Come and immerse yourself in a true farm-to-fork experience! On this half day outing you will have the opportunity to explore where our food comes from, the ethical growing practices used from seed to our tables, and the amazing people that make it all possible! Let us take you back, reminiscent of the past when food was harvested and eaten that same day, using natural resources such as fire to cook our meals, long before our food became a factory production business. As we tour the fields, our local farmer co-host, Jeff McMahon will share stories from the farm, the importance of growing without the use of spray and creating a healthy biodiversity. You will have the opportunity to harvest some of your very own ingredients that you will enjoy incorporated into a meal that will be prepared over an open fire by your host, Chef, Ian Thompson. When we return from the fields we will have the opportunity to connect as a group around a large harvest table, create some herbal accompaniments to the meal, and discuss the importance of eating locally, seasonally and the benefits of incorporating herbs into our daily cuisine. Just like the good ole' days. As we let the conversation flow and the connection form you will be presented with a family style meal that is straight from the farm, showcasing ingredients grown locally from one of our favourite Annapolis Valley families.
Location:
Longspell Point Farm: 245 Longspell Rd, Canning, NS
Upcoming dates:
Stay tuned!
As a passionate and experienced chef, I have always loved building relationships with our local farmers and producers. Using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients for me is a lifestyle. Pairing my passion for crafting meals prepared from fresh ingredients, and the addition of soul nurturing herbs into my cuisine guarantees for a one of a kind experience. I have always been drawn to these aromatic edible plants in my culinary profession that add delectable flavour and colour which have both culinary and medicinal benefits.
Many herbs bear healing properties, they were something I naturally wanted to explore deeper and learn to infuse them into my everyday conscious cooking, creating immune-building, nourishing meals for my clients through the changing seasons. I completed two years in a Holistic Herbal Wellness course offered in Halifax at Bloom Institute. This course offered me the building blocks on the layers of how herbs may improve both my food creations, but also our overall health and well-being and when combined together with intention, the receiving benefit is beyond mouthwatering and is truly a memorable food experience.
Having over 25 years of culinary experience - 20 years as a Head Chef and a previous owner of two very busy restaurants in Ontario with a successful catering entity, I have always yearned to get my hands dirty in the soil, learn to grow without the use of spray, harvest my own herbs, and really embrace and enhance my respect around the ideology of farm-to-fork to share with my future clients.
Since my arrival in Nova Scotia, I have been enjoying building relationships with our local farmers, and producers. This has inspired me to get busy growing from seed (sourced throughout Nova Scotia) our own food and medicinal herbs in our 23 gardens on our property in preparation for our family consumption, and food offered for Herb & Feather catering. With my devotion for clean, comfort foods, a well balanced life-style, local farmed foods, and ethical growing practices, I look forward to sharing with others my passion for culinary cooking.
"People who love to eat are always the best people"~ Julia Child
