Washington Farm To Table

The setting was Main Street, Washington.  The ambiance was upscale farmhouse elegance.  The mood was delightful.  The event: Farm to Table, presented by Downtown Washington Inc.

This yearly, sold-out event has been a hit of Washington for six years.  If you were lucky enough to have snagged a ticket, you were waiting by your computer to log in and purchase your coveted seat the day tickets went on sale!  As a member of Downtown Washington Inc, I was privy to the pre-sale where I could purchase two tickets in advance of the general public.  (membership has SO many perks and this is one!).

So what is Farm To Table? I asked Cassidy Desmond, Events & Promotion Specialist for Downtown Washington Inc to describe this stunning event and here is what she had to say. 

"This event brings the community together for an experience like no other. Everyone enjoying a local farm-fresh meal in the heart of our community is so beautiful! The proceeds of the event go towards the Farmers' Market building to help fund the renovation and keep up with maintenance, repairs, and overall beautification. We are so grateful for the support of our community!"  She went on to say that the planning process starts about six months prior to the event. 

As someone who has attended this event before, it is always impressive to see the behind the scenes coordination of the local restraurants that work as a true team to pull this event off.  Pretty amazing when you think the food came directly from a local farmer just for this event! 

How does Downtown Washington Inc put on an event this large (192 sit-down four course meal) and make it look so effortless?

Cassidy reported, they have about ten people on the committee that help with the planning process and four full-time staff members at Downtown Washington, Inc. We have students from the CAPS program at the High School help set up, and different student groups help with serving, busing, and cleaning up that evening. All in all probably close to fifty volunteers are there that evening to make the event happen from the Downtown Washington, Inc. and Historic Washington Foundation Boards, local chefs, bartenders, and servers.

If the ambiance and the camaraderie weren't enough, let's talk about the star of the night- THE FOOD!  As we arrived, we enjoyed fresh bruschetta from Bud's American Pub, and enjoyed spirits from Pinckney Bend Distillery, Hoffmann Family of Companies and Grey Eagle Distributors.  The mood was set with music provided by The Medicine Men under the Farmer's Market Pavilion. 

As the dinner bell rang, all 192 guests took their assigned seats at the loveliest designed tablescapes provided by Hillermann Nursery and Florist.

The sweet sounds of children choir floated through the street from above, as children from Borgia sang God Bless America, followed by the acoustic sounds of Joe Fry the Guitar Guy.

Deppe Farms, Farwig Farm, Wholesome Meats and Washmo Towers were the amazing local farmers that were the "Farm" to the table! How lucky were we to be able to have such an amazingly delicious meal that was locally sourced!

All hands were on deck as dinner started.  Tomato bisque prepared by Marquart's Landing and summer salad prepared by Miller's Grill started off the food festivities. Followed by the main entree(s), yes there is a an "s" behind entree! Beef brisket prepared by Wholesome Meats and White Mule Winery, Applewood smoked chicken prepared by Tilted Skillet, coffee rubbed pork loin prepared by Mosaic Cafe and Catering.  This entree was adorned with mouthwatering sides, including fresh green beans prepared by Joe's Bakery and Delicatessen, a roasted corn casserole prepared by Old Dutch Tavern and cheesy au gratin potatoes prepared by Cowan's Restaurant.  A sweet corn bread provided by Sugarfire Smoke House and Rolls from Pasta House Co. topped off the meal. 

And can we talk about those desserts?  Bourbon glazed bread pudding prepared by the Nest Boutique Cafe and creme brulee truffles by Kim's Candy Dish topped off the night with coffee by Scudder and Co. 

There is truly nothing like this experience.  As the four course meal was being served, the sun was setting over Washington and painted the most majestic backdrop for this event.

I highly recommend you look to be a guest at this table next year.  It's an experience you won't soon forget!  

It's community events like this that bring old friends together, and you leave with new friends! Until next year!