We just had our third of the annual Field to Feast Community Dinners. This is such a labor of love! I cannot begin to express the overall feeling of this event. Never did I imagine what it could be when my friend Barb Westman and I discussed it almost four years ago. We were just driving in the car, kicking around the idea of a dinner served on the street of Annandale.
One beautiful, long white table laden with food freshly grown by farmers in our community. We Googled Farm to Table dinners and saw that these were popular across the country. What struck me the most were people sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, smiling and breaking bread together. That first year was a leap of faith, would people share the vision?
A committee of seven dedicated people, local support of Annandale Community Team (ACT), City Hall, three chefs, 15 sponsors, multiple volunteers and 200 guests later we had our first dinner. Great music, good food, and people coming together. This was amazing. That year, in addition to the $1,500 of food purchased from local farmers market vendors, we were able to donate over $2,500 to our local Farmers Market to support them and help them grow.
Year two we raised the number of guests to 320. Expanded the menu. Added a fourth chef who grew local produce and could turn an appetizer into a work of art. The weather rained us out, and we squeezed into the local fire hall to host our dinner. Everyone worried it wouldn’t be the same. It was cozy and crowded but in a good way that forced people to get to know each other as they stood in long lines for appetizers, beer and wine.
We made mistakes, but they were thankfully invisible to most. There was lots of wine for the chefs and a toast to never doing this again…. which thankfully turned into menu planning for the next year by the second bottle of wine. The balance of the account the second year was divided between $2,500 to the local farmers market and $1,000 to open the local beach. Two amazing summer additions to the Annandale Area community.
This year was my favorite. With the addition of two young chefs and their vision for a future in the culinary arts, we had new life in the desserts and appetizers. A family style of service was adopted this year with guests cutting loaves of bread, ladling bowls of soup and sharing plates of tomato and beet salad.
Once again the weather forced us to the fire hall, but we were prepared. A better flow was designed. Music and the addition of local farmers sharing their fare gave the sunflower theme a brightness, and a sunny feel the rain couldn’t dampen. People ask, “Is this a fundraiser?” At $20 a plate for appetizers, bread, soup, salad, entrée, sides and two desserts this is hardly a fundraiser.
This is a community event that, so far, has made money because of the dedication of chefs, volunteers, and generous sponsors. Every cent is given back to the community we serve. It’s not about the money to anyone involved. It’s about bringing people together who share a love of good food, good friends, and community spirit.
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”
Coretta Scott King
Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
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