The Swanky Swine Lunch & Farm Tour was developed in partnership with Autumn Olive Farms, Blue Bee Cider, and Real Richmond Food Tours for the Fire, Flour & Fork Festival. The event featured a field trip from Richmond to the award-winning Autumn Olive Farms in Waynesboro, Virginia. Along the journey, guests learned about the historic connection of Virginia’s capital to the Shenandoah Valley via trade routes and the flow of food from Virginia’s own “bread basket.”
Upon arrival to the farm, guests enjoyed a white-tablecloth-and-china outdoor lunch while seated at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park. Prepared by renowned Chefs Ian Boden (The Shack, Staunton, VA) and Joe Sparatta (Heritage and Southbound, Richmond, VA), the menu highlighted ingredients grown on the farm, allowing a full experience of the taste and terroir of Autumn Olive Farms.
Accompanying the meal were ciders from Virginia’s first urban cidery, Blue Bee Cider (Richmond, VA). Blue Bee Cider specializes in semi-dry, semi-sparkling ciders from heirloom Virginia apples. The lunch featured two ciders and one apple brandy made from apples grown in the Shenandoah Valley. As guests dined, they were treated to a guided cider tasting and talk about the history of cidermaking in Virginia.
After lunch, guests were guided by Autumn Olive Farms owners Clay and Linda Trainum on a walk around the farm. There they observed a variety of heritage breed pigs, including Ossabaw Island hogs, Berkshires, and the cross between them developed by the Trainums, Berkabaws. Along the way, guests met an array of other animals ranging from Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dogs, Boer Bok goats, and chickens. Clay and Linda spoke about the history of the farm, why and how they farm the way they do, and how their approach results in products sought after by award-winning chefs.
For this event, I collaborated with the participating organizations on the design, schedule, themes, and execution of the day. This included creating promotions for the event, developing talking points about the historic connections between the Richmond and Shenandoah Valley food communities, leading guests on the bus tour to the farm, giving a guided cider tasting during the meal, ensuring hospitality and guest comfort throughout, and photographing the event for archival and promotional purposes.
