Barn-good Farm-to-Fork Meals
Barn dinners and Sunday brunches take place in Gary Romano’s rustic barn. They feature produce grown on site at Sierra Valley Farms
Sierra Valley Farms hosts dinner and brunch all summer long.
Tucked away in the town of Beckwourth, Calif., Sierra Valley Farms is a haven for visitors and locals alike. The 65-acre, certified organic farm and nursery sits on the Middle Fork of the Feather River. It’s a small, local farm with a focus on providing fresh produce to the community as well as a gathering space.
A Local Legacy
The barn dinner series is one of the longest-running farm-to-fork dining experience in Northern California, now celebrating its 18th year. The three-hour event usually begins with wine tastings and passed appetizers before an educational farm tour led by the farm’s owner/operator, Gary Romano.
Romano says the authenticity of the farm is part of its draw. There is no commercialization on site, the setting is rustic, and it’s a testament to fresh, organic food preparation at a local level. All of the meals are made with goods from the farm and its on-site farmers’ markets (held on Fridays and Saturdays) as well as markets Romano routinely attends in Reno, South Lake Tahoe, and Tahoe City. The fish is sourced from the Northern Coast and Bodega Bay, and all of the meat comes from the Sierra Valley.
The all-inclusive meals are served family style, and the menu isn’t realized until 48 hours before each dinner. That’s because executive chef Mike Trombetta of Farm to Belly Personal Chef Services in Truckee and his two sous-chefs are working with whatever ingredients Romano gives them in the days leading up to the event. And each dinner uses no fewer than 50 ingredients to provide a lot of flavor variety.
After 15 years of collaboration, the process is pretty dialed in, and dinners are indicative of what’s in season. But it does mean Romano is learning the menu while guests are enjoying their soup course.
Barn dinners are scheduled for July 19, Aug. 9, and Sept. 6 this year.
Come Back for Brunch
This summer marks the third anniversary of Sierra Valley Farms’ brunch series. All ingredients for the every-other-Sunday breakfasts are culled from seasonal foods found at the on-site farmers’ markets and include five items total, plus an included glass of sparkling wine upon arrival and a mimosa with the meal. Mimosa flights are available for an extra cost.
Menus are robust, with dishes such as wood-fired breakfast pizza, breakfast burritos, eggs Benedict, French toast brioche, organic salad, and fruit dessert. And the event is two hours long.
As with the barn dinners, local musicians provide live entertainment for the duration of the meal.
Stay the Night
If one meal doesn’t feel like enough time on the farm, Sierra Valley Farms has a solution. Romano unveiled four campsites on the property this year. Guests are welcome to tent camp or vehicle camp (although there are no hookups) and spend time helping out on the farm or enjoying the neighboring Sierra Valley Preserve + Nature Center that opened last December. Booking for all experiences is available through the website.
Sierra Valley Farms
1329 Beckwourth Calpine Road, Beckwourth
530-832-0114 · Sierravalleyfarm.com
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