Slagel Family Farm Dinners

had heard about this farm dinner series in the past and finally made it to one - bottom-line: can't wait to attend another!

Slagel Family Farm, with a guest chef(s), puts on one dinner a month from May through October. this year's line-up posted below.

what to expect:
* transportation is included from Chicago - this was a perfectly comfortable limo-bus; an easy 2 hour ride (fwiw: lots of people drove on their own to the farm)
* byob - they provide water and lemonade
* a snack upon arrival at the farm - mostly light bites, salads, charcuterie
* a butchering demo (LouisJohn Slagel did the one on May 18th & butchered a 77# lamb)
* a farm tour
* a delicious meal served family-style
* tons of personal attention and touches - the family was on-hand throughout the entire event to answer questions, share stories and make us feel welcome. we were fortunate to sit with a few of the Slagel siblings at the meal and really enjoyed their company - everyone we met was incredibly warm and hospitable.
* meat and eggs available for purchase - they'll package for you to take home

even with the complete description of the experience provided by the farm, we weren't sure how much of it we would enjoy: we were certain of spectacular meat & a great meal, but the rest could have gone either way (gimmicky, trite, etc.). happy to report we came away feeling we received a tremendous value; it was a full day of fun, food, learning and good company and we can't wait to return! it was a pleasure from start to finish and we had a blast.

regarding the meal: chefs Pederson (Found Kitchen) & Asbaty (Panozzo's) hit it out of the park! each course was interesting, seasonal, delicious and exceeded expectations (which were set pretty high to begin with - so, great job!).

http://www.slagelfamilyfarm.com/dinners.html

2013 Schedule
May 18th, 2013
Farm Tour & Dinner Event with Found Kitchen and Panozzo's Italian Market
Featuring Chefs Nicole Pederson & John Asbaty

June 8th, 2013
Farm Tour & Dinner Event with The Publican
Featuring Chef Brian Huston

July 20th, 2013
Farm Tour & Dinner Event with Vie/Perennial Virant
Featuring Chef Paul Virant

August 10th, 2013
Farm Tour & Dinner Event with Lula Cafe
Featuring Chef Jason Hammel

September 14th, 2013
Farm Tour & Dinner Event with Three Aces, The Bedford & Carriage House
Featuring Chefs Matt Troost, Michael Galen & Mark Steuer

October 19th, 2013
Farm Tour & Dinner Event with Osteria Via Stato & Sable Kitchen & Bar
Featuring Chefs David Digregorio & Heather Terhune

$125pp; kids under 15 free


Slagel Family Farm
23601 E 600 North Road
Fairbury, IL 61739
United States
http://www.slagelfamilyfarm.com/

mmm wrote:* meat and eggs available for purchase - they'll package for you to take home

So we don't need to bring a cooler, pack, or the like?
Also, what did you bring or otherwise recommend to drink?

We purchased two tickets for August 10, including the bus ride. Hope to meet some LTHers there. Thank you.

some people brought coolers on the bus for drinks & to keep product cold on the ride home. Slagel folks boxed all purchases & kept them cold until departure, but I don't know if that included a cold pack.

we brought a light snack & drinks for the bus ride down (bus made a 2nd stop/pick-up so our trip was a bit longer) and two bottles of wine which we shared with others (sharing not required & I believe you can put bottles to chill in their walk-in). as the menu is different at each dinner, I would try to find out the details of the meal to help guide your selection. I refilled my water bottle at the farm for the ride home.

it's very laid-back and you don't have to carry what you bring around with you all afternoon. so, best recommendation is to pack what you enjoy and share or bring back what you don't finish. also, you do walk around a farm, so remember appropriate shoes (nothing crazy, just noticed a few people kinda uncomfortable in heels/flipflops). hope that helps.

not sure if we can make the August dinner yet, but will let you know if we end up going. have fun!

Thank you so much for the helpful tips. We are looking forward to the outing.

Just got back from the Sept. 14 dinner, featuring Chefs Matt Troost, Michael Galen & Mark Steuer.
We had a great time. The food was outstanding. The farm was fun. LouisJohn is an outstanding producer.
I highly recommend the farm dinner and tour. In the future, We will look for their products and the chef's that use their products.

Come one, come all: meet Gypsy Boy and the Lovely Dining Companion!

Well, sorta.

The LDC was intrigued by these dinners (truth to tell, they'd fallen off my radar) and so we signed up for the upcoming dinner featuring Paul Virant (of Vie and Perennial Virant). I figured that if it fell off my radar, there might be others out there with an interest and we're always up for meeting new folks from LTH. So, I've cut-and-pasted, sort of, from the e-mail received by LDC after she paid for the tix. It figured to be quite a day starting with the butchering demo followed by the farm tour, followed by the farm dinner. Hell, even if you have no earthly interest in meeting Gypsy Boy or the LDC and would rather die than meet us, you might still be interested in this terrific package. Dinner alone is well worth the price of these tix ($125 for adults, kids way cheaper) but you get what truly promises to be a spectacular day.

Farm Tour & Dinner Event with Paul Virant!
When: May 3rd, 2014
2:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Where: Slagel Family Farm
23601 E 600 N Rd
Fairbury, IL 61739
What: Butchering Demo, Farm Tour and Dinner on the Farm!
Bus Transportation included with ticket price!

Dinner Menu
First Course
Sausage face trio:
Smoked duck merguez/ feta/ arugula
Goat currywurst/ yogurt/ smoked tomato
Pork beer jam sausage/ grilled spring onions

Second Course
Asparagus party:
Various preparations of asparagus/ hard boiled duck egg/ caramelized duck yolk dressing/ greens

Third Course
Beef shank shepherd’s pie
Peas
Dinner rolls

Fourth Course
Rhubarb crisp with clotted cream
Butchering Demo
We will demonstrate how to butcher either a beef, pork or lamb carcass into retail cuts.

Farm Tour
Guests will see a variety of practices the Slagel's use to produce their farm fresh meat products.

Farm Dinner
A four course family style dinner will be served in a barn next to the livestock pastures.

For more information visit our website http://www.slagelfamilyfarm.com

Dinner report here.