Here on the Central Coast, farms and backyard gardens produce tender edibles all year long. Our ocean waters yield fresh seafood, and area ranchers grow a variety of livestock, making it relatively easy to follow the lead of the locavore movement and “eat locally.”
In a shining example of the movement’s best intentions, the folks at Buttonwood Farm Winery have announced their fifth annual All Buttonwood Farm Dinner, slated for Aug. 14. The twilight dinner will be served at elegant tables set up in the winery’s beautiful mesa-top vineyard, beside the sparkling pond.
“The thing that makes this dinner different from any
other wine dinner in the area,” said Sherrill Duggan O’Neill, marketing director for Buttonwood Farm Winery, “is that everything served is grown or raised right here on our 106-acre farm.”
Charged with creating a menu from on-site items, Chef Jeff Olsson of New West Catering has an incredible feast lined up. Every year, he dishes up new surprises along with old favorites, which range from platters of fresh fruits and steaming vegetables to specialties featuring pork and lamb.
Appetizers will include Olsson’s ever-popular skewered lamb meatballs drenched with cucumber sauce, and carnitas in tomatillo sauce. In the main and side dish departments, look for lamb with pomegranate glaze, roasted goat cheese chili rellenos, crispy greens tossed with goat cheese, and
watermelon salsa.
To pair with these sensory delights, winemaker Karen Steinwachs has chosen a variety of wines, including Buttonwood’s first-ever Grenache Blanc. She’ll also pour new bottlings of Zingy (Sauvignon Blanc), Cabernet Sauvignon, and BW, a blend of Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc crafted as a tribute to winery founder Betty Williams. To close the dinner on a mellow note, Steinwachs promised to uncork a memorable library wine from the cellar.
Duggan O’Neill explained that everyone at Buttonwood has a hand in making the dinner happen, from decorating tables to providing the raw materials for the meal.
“Our cellar foreman, Guadalupe (Lupe) Flores, and his family have a business growing vegetables here,” she said, “and they contribute a lot of produce. Lupe also raises the animals. Our vineyard manager, Armando Zepeda, keeps a ‘secret garden’ somewhere in the vineyard, and he contributes, too.
“Fred Munch, our orchard manager,” she continued, “provides the peaches, pears, and such. Our gardener, Abel Navarro, grows the flowers for the centerpieces that are designed by Seyburn Zorthian, the winery’s owner and Betty Williams’ daughter.”
In addition to creating a feast to share with guests, the Buttonwood family invites all of its employees to join the fun. Each table is hosted by a staff member who keeps the food and wine coming, while sharing experiences of working at the winery, which is also a busy farm.
In 1968, Betty Williams settled in the Santa Ynez Valley and named her piece of paradise Buttonwood Farm. Intending to live a life that was connected to the land, she started a thoroughbred horse breeding business, and, later, a vineyard and winery. She has always grown and sold fresh organic fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
“Each year we create this dinner to honor Betty’s vision,” Duggan O’Neill declared, “as well as her dedication to producing and sustaining a living from the land. She has made a positive difference in the community, and continues to serve as an inspiration to others.”
The seed for the All Buttonwood Farm Dinner took root several years ago when Chef Olsson was brainstorming a menu for a winemaker dinner to take place at the winery during the spring. A tireless promoter of local ingredients, he wondered if he could create a meal entirely from ingredients produced by Buttonwood Farm. He quickly realized that a summer date would offer more ingredients to choose from, so he set aside the idea.
Meanwhile, Duggan O’Neill was asked to represent Buttonwood Farm Winery at a SLO Food dinner at the Coleman Farm in Carpinteria. Most of the meal’s components were grown on the farm or fished from local waters.
“Tables were set outdoors under a full moon,” Duggan O’Neill remembered, “and the ambience and camaraderie of the guests was unparalleled. I knew immediately that this type of dinner would be perfect for Buttonwood Farm, and would express the ideals that owner Betty Williams sought to promote and achieve here.”
The Buttonwwood Farm Winery Dinner begins before twilight and, though the tables are formally set, dressing up is optional. Due to the alfresco, vineyard-side nature of the venue, Duggan O’Neill recommends that guests wear warm clothes and comfortable shoes, and get set for a memorable evening dedicated to “eating locally.”
K. Reka Badger always recommends eating locally. E-mail her at rekabadger@hotmail.com.
This article appears in Aug 5-12, 2010.
