On a windy summer evening in Madras, a red 34-foot 1953 Flxible bus rumbled down a gravel road and parked beside an open barn. From it emerged Jim Denevan, the chef, artist and founder of Outstanding in the Field. He welcomed a crowd of diners from across the region and beyond. We did not gather in a restaurant, but on the land where our food originated.
Since 1999, Outstanding in the Field has been a traveling “restaurant without walls,” setting long tables across the world from orchards and vineyards to beaches and fishing docks. The Outstanding experience has taken place in all 50 states and 24 countries. The concept is as simple as it is revolutionary: don’t bring ingredients to the restaurant, bring the restaurant to the ingredients. Each event is a fleeting moment in time, a meal as an art experience that’s designed to tie attendees to the land, to the people who tend it, and to their neighbors.
This year, Denevan rolled into the Casad Family Farm, an organic and regenerative farm in the rural hills of Madras. At the farm, run by Cate and Chris Casad, agriculture flourishes and cows graze freely. The Casad Family Farm is also home to Range Revolution and Havstad Hat Co., where Cate handcrafts heirloom-quality hats worn by everyone from Post Malone to the night’s host, Denevan himself.
At this night’s event, this renowned culinary experience set the stage for an evening of local libations and food prepared by the culinary artistry of Chef Ariana and Andres Fernandez of Ariana Restaurant in Bend, Oregon.
“The culture of food is more interesting when a farmer is closer to the general public. That’s the reason we got out there.” —Jim Denevan, founder Outstanding in the Field
After introductions, we took a tour of the property. Cate’s hat shop was full of vintage hat-making tools and colorful ribbons that danced in the gusty wind from an open window to the Madras sky.
We strolled about 10 minutes through tall grasses to a stunning long table stretched across the farm’s field. The surrounding cows mooed as we arrived, as if cued for the occasion. Once we sat ourselves where we pleased, servers wove through the field, suspending family-style platters and offering bottles of Hiyu wine.
“I think about food and how it’s sourced, how it ends up on our plate and about how we present it beautifully to make people feel certain emotional connections to that food…So that’s what you are going to eat tonight. You’re going to eat what has been 11 years of perseverance.” —Cate Havstad-Casad, Casad Farms
Each course was a tribute to the hands that grew and raised the ingredients, from the beef of Casad Family Farm to the organic vegetables of Boundless Farmstead in Bend. Guided by Ariana chefs, snap peas, carrots and radishes were accented by sunflower hummus and green goddess dressing. Then came smoked Casad Family Farm spare ribs, glazed with cherry and juniper, and topped with crispy shallots. A rich polenta, made with Floriani red flint corn and garnished with herb gremolata and slow-braised beef was served. Next, came porchetta and an artfully arranged rolled pork belly with fennel pollen, paired with lemony carrots and garlic scapes. The final act of a hyper-seasonal feast was dessert: A bed of impossibly silky fromage blanc, topped with huckleberry jam that maintained the integrity of the fruit’s shape, and was sprinkled with a lavender crumb topping.
Click through the slideshow below to see more images of the food and drink:
The courses were accompanied by pours from Hiyu’s winemaker Nate Ready, whose poetic knowledge of viticulture made every sip sacred. The table hosted a mix of farmers, food lovers, travelers and Central Oregonians who expressed their personalities in everything from pink overalls to theatrical hats.
The team is expert at inviting a sense of occasion and priceless inspiration. At the event, guests eat food grown nearby, served by the people who grew it, in the place it came from, all while fostering a special table of kinship. Each event is a lens to highlight what a region has to offer.
In Madras, farm-to-table, or rather, “table-at-farm,” as the Outstanding in the Field crew refers to it, provided more than a scenic backdrop. An event like this educates attendees about regenerative farms like the Casads’, that nourish soil and community in equal measure. Tonight, it showcased chefs Andres and Ariana Fernandez who have been working with Central Oregon ingredients at their restaurant for more than two decades and whose work is guided by respect for place. At these events, tables are where stories are shared, courses are passed and strangers become friends.
Jim Denevan and his team packed up their red bus at night’s end, but the meal was more than a moment. It was about a movement.
HOST FARMERS: Chris & Cate Casad, Casad Family Farms
GUEST CHEFS: Andres and Ariana Fernandez | Ariana Restaurant
GUEST WINERY: Nate Ready | Hiyu Wine Farm
GUEST BREWERY: Wild Ride Brewing
GUEST DISTILLERY: Emily Darchuk | Wheyward Spirit
Find more farm-to-table dinners in Central Oregon, or learn more about where Outstanding in the Field will head next.
