A few weeks ago, Steve and I enjoyed our 1st (of many) experiences at Claverach Farm, located just west of St. Louis. As I stay fairly in tune with local "foodie" resources, Feast and Sauce Magazines, I have known about Claverach's notoriously amazing farm-to-table barn dinners for some time. It just so happens that Steve and I chose to reserve our first farm experience on one of the most lovely Midwest evenings we have experienced this Spring thus far.
As far as Claverach goes, locals either RAVE about it or don't even know that it exists. Dinner in a "100 year old refurbished barn on 300 acres in the rugged Ozark Hills" initially spoke to me, though the experience is so much more than that. It's funny, as typically when I partake in something phenomenal in our city (and take a gaggle of photos with the intention to blog it)... I cannot wait to get it on screen and press "publish". These photos, however, have been sitting in my draft folder for 2 weeks.
Blogging about a Claverach dinner almost feels like kissing and telling.
The fact is, Claverach touched me in a way that few local places have. It is such an incredibly intimate experience that you truly feel lucky to have even been able to partake. It is a place where animals roam free. A place where you can taste the earth, love, and artistry in the food. A place where you can sense and share the passion of the talented people that make it all happen. For a few short lovely hours, Mama Nature and the Claverach staff wrap their arms around you and hold you tight, heightening each and every one of your senses with the food, aura, and space of the farm itself.
There is a beautiful marriage between sophistication and simplicity on that farm, and a partnership between humans and nature that touched both of us in a profound way. For a few short hours every weekend, they truly bring out the best in one another- humans and nature- at Claverach Farm. The meal is a perfect symphony of sights, smells, sounds, and flavors- the direct result of the perfect harmony that the staff has made with the grounds of the farm itself. Simply, magic is happening on that farm. Magic.
There are numerous reviews online (like THIS) that give a terrific overview of what you can expect. I, myself, have chosen with my personal overview of the experience to just allow my photos to do the talking...
