Above: With some seasonal weather returning, Dogpatch Urban Gardens may soon look as lush as this once again.
By Wini Moranville
If you’ve dined at the Cheese Bar, HoQ, the Wine Experience, Table 128, Baru 66, Proof or Harbinger, you’ve likely eaten produce from Dogpatch Urban Gardens (DUG). Jenny Quiner grows greens and salad-focused seasonal vegetables from her quarter-acre north-of-Beaverdale patch, and top local chefs are among her customers.
Starting this spring, she’s inviting a number of these chefs to curate dinners that use products from her gardens and farm stand, and also call on the urban farm itself as the site of the dinners. Her “FarmStand to Fork” series will feature this lineup of chefs:
• Sean Wilson (Proof): April 28
• Joe Tripp (Harbinger): June 9
• Ken VanMilligen (St. Kilda Cafe & Bakery): Aug. 4
• Lynn Pritchard (Table 128 Bistro + Bar): Sept. 29
Ideally, the dinners will be held outdoors in DUG’s green space; however, if the weather doesn’t cooperate, the event will move inside.
What might be popping up in the gardens for the April 28 dinner? Quiner says that spinach, lettuce, micro-greens and radishes will be available from DUG, though what’s actually used is up to each chef. In addition, chefs will curate their menus using all that the DUG FarmStand has to offer, which includes products from other producers and growers, such as meats, cheeses, dairy, honey, pasta, jams and bread.
In short, these dinners are a good way for food lovers to get to know all that Dogpatch has to offer. The FarmStand opens for the season on May 11.
Dinners will be limited to 30-40 people, paying $120 each, which includes dinner, beer, wine, tax and gratuity. Tickets can be obtained via the DUG website.
Wini Moranville writes about food, wine and dining for dsm magazine and dsmWeekly. Follow her on Facebook at All Things Food–DSM.
