Lost and Found Pop-Up Restaurant: 3 Local Chefs Look to Reclaim “Farm to Table”
Kyle Fiasconaro and Dan Shannon and Doug Weiler, the three local chefs behind Lost and Found are on a mission — a mission to make “farm to table” mean something again.
“Many restaurants claim to be ‘farm to table,’ but what we have found from our collective experience in the industry, is that the majority of the time this is either a lie, or a tremendous exaggeration,” says Weiler. “The term has become somewhat of a buzz word, which seems to instantly attract people to a restaurant.”
The "working" menu for Lost and Found's July 17 dinner
He points to the practice of only sourcing salad greens from a local farm, but dubbing the entire restaurant “farm to table” as an example of the term being misused.
“To us means sourcing the majority to all of your product from local farmers and artisans alike. We also feel that there should be a relationship between the chef and the person providing the food. For example, Kyle is foraging product for the pop-up, our good friend Dan Machin from Lone Acre farms, is providing many vegetables and all other products are being sourced from our friends locally,” says Weiler.
The first Lost and Found Pop-Up Restaurant dinner will take place Tuesday, July 17 at Toast Coffeehouse in Port Jefferson, with two seatings — 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The meal includes four courses for $45 with wine and beer pairing — beers by Port Jeff Brewing and wine by Anthony Nappa Wines — for an additional $15.
Many restaurants claim to be ‘farm to table,’ but what we have found from our collective experience in the industry, is that the majority of the time this is either a lie, or a tremendous exaggeration.”
To reserve your seats, send an email to lostandfoundrestaurant@gma
With these dinners, the chefs want to feed people in the farm-to-table manner to the full extent. In fact, they would like to be the “anti-restaurant” in some ways. According to Weiler, the focus will always be on the food and the experience of sharing it with friends, in an atmosphere that is not tied to the pretentiousness of fine dining.
“The idea of living off the land is something that exemplifies true ‘American’ cuisine,” he says. ”When people ask us what type of food we like to cook it is always difficult to explain that we prefer American. No we don’t like to cook burgers and fries. Using local products that have been farmed or foraged in season, is what real American food is all about.”
If you’re into eating and drinking “local” — I don’t think you’re going to find a more local experience than these pop-up dinners, which the chefs hope will happen at least every few weeks.
Kudos to the chefs for making farm to table what it’s supposed to be. It’s way too often that the “farm-to-table” and “sustainable” monikers are used without pouring a single drop of local wine.