Rincon Hill Farm Hosts a Celebration of Seasonal Cooking, Sustainable Agriculture and Sta. Rita Hills Wines

An eye-popping farm tour followed by an intimate dinner with three leaders in the regenerative agriculture and hospitality movements was on the menu last week. The collaborative dinner on July 23 began with a guided tour of Rincon Hill Farm, the eight-acre regenerative farm in Carpinteria that supplies much of the produce served at the new Michelin Green Star winning restaurant Monte’s in Montecito — and will eventually also supply produce for owner Endwell Hospitality’s upcoming project at The Palms in Carpinteria, where plans include a restaurant as well as a market/cafe retail area on the ground floor, a banquet/event space on the second floor, and a bar and dining area on the roof.

Joining Monte’s Chef Daniel Kim for a one-night-only culinary collaboration were James Beard Award–nominated Chef Kevin Fink of Austin’s Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group and Donnachadh Family Wines, a family-owned, organically farmed estate on Santa Rosa Road in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA of Santa Barbara County. 

After the farm tour, which included a peek at a mind-boggling variety of crops (ice cream bananas, anyone?) preservation techniques, and a mushroom growing room, we were treated to canapés and a multi-course family-style dinner collaboratively created by Kim and Fink using ingredients harvested from the farm. And of course, each course was thoughtfully paired with organically farmed estate wines from Donnachadh Family Wines.

The best meals begin long before they reach the table,” said Chef Daniel Kim about the collaborative dinner. “Our cooking begins with the incredible work happening every day at Rincon Hill Farm, so collaborating with Kevin and pairing that harvest with Donnachadh’s wines feels incredibly natural. It’s inspiring to bring together people who share the belief that caring for the land is the foundation of exceptional food and wine.”