For Food's Sake » D&A farm

D&A Farm

Esther — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:05:16 +0000

Chef Evan Cordes and D&A Farm Host Oct. 11 For Foods Sake

What prepared you to be a farmer? When I was younger, I worked in a greenhouse at the local nursery. It was a small, family run business, similar to my farm now. I worked there for 10 years, and learned an awful lot about growing plants.
What is a unique feature and how many acres do you farm? We have a 12’ deep cavern with a spring in the middle of the farm. The spring always has water, no matter how dry it is. We farm about 15 acres. I own 20 and rent 4.
Tell us about your main crops and how you chose the varieties. If you have livestock, tell us about your feed and how they live on your farm. We pride ourselves on crop diversity; it’s the heart of our business model. Our success is that we grow many different crops. The varieties that we grow are a result of trial and error over many years. We see what works on our farm and our system. We’ve grown over 30 varieties of cantaloupe over the years, and now we are down to one variety because it’s what works the best.
How much of food goes to farmers markets and or restaurants? 65% of our food goes to farmers markets and restaurants. The remaining 35% goes to our CSA (which starts Oct 12, see our website, dandafarm.com to sign up)
What challenges do you have as a farmer? Weather is the biggest challenge. There’s the rule of too, it’s always too dang something- too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry, it rained, but too hard…
Where do you see farming in the future? I see the future of farming as continuing on the current trend of either very small or very large farms with nothing in between.
Where would be your ideal location for your last supper, what would be your meal & music and who would join you ? I would spend my last meal at home on the farm with my family. If I had to pick on season to eat from, it would be spring going into summer, with both cool and warm crops.

We are a first generation small family farm operated primarily by Dave and Alan Bentoski. With the help of a few dedicated employees and several family members we grow and market over 80 varieties of certified organic fruits, vegetables, melons, and vegetable transplants. The produce is raised on roughly 15 acres of cultivated ground which counts 1 heated greenhouse and 9 unheated high tunnels that we use for season extension. We received our organic certification in February of 2007. But we have been farming “organically” from the start. We market our produce mostly direct to consumers through our CSA program and at Morningside Farmers Market, which you can find out more about here at our site, and to several area restaurants. We are constantly evaluating new crops and farm enterprises to add to this list. Stand back and watch us grow!!

Chef Evan Cordes

Esther — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:03:15 +0000

Q&A with Chef Evan Cordes
Why is sustainability important to you & your restaurant? This really just boils down to doing the “right” thing. Supporting the local economy is essential, the more we can support the farms that surround the city, the more jobs can be be created; which, as we all know, is the ultimate driving force for the economy. Supporting businesses like organic farms that support their local community is also essential to healthy happy families, that live and work in their community.

If you were a farmer what would you raise or grow? Chicken and Hops. A small family of goats, eggplant (i love the eggplant), and some really spicy arugula.

What one seasoning can you not live without? Thyme, but really hot sauce.

What should every kitchen not be without? A good sharp knife that the kitcheneer feels comfortable with. Brown pan liner paper, makes clean-up a breeze. A cast iron braising dish, I have a 5 quart Staub that I love.

What chef, person and or book inspired you to enter the culinary world? Juan Esparza, Chef de Cuisine at Poole’s Diner in Raleigh, North Carolina. I met Juan seven or eight years ago, he inspired me then and he inspires me now. He has a fantastic sense of humor and an even better palate.

What are some can’t miss items on the menu? Chicken Livers hot wing style; Braised Bacon and Shrimp with Shiitake Relish; Skirt Steak with Arugula, Crisp Potatoes and Smoked Peanut Picililli.

What celebrity or historical figure would you most want to serve a meal to? Abe Lincoln, he seemed like a pretty reasonable fellow. If Abe Lincoln was unavailable, Joel Nathaniel Cummins.

Where and with whom would be your ideal location for your last supper? What would you eat, drink and listen to ? I would eat dinner with my wonderful wife in the bite of Cape Lookout on the NC coast. We would eat deviled eggs, white anchovies, chunks of hot calabrese sausage, and roast chunks of foie gras over a campfire like marshmallows. We would enjoy a couple of bottles: Falanghina, Duvall Leroy, a nice smokey Malbec. I would have Matthew Bettinger make white whiskey cocktails all night with little umbrellas in them and Wilco would play live from about fifty feet away. When the meal was over, we would dance.

Having etched out a niche in the Atlanta market as a destination for classic cocktails, H Harper Station is now furthering their commitment to local, seasonal and sustainable food with the addition of Executive Chef, Evan Cordes. “We have always been focused on sustainable meats and local produce, and with Evan’s natural affinity for those things it’s just getting better and better” states Jerry Slater, Harper’s owner.

Evan Cordes, born and raised in North Carolina, and most recently of Cakes & Ale and Serpas True Food, is excited about crafting menus in H. Harper Station’s relaxed, yet still elegant atmosphere. “I believe that a delicious meal, crafted from local ingredients should not be out of reach for anyone” states Cordes.

Guests can expect the menu to change more frequently as items come in and out of season. Making a summer debut on the menu is a locally harvested eggplant carpaccio with tomatoes and marinated peppers, a summer bean salad featuring green beans, sunflower sprouts and black cherry tomatoes and a ribeye with smoked potato salad and roasted okra. Cordes and Slater have partnered with local farms like Bes’ Maid Garden Essentials, D & A Farms and Gaia Gardens to ensure a frequent supply of high quality, organically grown local produce.

Graveyard Shift: Supper at Oakland Cemetery

Esther — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 01:58:45 +0000

by Amanda Trevelino of Full Dishclosure

Oakland Cemetery

A chilly October mist settles over us the minute we step
into the graveyard, making us a little unsure about having
agreed to dine with the dead, but Esther Andrew and
Chef Evan Cordes are about to shift our way of thinking.
Photos by Kitty Ray Swain.

In the three years since Andrew founded For Foods Sake supper club she’s treated invitation-only members to culinary experiences at secret locations from rooftops to farms; private homes to hidden gardens. But her October destination redefined underground eateries, considering many of the hosts had been dead and buried at Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery since the 1800′s. What could entice us here on a cold dreary night? Only the wizardry of Chef Evan Cordes of nearby H. Harper Station, paired with the promise of end-of-season organic produce from D&A Farms.

Garden and Gun Magazine singles out Cordes (a North Carolina native who formerly brought acclaim to Cakes & Ale and Serpas True Food) for his creative revival of classic southern cocktails. So we were sure he’d bring similar creativity to a meal in an historically significant location. After all, we were surrounded by Gone With the Wind author Margaret Mitchell, golf great Bobby Jones, former mayors and dignitaries and no less than 40,000 civil war soldiers.

In town less than 24-hours after his honeymoon, Cordes put together a layered menu that incorporated summer-time veggies we’d given up hope of enjoying until next year: roast okra to start, and sweet corn to finish, thanks to D&A’s hoop tunnel farming system that enables soil to maintain warmth.

Nestled under ancient oaks and magnolias, an appreciative audience of 50 foodies and friends felt quite alive savoring the first and second courses. Most seemed to agree the olive oil poached turnips paired with smoked trout couldn’t be topped. But when the entree was passed family style, the warm field peas and butter beans proved to be the perfect comfort food. There was a poignant awareness of past, present and future as we honored those no longer with us and focused on For Foods Sake’s mission of supporting 180 Degree Kitchen, a project of City of Refuge. Executive Director Bruce Deel reminded us of the extraordinary crime rate in a particular part of our city where the 180 Degree Kitchen offers a potential culinary arts solution to 18 to 25-year-olds. By learning the building blocks of a culinary career, students can find work with participating restaurants, meanwhile the food they prepare goes to feed the hungry and homeless, and money earned through the Kitchen’s outside catering services helps fund the program.

The Menu:
Amuse-pork rillette with espillette-cocoa mustard and pickled mushroom toasts Wine: MontAsolo Merlot, Veneto
1st salad of pea shoots, broccoli and sunflower sprouts, D & A greens and okra with spiced pomegranate kernels and roast okra. pumpkinseed viniagrette.

2nd pickled shrimp and smoked trout on olive oil poached turnips with carrot gribiche and wood roast mussels Wine: Tiamo Chianti, Tuscany

3rd roast pork shoulder served family style with warm field peas, butterbeans, and roast pepper creme fraiche; butternut squash salad with proscuitto and cranberries; collard greens with sticky farro Wine: Pietra Majella, Montepulciano D’Abruzzo

4th fig sorghum buchon with sweet corn and local honey

D&A Farm:
Family owned an operated by Dave and Alan Bentoski, D&A grows more than 80 varieties of certified organic fruits, vegetables, melons, and vegetable transplants. The produce is raised on roughly 15 acres of cultivated ground which counts 1 heated greenhouse and 9 unheated high tunnels used for season extension. Certified organic since 2007, D&A’s premium produce is available direct to consumers through its CSA program and at Morningside Farmers Market.

Historic Oakland Cemetery:
This garden cemetery, founded in 1850, is the final resting place of many of Atlanta’s settlers, builders, and most noted citizens like Bobby Jones, Margaret Mitchell, and Maynard Jackson. It is also a showplace of sculpture and architecture, and a botanical preserve. Cemetery photo by Joel Silverman 2008.

Oakland Cemetery