Applewood restaurant, a pioneer of the farm-to-table approach to dining in Brooklyn, has bought the farm. Literally. After seven years cultivating relationships with all kinds of local farmers, and introducing those farmers and the fruits of their labor to Applewood customers through their popular monthly ‘Meet the Farmer’ dinner series, owners David and Laura Shea have finally drank the Kool Aid and purchased their own two-acre farm in East Chatham, New York.
The Sheas aren’t going for the city-slicker dilettante ‘gentleman’ farmer thing – they’ll be packing up and moving to the farm early this summer, to grow produce and raise animals full-time for use in Applewood’s kitchen.
What does this all mean for the restaurant? Fret not, Applewood lovers. Manager Lina Phillips tells us, “Nothing about the food is changing, nothing about the approach is changing.” ‘Nothing changing,’ meaning, of course, that the always-changing seasonal menu will continue to be always-changing. Longtime Chef de Cuisine Sam Sherman recently took over as Executive Chef, and the Sheas will continue to be on hand each week, albeit with a little more dirt under their fingernails than before.
The Meet the Farmer series will continue as well. If all goes according to plan, one day soon a situation may develop that could threaten the very fabric of the farm/table continuum – the Sheas will find themselves hosting…themselves.
The Sheas are looking for a little support to ramp the farm up to full throttle – a chicken coop, rabbit hutch, beehive, pig barn, are all among the items on their wish list. Check out their Indiegogo campaign to donate. Here’s the video: