Small plates of crostini, cheese and apple dance around the barn, making their way to guests’ hungry mouths. Passed by the callused hands of the Braise staff, the tiny bites greet the guests, giving everyone a small taste of what’s to come. Crows lurking in the trees outside of the barn welcome twilight as an ever-present smell of hay fills the barn.
A glass clinks. Seats are taken.
Around a 22-foot, family-style table, 21 guests gather together, holding their red wine to toast an evening of food, community and freshness. Dimly lit Mason jar candles illuminate the dewy
evening, as steam from the brick-oven-baked salmon slowly heats up the room. This is Braise Restaurant’s final dinner on the farm for the 2016 season.
Dave Swanson, owner at Braise in downtown Milwaukee, serves as the chef, host and man to thank for the evening at Farm 45 in Jackson, Wisconsin.
With credit to the farm-to-table movement, chefs and diners look at dining as more than a way to satisfy hunger. Farm dinners are an opportunity for chefs and farmers to share their love and passion for fresh and local food with an extended community. When eating at places such as Farm 45, people come together to celebrate farm-to-table, local products and community.
Swanson, a four-time James Beard nominee for Best Chef in the Midwest, began his career at 16 in his hometown of Lake Villa, Illinois. Starting as an eager dishwasher, Swanson was inspired by food’s effect: its delicious flavors and satisfying sensations. Swanson’s guiding principle for Braise was accessibility, hoping “people could come once a week, or twice a month and experience [my mission]. I want people to understand what food is about and enjoy it on another level than a white tablecloth meal.”
Since the restaurant’s opening in 2008, Swanson has stayed true to his roots, bringing fresh and flavorful food that delivers community as well as locally sourced products to every dish. Braise started “dinners on the farm” with the hopes of promoting local Wisconsin farmers to community members all across the Midwest. Motivated by the restaurant’s mission of “[reconnecting] people to their food,” Braise’s 11 farm dinners are a unique opportunity for guests to eat high-quality food while bonding with the farmers and chefs who produce the products.
Because the people next to you are your community for the night, Swanson encourages his guests to “get to know each other” and “make new friends.” As the saying goes, “You come for the food, but you stay for the company.” Not knowing the person next to you, introductions begin.
In one sweeping serving, members of the Braise staff bring the colorful food to the table and set platters delicately in front of hungry and eager faces. The guests breathe in the family-style servings: Alaskan Sitka salmon with crushed pepper and salt, potato salad dressed in briny anchovies and salty capers, marinated and chilled chard salad and roasted vegetables swimming in a thin layer of olive oil and parmesan cheese are passed around the table. As the serving dishes move down the long farmhouse table, the diners whisper “Mms” and “Wows,” telling Dave, his staff and the farmer and fisherman who supply the meal they’ve done their job well.
Terry Groth, Farm 45’s farmer and owner, sits at the center of the table and marvels at the array of food. He opens up to the guests, expressing his appreciation for their attendance and his respect for their commitment to people like him.
Groth, who rarely gets treated to meals such as these, keeps a steady smile on his face. He and his wife, Chris, share a look that communicates their thankfulness and love for each other, their farm and Swanson’s mission.
Passed down from generation to generation, Farm 45’s land has been in the Groth family for more than 120 years, while Terry has established Farm 45 as his own business. Originally purchased by Groth’s great-grandfather, the land has been a generational family business. Starting as just a small patch of land, Farm 45 now harvests local produce such as corn and soybeans while specializing in the herding and selling of livestock.
Braise’s farm dinners help highlight Groth and other Midwest farmers’ commitment to and love for fresh, clean food. Small business owners such as Groth rely on the support from chefs like Swanson to help promote their mission, products and stories.
“The relationship I have with Dave creates the outcome of a relationship with consumers. From that, I can share my story and experience and let [guests] know about the good being done here and what truly goes on,” Groth says. “Any opportunity to talk about or show people what producers like me are doing is a good opportunity to educate and inform them.”
Farm dinners, while providing guests an incredible opportunity to eat locally with good company, give farmers like Groth a chance to promote their mission and products. It’s a mutually beneficial event for everyone, as diners enjoy Groth and his work, while Groth gains new supporters and customers of his products.
As the platters get passed around for second helpings, the darkness of nighttime makes no appearance in the warmly lit barn. The sound of popping wine bottle corks startles the roaming sheep across the way. “Could you serve me some more salmon, babe?” one guest asks her husband. Cutting the delicate fish, he places the food on his wife’s reusable plate, and of course doesn’t neglect to take some for himself.
At the far end of the table, a couple from Jackson — a community northwest of Milwaukee — Karen and Craig Boggio, relish in happiness and satisfaction. The freshness of the salmon lights up their face, as landlocked Wisconsin locals rarely get the true taste of fresh seafood. Craig’s hand cups his wife’s chair while the other constantly greets his mouth with food. Karen leans in, feeling the warmth of her husband’s chest. Savoring this moment and sharing their love for food and each other, the couple shares a smile and dives back into their plates for a few final bites.
The Boggios, whose professions steer far from the culinary industry — Karen is a nurse and teaches health care, and Craig works with information technology — spend their free time cooking, watching the Food Network and working on their backyard garden.
Their fascination with food began when their son built an in-home garden a few years ago, wanting to bring his passion for food and locally sourced products to his family. Since the building of the garden, the couple has transformed their lifestyle to one dedicated to health, quality and, of course, delicious experiences.
“Knowing that we can grow our own organic food is a motivator for us,” Karen Boggio says. “It’s just the right thing to do. Food is the forefront of sustainability and when we heard what Braise was doing with embracing local, we immediately were interested.”
This “foodie” couple continuously looks for new opportunities to further their commitment to the farm-to-table movement. While the couple rarely eats out, as both are avid amateur cooks, Braise’s farm dinner sparked their interest in a way most Midwest restaurants can’t.
“We think about where we’re going to go out to eat, because it needs to be something that we can’t get at home or we can’t do better,” Karen Boggio says. “So doing something unique like this [farm dinner] is a cool experience.”
Zipping up their coats, Swanson and his team excuse themselves from the barn. Although guests can’t think about more food, everyone knows what’s next: dessert.
On large round platters, warm apple crisp enters the barn. The smells of caramelized sugar and spiced cinnamon tickle guests’ noses. Lights woven into the wooden rafters hang above and shine on the dessert, adding sparkle and sweetness to the evening.
Marsh Skeele and Kirk Hardcastle’s voices catch the attention of many. While eating the warm apples and slowly sipping cups of freshly brewed black coffee, the two fishermen of Sitka Salmon Shares tell stories of their time spent at sea. Captivated by their experiences, guests marvel and ask questions about life as a fisherman, the hardships of being away from home and the fishing industry.
Sitka Salmon Shares, a “boat-to-doorstep” seafood company, delivers freshly caught fish and seafood products to Midwest communities, homes and restaurants such as Braise. The company, co-founded by Skeele, devotes its work to transporting artisan fishermen’s craft and skill to the kitchens and homes of the Midwest.
Skeele, founding fisherman of Sitka Salmon Shares, and Hardcastle, an Alaskan fisherman, can often be found providing fresh seafood and information about the boat-to-table movement at these kind of dinners and events.
“We catch fish in a beautiful place, and we want to share that directly,” Skeele says. “By being completely transparent, we connect people to what we’re doing and, from that we change lives. By getting fishermen like us down to meet people who eat our product, we get to firsthand experience the happiness our fish bring.”
The company, based out of Sitka, Alaska, is one of few North American companies that provide fresh, sustainable seafood far from where the fish are caught. Because Alaska has strict fishing regulations, Sitka Salmon Shares guarantees seasonal and sustainable fish.
Skeele’s main mission and the focus of the entire company is, of course, to supply enough food for customers, but also to promote sustainability, ensuring customers’ grandchildren — and even great-grandchildren — can someday enjoy their product, too.
“There’s a wave of conscientiousness happening,” Hardcastle says. “It’s about passion and sustainability. Getting to share our story and our mission is what it’s about. It’s community, it’s sharing, it’s relationships, it’s a movement of education and respect, and we’re here to ride that wave.”
Only leftover crumbs remain on the table after the meal. The guests get up, but don’t leave yet. Over drinks and conversation, the group moves to a bonfire where stories about family, love and food excite and inspire everyone. Connecting over their shared experience guests are hugged by cozy feelings and the fire’s warmth. While the evening started off with complete strangers, good company and even better food brought 21 people together.
“The relationships people get to experience is what brings everyone back to these tables,” Swanson says. “At a restaurant, food can always be good, service may be good, but at the farm dinners, you get those friendships, those bonds that have people coming over and over again.”
Sadie Dorf
When she’s not trying new resturants and cuisines in Madison and her hometown of Los Angeles, Sadie is behind the camera capturing every moment. An active lover of the outdoors, food and people, Sadie translates all she experiences through her images. She’s looking forward to studying abroad in New Zealand and documenting her travels through her pictures so check out her instagram for the latest “Sadie Updates.”