Farm to Table Tour

Saturday’s six hour Farm to Table Tour funding raising event was a resounding success!

The event was the brain child of the Ojai Music Festival Women’s Committee. As Committee President Deborah Edwards said, “The Women’s Committee created the event from the ground up from an idea gleaned at a strategic planning session last year. The seeds were sown and now we are at harvest time. Months of planning and plowing through details have gone into the event. Many thanks to Alice Asquith and Mackay Crampton, co-chairs of the event, and their Farm to Table Tour committee.”

The day started at 8:30AM as 150 participants arrived at Soule Park to board buses and to begin their tour of three Ojai farms: Earthrine Farm, Friends Ranch and the Ojai Olive Oil Company. Upon boarding, the participants were welcomed by docents and given reusable tote bags.

At Earthtrine Farm, farmer “BD” Dautch greeted the participants as they got off the bus and took them on a tour of his extensive organic farm that boasts orange trees, row-upon-row of seasonable vegetables, herbs and fresh flowers.

Friends Ranch farmers Emily Thacher-Ayala and her father Tony Thacher gave a brief overview of their farm, took participants on a tour of their citrus orchard and provided them with opportunities to taste and to buy fresh fruit.

At the Ojai Olive Oil Company farmer Ron Asquith gave an explanation of how olives are harvested and processed. Participants got to see the olive oil production equipment and visit the tasting room for a taste of their fine olive oil.

After the farm tours, the buses returned to Soule Park where the 150 tour participants joined another 80 participants in a “farm to table” lunch catered by six local chefs dedicated to using fresh, local ingredients. The lines were long and the food was worth waiting for. Here’s what the local chefs fixed:

Susan Coulter [Feast Bistro]: Curried Vegetables with Forbidden Rice. 

Tim Kilcoyne [Sidecar Restaurant]: Thai Beef Salad. 

Casper Poyck [Consciously Culinary]: Quinoa-Polenta Pot Pie with Vegetables. 

Carrie Clough [Manzanita]: Carrot and Mixed Bean Salad with Dill, Toasted Almonds and Crispy Shallots. 

Rachel Main [Main Course California]: Local Citrus, Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Candied Walnuts. 

Jeri Oshima [FourWorlds]: Citrus Olive Oil Cake with Garnish.

Lunchtime entertainment was provided by acoustic guitarist and songwriter Alan Thornhill.