Op-Ed by Ashley Dingeman
The DZ Farm Meet the Chefs Event took place this past Sunday, October 12th, and I had the pleasure of attending on behalf of Saratoga.com.
After reviewing the invitation, I had a good idea of what to expect when I arrived at the farm, but reality blew out my prior expectations. The beauty of the property was completely overwhelming at first, initially making you forget where you were.
Greeted by champagne and a guitar player, it was like I was being serenaded towards the backyard, where all of the food was laid out. And really…how can you not love being serenaded towards food?
As I continued up the driveway by foot, the actual home on the property sat in front of the incredibly large backyard, where the festivities were being held. There were haystacks, gardens, adult beverages and of course, food everywhere.
While this event was to give folks the opportunity to see the DZ Farm property, it was also an opportunity to showcase the four chefs that make the DZ Restaurants so successful.
It would take me two hours to describe each item I tasted, so here’s the list of each dish, along with which restaurant it came from:
Chianti Ristorante
• Sweet Focaccia with grapes “Focaccia all’ Uva”
• Roasted Porchetta
• Braised “Smoked” Lenticchie
• Crisp shaved cabbage salad
Forno Bistro
• Brûléed Nectarines stuffed with Honey goat cheese
• Grilled Duck Sausage with an apple cranberry mostarda
• Grilled delicata squash
• Assorted Fruit Tarts
Pasta Pane
• Spaghetti squash and fresh ricotta Crostini
• Wood fired Kilcoyne Farms steamship round of beef with Cabernet grape reduction
• Fire roasted fingerling sweet potatoes with ginger butter and mini marshmallows
• Wood fired Brussel sprouts with ricotta salata
• Creamy polenta
Boca Bistro
• Roasted beets, monte enebro cheese, blueberry compote
• Wannabe Farm rabbit and chorizo paella
• Grilled leeks with romesco sauce
To end the evening, there were desserts laid out by the four DZ Restaurants, as well as a full on s’mores set up around the bonfire, which totally caught my eye.
The experience was really wonderful, while also giving me the opportunity to get to know each chef on a more personal level, which is basically my favorite thing to do. Keep your eyes peeled for DZ Restaurants using DZ Farm products – the difference in taste will amaze you!
Check out Ashley’s food blog, The Saratoga Food Fanatic for more food fun in Saratoga!
