Farm dinners connect Shore foodies to local growers

By SEAN CLOUGHERTY
Managing Editor

CHESTERTOWN, Md. — It’s one thing to eat locally grown food, and quite another to eat the food at the farm it was grown on in a multi-course meal prepared on-site by a chef.
These so-called “farm-to-table” or “farm-to-fork” dinners offer an extra helping of agritourism to the local food movement with the intent of bringing farmer and customer closer together.
“We have such a valuable resource here. People really want to be more connected to their food. It’s really struck a cord with people,” said Marilyn Klompus, who owns Homegrown and Green Promotions in Chestertown which coordinated a series of “Farm Dinners on the Shore” through Kent and Queen Anne’s counties. 
From traveling a lot to buy merchandise for two antique stores that she owns, Klompus said she faithfully scans brochures at rest stops and restaurants to see what’s going on in agritourism around the country.
“I always kind of keep my ears up with what other rural areas are doing,” Klompus said.
She said farm-to-table dinners are not a new concept, but she hadn’t heard of one in the area and thought it could be a good move.
“It just kind of came together,” she said. “All of these folks thought it was a great idea and we just thought we’d try it. It just all lined up.”
Klompus approached chefs from the area that she had previously worked with and started lining up farmers that would be willing to host a group of strangers to come spend an evening on their farms. The first dinner was held April 30 at Cassinelli Winery and Vineyards in Church Hill, Md., with a four-course dinner prepared by local chefs Robbie Jester and Glen May and wine pairings from the vineyard owners, Al and Jennifer Cassinelli.
The next dinner, held June 18, was at Lockbriar Farms, a fruit and vegetable operation, in Chestertown. The next event in the series is planned for Aug. 13 to 15 at Arnold Farms in Chestertown and dinners are planned for October and November this year as well. Food grown on the farm is used in the meal where possible and a lot of effort is put into getting as much locally grown food as possible.
The size of the events have averaged about 50 people, Klompus said.
Klompus said the main thrust of the dinners — along with serving great food — is to spread awareness about the role of agriculture in the local communities.
“It’s about people understanding how important it is that we have farms and not housing developments,” she said.
The individual farms also get a chance to reach more people that may have not shopped there before.
“It brings customers to their bottom line and exposure to their operation,” Klompus added.
Since it’s the first year for the dinner series, Klompus said they have been holding different style meals at the farms, some more formal than others and with different prices for attending. The prices range from $95 per person for a five-course meal, with a wine paired with each course to a $30 per person “Tapas on the Farm” menu with lighter fare. Klompus said a farm tour, music and gifts were also provided in the price.
“What you’re buying is an evening’s entertainment,” she said”.
With those price levels, Klompus said the dinners still teeter on profitability. She noted that one company that does farm dinners on wider scale, “Outstanding in the Field,” charges more than twice the price of her dinners.
“I think we’re still trying to figure out if they are economically viable,” she said. “We’re learning as we go along together and we’re going to have to create our own model for this.”
Nonetheless, the dinners have been a hit with those who have attended.
“We’ve had people who’ve said ‘sign me up for the next one. Don’t even wait to send me an e-mail.’” Klompus said.
For more information on the Farm Dinners on the Shore, visit www.homegrownandgreen.com.