Community News

After wrapping up their second event on Saturday, July 21, Plowshare Farms is surging forward with their community focused and culturally diverse on-farm dinner series. Presented by two of Philadelphia’s most sought after eateries, Root Restaurant & Wine Bar, and Suraya, the next event, which is dinner three of five in the lineup, will fall on Saturday, August 11.

Plowshare Farms’ Owners, Teddy and Faith Moynihan, began working steadily with the culinary team at Root Restaurant & Wine Bar, who specialize in crafting a fresh take on Italian, Spanish and American cuisine, at the beginning of the 2017 season, and were eager to team up with Suraya upon their highly anticipated opening. When the farmer-chef relationships continued to exceed both parties’ expectations, it seemed only natural to invite Chef Will Eberhart of Suraya and Chef Mike Joyce of Root Restaurant & Wine Bar to partake in Plowshare Farms’ Dinner Series.

“The connection between farm and food is so important,” shared Sous Chef Eberhardt. “Convenience has lost sight of that and insists on food being a certain size, color, or needing it at a time it is unavailable. When you try a vegetable that was picked ripe from the ground you will know. There is no substitute. This is the way I want to cook and live.”

Chef Ange Branca of Sate Kampar and Chef Eli Collins of a.kitchen left big shoes to fill from the first and second dinners of the series but there’s no fair way to compare each culinary event, as every dinner offers an entirely new experience - the seasons evolve with each month, thus the ingredients available evolve. Regardless of the seasonality, each dinner promises a fresh and unique cooking style presented in an exquisite fashion by the region’s most talented individuals. The dinners offer quite the collection of local food system all-stars, gathered in one beautiful location, picturesque Bucks County fields. These are the fields that make up Plowshare Farms and, consequently, nourish and influence almost everything that the guests will enjoy at the dinner, a concept that Chef Mike Joyce is highly tuned into and respectful of:

“I love to cook. I really do. I love the act of preparing a meal, especially when in the company of people you love. Cooking and then enjoying that meal are a snapshot of a very particular time of the year and often times, inexplicably linked to a memory and shared experience amongst family and friends. But what inspires me the most is having that connection to where the vegetables are grown, or the lamb is raised, or the bread is baked. Cooking within the seasons, using products sourced locally and sharing them with others is the greatest expression of community and the power of food.”

The dinner begins at 4:30 PM on Saturday, August 11. As usual, Danny Childs of Slow Drinks will set the tone for the evening by welcoming guests to the opening reception with farm fresh sips inspired by and crafted using the local bounty. Danny, a former Plowshare farm-hand, looks forward to introducing guests to flavors of the farm in a whole new way, as well as offering a perfect pairing for the passed hors d'oeuvres. Opening activities will be followed by a walking farm tour with Chef Joyce, Chef Eberhardt, Teddy, and Faith, at the conclusion of which guests will enjoy four family-style courses, and drink pairings from Dad’s Hat Rye Whiskey. Through working with Ann Karlen of 3rd Wheel Cheese Co., Chef Joyce hopes to incorporate a special, hard-to-find cheese that marries well with the meal. The dinner will wrap up near sunset with a selection of Plowshare Farms’ comb honey paired with complementary treats, and coffee service by Brig O' Doon Coffee House of Ottsville, PA.

This dinner, in conjunction with the remaining dinners within the series, will touch all its guests and participants in a very powerful way, with terroir as the magnetizing force that brings everyone and everything to the table. Whether you’re a die-hard local food advocate, appreciator of exceptional cuisine, or simply live in the area, you’ll find companionship and nourishment at the Plowshare Farms August 11 Farm Dinner. Tickets are available for this event, and for their remaining on-farm dinners of the five part series, at http://plowsharefarms.com/events/ on a first come, first serve basis, as seating is limited. In the event of rain, there is an ample space within Teddy and Faith’s romantic antique barn as a backup location. The next and final available dinner (dinner 5 is SOLD OUT) will fall on Saturday, September 8.

Plowshare Farms was founded in 2013 by Teddy and Faith Moynihan on a half-acre plot in a friend’s backyard, with the intention of growing enough food to bring friends and neighbors together in a small CSA. Expanding in land and vision, Plowshare is now located on 16 acres in Pipersville, PA and specializes in ethically raised livestock, organic, chemical-free produce, and staple crops, such as polenta corn and dry beans. Plowshare of ers a connection to their farm through a weekly CSA from June through  November, with pickups in Bucks County and Philadelphia.