Learn About Lotusland’s Farmer Forward Dinner

Historic Montecito Garden Pairs Farmer, Fishmongers, Chef, and Winemaker for May 16 Fundraiser

Dining in the garden at Lotusland is a unique and intimate experience. | Credit: Courtesy

The fancy dinner formula of creative chef + wise winemaker = educational entertainment while you eat is tried and true. But for those dedicated enough to attend these meals regularly, the equation risks running a little tired. Isn’t there more we can learn about our dinner? Aren’t there other epicurean experts we should be listening to?

With that in mind, the folks at Ganna Walska Lotusland decided to invite more experts to the table, specifically those farmers, ranchers, and fishmongers who are on the frontlines of our food systems. In addition to Chef Ashley Transki of Duo Catering and winemaker Matt Dees of The Hilt and Jonata, Lotusland’s Farmer Forward Dinner on May 16 will highlight the work of farmer Jacob Grant of Roots Farm and the team of Kim Selkoe and Victoria Voss at Get Hooked! Seafood. As dishes are presented, attendees will hear a bit from all of these participants, learning all about what makes every bite of the night special.

“Food is our fuel. Everyone should care about what they are putting into their bodies,” said Transki of why knowing more is critical. “I feel that so many of our current health problems could be mitigated if we took better care of ourselves. This absolutely begins with better food — food that hasn’t been sprayed to death with chemicals and leached of nourishment and flavor in search of a longer shelf life.”

There’s also more practical reasons for chefs and home cooks alike to listen to farmers. “It is always nice to speak to the person growing your food to hear how he is preparing things, or what he may have coming up later in the year,” said Transki.

Grant honed his farming strategy on serving the Santa Barbara farmers’ markets every week since 2002. “By serving the same community gathering week upon week, I feel success is a relationship that we tend to in more ways than just growing food,” he said. “The interactions we have at the market every week are beautiful testament to the multitude of ways we all find nourishment, far beyond what’s on our plate.”

But the eating experience remains tantamount. “Flavor is my goal and the highest praise I feel is when my oldest customers tell me my vegetables remind them of their childhoods,” said Grant.

Though Duo uses the region’s farmers and wineries regularly, including Roots Farm and The Hilt/Jonata, making those sources the focus of an evening is not so common at their events. But when clients do want to know where the food comes from,” said Transki, “People are often amazed by what grows within a 30- or 40-mile radius of where they are dining.”

There’s also a connection between the wealth of diverse flora cultivated at Lotusland and the way that Grant approaches agriculture. “On the farm we cultivate ecosystems,” he said. “Our highly diverse planting schedules along with the allied support of flowering plants growing among the intended crops creates a diverse and complex soil/plant relationship that encourages life within the soil, within the plants and above as well.”

To do so, he supports as many insects as possible, and tolerates the weeds, all of which fosters the native wildlife. “Birds choosing to live on the farm is a gauge of the abundance we tend,” said Grant. “We use no agriculture inputs other than seeds, water, and work. It’s a dance really, with constant living and dying, as we try to make sure the feast never ends.”

Though making special meals is a daily routine for Duo catering, Transki is especially fired up for the Farmer Forward experience. “Dinners like this offer them a glimpse into the integrated community that makes living in Santa Barbara County so special,” said Transki. “We are truly fortunate to have access to such amazing food and wine, two of the great joys in life.”

For more information and tickets, see lotusland.org/event/farm-to-table-wine-dinner-santa-barbara-culinary-experience.