Farm to Fork Dinner
Because my Tuesday class usually runs until 6:30pm, I was desperately wishing for rain. Why? Because I wanted to eat at the best dinner of the year: the annual outdoor Farm to Fork Dinner, and I’d be able to attend the rain date instead. I had been raving about this dinner to my friends, checking the Common Place website since the beginning of the year to make sure I didn’t miss the RSVP and badgering them all to sign up for this no-caloric-regrets-because-it-is-just-that-good meal.
It didn’t rain but luckily, studio class, where the cello studio gets together once a week to play, critique and compliment one another with our professor, ended early and I rode a bike over to the Peabody Esplanade, where I was pleasantly affronted with chattering students sitting along long white tables covered with dishes galore.
The mood was perfect as a bluegrass band jammed in the back and a string of lights glowed above us. Servers walked around, magically producing new plates of savory fall foods for us to taste. Is it weird to salivate even while you’re eating because the food is so ridiculously delectable?
All of the ingredients were harvested locally and each dish was crafted by local chefs, bakers, and food artisans. They were so creative; what a great combination of “Rosemary Roasted Pork Loin with Spaghetti Squash and Figs”. And may I please get the recipe for the “Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Jack Daniel’s Butter Sauce”? Nashville, thank you for loving food as much as I do.
Also, we very much enjoyed the display, which gave a homey feel to the family-style dinner. This meant making friends with the people sitting on either side of you so they would pass over the next delicious course. There were still a few empty seats, which is silly because this was and is the best meal Campus Dining presents, so my friends took the extra apples, leeks, peppers and pumpkins on display in the middle of the tables so they wouldn’t go to waste. Guess I’m making apple pie soon.
In all seriousness, last year after my freshman Farm to Fork Dinner, I was so overwhelmingly enchanted with the dinner that I opened my Google Calendar, skipped ahead one year, and approximated the date for the next one. This year did not disappoint, especially since I got to share this meal with fellow Inside ‘Dores bloggers Ashlin and Victoria, who provided all the lovely photographs! September 2013 is so far away, but the next annual Farm to Fork Dinner will be well worth the wait!
