas, Everlasting Gardens in Salinas, Maraquita Farm in Watsonville and Swank Farms in Hollister, to name just a few.
“It would be easier to use just one farm, but you’ve got to share the love,” says MacDonald.
The chef discovered farm-to-table cooking on a chef’s exchange to Africa. He had been working at the Hotel Ritz in London and was used to cooking with rock-hard peaches provided by corporate purveyors.
In Africa, he was captivated by the ripe tropical fruits brought in by local farmers and intoxicated by their fragrance. It wasn’t long afterwards that he moved to Africa, beginning a worldwide odyssey of cooking jobs that took him Africa to Asia and finally North America.
Since arriving at Quail, MacDonald’s fresh, vegetable-laden dishes have been winning over long-time patrons, as well as newcomers. While he favors simple preparations, scattered throughout the menu are exotic spices that hint at his vast global experience.
The evening will benefit Ag Against Hunger, which channels surplus fruits and vegetables from farms in our area to those in need. www.agagainsthunger.org
Reservations are required for the class and the cost is $25 per person or $10 for Holman wine club members. This includes the class, wine tasting, and small bites. To make reservations call 831-659-2640 or email info@holmanranch.com.
In Your Backyard’s Grand Finale picnic will take place on July 15 at Holman Ranch. It features nine local chefs, purveyors such as Tassajara Meats and Monterey Abalone Company, and it benefits six great local non-profits. Click here to find out more.
About the author
Deborah Luhrman is publisher and editor of Edible Monterey Bay. A lifelong journalist, she has reported from around the globe, but now prefers covering our flourishing local food scene and growing her own vegetables in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
