Farm-to-Fork Benefit Dinner

Join us for a gourmet field dinner on the landmark UCSC Farm to help raise scholarship funding for the CASFS Apprenticeship.

Tickets are available online. To reserve seats by mail, send a check for $125 per ticket made payable to UC Regents to: UCSC Farm, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, attn: Benefit Dinner. Please include contact information.

The event will take place on Sunday, the 11th of September, with a tour of the Farm and a silent auction starting at 3 pm. Dinner will start at 4 pm and features a 5-course meal created with organic ingredients from the UCSC Farm & Garden and other local farms and ranches. The entrée portion of the menu will offer a choice of grass-fed Fogline Farm pork or chicken dishes, and all courses will include full vegetarian options. Fine organic wines will accompany the meal.

Tickets for the event are $125 per person. All proceeds will support scholarships for participants in the CASFS Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture program.

Prior to the dinner, join members of this year’s apprenticeship class for a tour of the gardens, fields, greenhouses and orchards of the 25-acre UCSC Farm starting at 3 pm. Founded in 1971, the Farm serves students, apprentices, researchers and community members interested in learning about and improving sustainable farming and food systems. The UCSC Farm is located on the University of California Santa Cruz campus; click here for directions to parking. Please allow at least 20 minutes to park and walk or catch a free shuttle to the Farm.

For more information, call 831.459-3240 or email casfs@ucsc.edu. Guests are invited to bring their own plate for the main course.

The 44-year old Apprenticeship program is the premiere organic farmer and gardener training program in the country, with over 1,400 graduates now working across the U.S. and internationally as organic growers, educators, community garden organizers, researchers, and policymakers. The Apprenticeship is based at the UCSC Farm and Alan Chadwick Garden at UC Santa Cruz, and is a program of the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems.

This special dinner will be prepared and served by students in the Apprenticeship program under the direction of Chef Matthew Raiford, a member of this year’s Apprenticeship class. Chef Raiford is trained in classic French cuisine and has an affinity for Mediterranean flavors. Most recently, Chef Raiford was the Executive Chef for Haute Catering in Washington D.C., the premiere catering company for the U.S. House of Representatives, Canadian Embassy, Pentagon Conference Center and the National Archives.

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Farm-to-Fork Dinner Menu

First Course: Roasted Red Kabocha Squash with Aged Parmesan

Second Course: Quick Pickled Salad

Entrée: Roasted Pig ~ or ~ Herb Stuffed Smoked Chicken~ or ~Vegetable Strudel with Oaxaca Pepper Sauce, all served with Tongue of Fire Succotash and Garlic Parsnips

Cheese Course: Artisanal Cheeses with Farm Fruit

Dessert: Apple Tarte Tatin with Sweet Corn Ice Cream

Organic & Fair-trade Coffee and Teas

Wine and other beverages included

~Click Here To Reserve Your Seats!~