Sandy Holthaus
We just had our third of the annual Field to Feast Community Dinners. This is such a labor of love! I cannot begin to express the overall feeling of this event. Never did I imagine what it could be when my friend Barb Westman and I discussed it almost four years ago. We were just driving in the car, kicking around the idea of a dinner served on the street of Annandale. One beautiful, long white table laden with food freshly grown by farmers in our community. We Googled Farm to Table dinners and saw that these were popular across the country. What struck me the most was people sitting shoulder to shoulder, smiling and breaking bread together. That first year was a leap of faith. Would people share the vision? A committee of seven dedicated people, local support of Annandale Community Team (ACT), City Hall, three chefs, 15 sponsors, multiple volunteers and 200 guests later, we had our first dinner. Great music, good food and people coming together. This was amazing. That year, in addition to the $1,500 of purchased produce from local farmers market vendors, we were able to donate more than $2,500 to our local Farmers Market to support them and help them grow.
Year two, we raised the number of guests to 320. Expanded the menu. Added a fourth chef who grew local produce and could turn an appetizer into a work of art. The weather rained us out and we squeezed into the local fire hall to host our dinner. Everyone worried it wouldn’t be the same. It was cozy and crowded but in a good way that forced people to get to know each other as they stood in long lines for appetizers, beer and wine. We made mistakes but they were thankfully invisible to most. There was lots of wine for the chefs and a toast to never doing this again, which thankfully turned into menu planning for the next year by the second bottle of wine. The balance of the account the second year was divided between $2,500 to the local farmers market and $1,000 to open the local beach. Two amazing summer additions to the Annandale Area community.
This year was my favorite. With the addition of two young chefs and their vision for a future in the culinary arts, we had new life in the desserts and appetizers. A family style of service was adopted this year with guests cutting loaves of bread, ladling bowls of soup and sharing plates of tomato and beet salad. Once again the weather forced us to the firehall but we were prepared. A better flow was designed. Music and the addition of local farmers sharing their fare gave the sunflower theme a brightness and sunny feel the rain couldn’t dampen. People ask “Is this a fundraiser?” At $20 a plate for appetizers, bread, soup, salad, entrée, sides and two desserts, this is hardly a fundraiser. This is a community event that, so far, has made money because of the dedication of chefs, volunteers and generous sponsors. Every cent is given back to the community we serve. It’s not about the money to anyone involved. Its about bringing people together who share the love of good food, good friends and community spirit. Peace, Sandy
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” Coretta Scott King.
Sharing our jellyroll dessert recipe from this year’s Field to Feast.
Chocolate Zucchini Jelly Roll Cake
Cake:
6 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar (divided)
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cake flour
½ cup cocoa
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Filling:
1 jar Fairhaven Farm Jam,
or 8 ounces of favorite jam
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2 ounces softened cream cheese
½ teaspoon vanilla
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 13 by 18-inch pan with parchment paper. Spray with pam. Whip 6 egg whites with ½ cup sugar to stiff peaks. In a separate bowl whip 6 egg yolks with ½ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla. Fold egg whites into egg yolk mixture. Mix cake flour, cocoa and salt together. Slowly add to egg mixture. Spread evenly onto prepared cake pan. Bake 10 minutes. Sprinkle clean kitchen flour sack towel with powdered sugar. Flip cake onto towel. Remove parchment paper. Sprinkle cake with additional powdered sugar. Gently roll cake up into towel, narrow end to narrow end, let cool. Whip cream, cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Once cooled, gently unroll cake, spread with jar of jam, spread with whipped cream mixture and roll up into log shaped roll. Wrap tightly with saran wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Unwrap, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve. This cake can be frozen up to a week prior to serving.