The Campus Farm was the setting for a bonafide farm-to-table dinner on the first night of FSD’s Culinary Council Summit held at the University of Michigan. Michigan Dining chefs Frank Turchan and Russ Palmer oversaw the menu, which featured two pigs and a turkey roasted in a China box fueled with live coals.
See a live video of the preparation and cooking below:
The chefs and cooks gathered greens, herbs and vegetables from the surrounding fields and hoop houses, incorporating them into salads and sides for the dinner. The crops are planted and tended primarily by student interns and volunteers from the group, Friends of the Campus Farm, with the support of a few staff members.
Before dinner, Summit attendees got a preview of the almost-completed straw house constructed by students on the property. The sustainable structure features 18-inch-thick straw bales covered in adobe and topped with a solar panel roof.
The food was served family style at long wooden tables. Here’s the full menu the chefs created at their kitchen in the fields:
"Big House" Salad
(Crisp salad greens with dried Michigan cherries, toasted spicy honey walnuts, chevre and roasted seasonal vegetables with blueberry maple vinaigrette)
Roasted Potato Duo (Yukon Gold and sweet potato)
Vegan Hoppin’ John
Smoked Michigan Mushrooms, Broccoli, and Swiss Chard
Roasted Turkey
Low and Slow Roasted Mulefoot Hog
Michigan Apple Tarte Tatin with Bourbon Creme Anglaise
Photographs by Pat Cobe