Chefs for Farmers
On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall on an island off the coast of Fort Myers as a Category 4 storm. In the wake of the frenzied and erratic natural disaster, community leaders, businesses, and relief organizations showed their spirit and rallied around those affected. South Florida was inundated with workers and volunteers from as far away as across the ocean and as close by as next door.
Chef Anthony Petralia (of the excellent new pizzeria Tralia in Gulf Gate) reached out to Chef Steve Phelps (of perennial favorite Indigenous) with a question: “What can we do to help?” The pair called on Chef Drew Adams and Bruce Pike (of Meloria, the Tampa Bay Times’ pick for Best New Restaurant of 2022) and the idea was set for a benefit dinner to offer aid to some of the local farms that suffered damages because of Ian.
“We wanted to focus on seasonality and feature as much local produce as possible,” said Anthony. Drew and Bruce offered Meliora with its large open kitchen as the location for the event and the group selected six of the farms that they frequent as the beneficiaries: Homestead Hydroponic Farm, Blumenberry Farms, Sun Shrimp, Worden Farm, Grove Ladder Farm, and Wildside Farms. The farms selected were grateful for the aid and happy to provide ingredients (where possible) for use in the multi-course dinner. The dinner would consist of seven courses as well as an amuse-bouche (bite-sized hors d’oeuvre) and a mignardise (bite-sized dessert). The optional wine/ cocktail pairing fell to the capable hands of Meliora’s bar manager, Topher Nalefski. The group then began to reach out for items to showcase in a silent auction.
The “SRQ Chefs for Farms” Dinner sold out in less than 24 hours and attendees were treated to a unique and beautiful experience less than three weeks later. Thanks to the efforts of this talented group of collaborators—together with the generosity of our community— the dinner and auction raised almost $30,000 with all net proceeds and donations going directly to the farms. Also raised by this event? Awareness. The farmers didn’t just provide ingredients, they made themselves available to meet and interact with the attendees—and each other.
“Hurricanes like Ian show and remind you how resilient farmers and growers are, “said Allie Harris of Wildside Farms. “The past few months have not been the easiest, but I feel that we have bounced back. Looking forward to springtime growth! While the dining experience was one of the best I’ve ever had, my favorite part of the evening was sitting at the bar with farmers who I’ve grown to love and respect over the years. It brought tears to my eyes—being a humble, women-owned operation—seeing and being with the community. I am truly grateful.”
Having attended this extraordinary dinner ourselves, we can attest to the feeling of love in the air. We credit the ever-ebullient Bruce Pike with persuading the farmers and growers to mingle with the dinner guests. “The idea of this dinner was a no-brainer for us,” he said. “We want to support the people who support us and make it possible for us to utilize local ingredients in our restaurants and homes. I wanted to make sure that they socialized because this was a unique opportunity for our guests to see the faces of the people who feed us and humanize the process a little more.”
“What do we live for if not to make the world less difficult for each other?” —George Eliot
“My grandfather used to say that once in your life you need a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, and a preacher. But every day, three times a day, you need a farmer.” —Brenda Schoepp
