Menu
We are delighted to welcome Community Table back for the 2023 Spring Series. This beloved event brings a renowned chef to our farm to design an ecological meal around our four seasonal rotations (market garden, milpa, fruit forest, cover crops). By bringing these culinary artists back to the source, we give them an opportunity to connect with new ingredients, find fresh inspiration in our bioregion’s historic foodways, and discover the rewards of relationship with the land.
CHEF RICH MEAD OF FARMHOUSE
“It is so important that we sustain the land we use for our food, as well as make this wonderful food available to as many as possible.”
Driven by his passion for bringing farmers and foodies together in celebration of the land that nourishes us, Chef Rich Mead’s exuberance and integrity have made him a favorite collaborator here at The Ecology Center since he helped us launch Green Feast back in 2009. Following a formative visit to the Santa Monica Farmers Market at the beginning of his career, Chef Rich fell in love with the unparalleled flavor of locally sourced organic produce and dedicated himself to building relationship with local farms and food producers. Today, as owner/chef of Newport Beach’s Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens, Chef Rich’s menus offer a daily exploration of the seasonal flavors found in a six-acre garden landscape.
CHEF DAN MATTERN OF FRIENDS & FAMILY
Chef Mead will be cooking alongside Chef Dan Mattern of Friends & Family, which is a seasonal cafe and marketplace featuring fresh baked goods in East Hollywood, CA run by Pastry Chef/Baker Roxana Jullapat and Chef Daniel Mattern. Longtime champions of produce-driven cooking, Jullapat and Mattern built their careers over fifteen years in renowned kitchens of Los Angeles (including AOC, Lucques, Campanile, and Cooks County) before opening Friends & Family. At Friends & Family, they continue their dedication to handmade food with artisan breads and pastries made daily with locally-sourced, heirloom grains, as well as a produce-forward, day-time menu.
CHEF PADDY GLENNON
Patrick “Paddy” Glennon’s experience is as diverse as his passion for protecting the environment. Paddy’s 40 years of experience in food service industry has a broad scope from working as a deck hand on Cod Trawlers out of Province Town, Massachusetts to handling fresh Fin Fish, Tunas and Swords for shipping and to lead Fishmonger at the well-known Superior Seafood Company. As a cook, Paddy’s early career started as a Dishwasher/Soda Jerk, in Connecticut’s oldest restaurant Shady Glen, Manchester, Connecticut. The culinary journey led him to working under some of the toughest Chefs in Ireland, France, Spain and Italy during a seven-year tenure abroad. Paddy’s time and experience as a decorated Chef de Cuisine for Meridian Hotels, Ritz Carlton’s, Four Seasons, Mirage Hotel, along with Restaurants he owned both on the West and East Coast, were well celebrated in the press. Paddy has also been a featured Chef at the famed James Beard House NYC.
Currently as lead Fishmonger for Superior Seafood Company in Los Angeles. Paddy also owns and operates with his wife Christina, Clausen Oyster Farm, in Coos Bay, Oregon. Clausen Oyster Farm is the Pacific Northwest’s third largest farm and is home to the areas most beloved bay-side restaurant a feature of the farm. Paddy is a long-time consummate volunteer in the culinary programs at the acclaimed The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano. Southern California’s only certified Regenerative Farm which teaches the next generation of regenerative farmers and ecologically inspired public programs.
Patrick “Paddy” Glennon has been featured on countless radio, magazines, newspapers and television with highlights such as; FOOD NETWORK, AMERICA NOW, CUTTHROAT KITCHEN, IRON CHEF AMERICA-TBS NETWORK, FEATURED CHARACTER ON CEASAR’S 24/7 A&E NETWORK, ANDREW ZIMMERN
Paddy was a contributing writer for the acclaimed book on Farm to Table cooking “Community Table”.
DIETARY PREFERENCES
Community Table dinners are fixed course, family-style meals. As such, we cannot accommodate every dietary restriction. Please email us with any dietary needs. We will try to accommodate for vegetarian/vegan needs, gluten intolerance, and seafood/shellfish allergies but let us know if there are any specific dietary restrictions for any of your guests. We will do our best to accommodate anything beyond the 3 listed. If there are any life threatening allergies we recommend emailing before purchasing tickets.
SCHEDULE
Community Table Dinners begin at 6pm, when we’ll start with drinks and a farm tour. We appreciate timeliness as the dinner is coursed intentionally with just one seating. Dinners typically end around 10pm.
REFUNDS
We can offer refunds up to one week before the dinner. In the case that you need to cancel last minute, we would be happy to work with you to pass along your tickets to friends or family members.
