"We're lucky to have this girl," says the new head chef at trendy Allium Restaurant in Great Barrington. Michael Pancheri is referring to a woman who heads up a farm just down the road in Egremont. After doing documentaries about farm life, Laura Meister was so taken by the lifestyle that she responded to the call of the wild, planted herself in South Egremont and started up the Farm Girl Farm.
Pancheri is a West Hartford native who just came on board at Allium after a stint at Foxwoods, a couple of Boston places, Nantucket's Straight Wharf and WD-50 (of the famous "Aerated Foie," which is foie gras as foam) in New York. He is inspired by the Berkshires, where the hills are country life writ large.
"I get these eggs from Sean Stanton at Blue Hill Farm," he says. "They are fresher, richer, and the yolks are actually plumper and more vibrant." On the restaurant's seasonal menu, the eggs are represented in the "Asparagus plus Blue Hill Farm Egg Gribiche Red Radish plus Field Herbs." Egg Gribiche is a French sauce made with egg yolks. It is an appropriate spring dish when the local food pickings are slim, albeit fresh as new paint.
Farm Girl Farm is famous for its "gumball tomatoes," a melange of color. "They're heirloom cherry tomatoes with old varieties—different colors and slightly different sizes, some like pears, some round. They're delicious and look amazing all together," says Meister. "For the most part, chefs have a sensitivity to the appearance of super-fresh stuff, especially if it's a baby variety, young, tender, delicate and perfect on its own. This gives the food a light touch."
At the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, the food wasn't so light, according to Pancheri, but on Nantucket, the young chef found lots of tender and delicate local food. "It was considered 'appropriate' food in Nantucket," he said. For people sitting by the water, "appropriate" means fish, veggies, just something to eat outdoors that comes from nearby. "The veggies were delivered every day from Bartlett's Farm, there on the island, he said. "Nobody was making a big thing of farm food there. Same with Boston."
Last month in the Berkshires they were making a very big thing about local food. The week-long extravaganza "Farmed and Foraged: A Weekend of Spring Flavors" featured menus that dropped names of farms and plants like so many out-of-town movie stars. Equinox Farm greens appeared in lots of dishes, as did Crickett Creek artisan cheeses and shitake from Blueshrooms. Allium's sister restaurants, Cafe Latino at MASSMoCA and Mezze in Williamstown, participated as well as the Red Lion Inn of Stockbridge. "Farmed and Foraged" is the brainchild of Berkshire Grown, a non-profit that dreamed up the fundraiser.
"It's been nice to build this up," Meister says of Farm Girl, which is now selling to 15 restaurants and 80 CSA shareholders. "I see a lot more people year to year, and it's great to work with chefs to see growth and check what they want next season. I'm a grower who likes to grow lots of different varieties of a thing. If something exists in more than one shape or color, I want to have it."
Pancheri can't get enough. "Now we're getting gorgeous baby bok choy, radish, arugula. Braising greens, salad greens, turnips are coming up, and baby lettuces.This time of year we're seeing baby braising greens. Baby bitter greens and larger bunched greens are on the way, such as kale and Swiss chard… The nice thing about farmers is that there is competitive collaboration. We work together and respect each other's turf."
Laura is just as happy to be on the farm team. "It's nice. It's more than nice—it's inspiring. I'll go to a restaurant and see something on the menu and I'll say, 'Oh, I didn't know he uses that… I'll grow more!'"
In Season: Rhubarb
This rhubarb dish combines tart with hot, sweet and gingery to produce a new approach to an old standby
Locavore Rhubarb Chutney
2 fistfuls fresh rhubarb
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tsp. ground ginger or 1 Tbsp. shredded fresh ginger
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
Dice all the rhubarb, eliminating ends.
Place half the rhubarb, half the blueberries, maple syrup and honey in a sauce pan.
Add enough water to cover.
Cook for around 15 minutes over medium heat.
Melt the rest of the butter in a cast iron skillet.
Add chopped rhubarb and allow to cook in one layer, like home fries, to maintain rhubarb texture.
When browned, flip the rhubarb to brown the other side.
Mix browned rhubarb and remaining blueberries with stewed fruits.
Season with ginger and serve with fresh bread or over ice cream.
Store remainder in refrigerator.
