5 farm-to-table dining experiences to try in the St. Louis area this summer and fall

It's that special time of year when Missouri’s farmers and chefs collaborate for unique farm-to-table dining experiences, creating multi-course dinners with what’s fresh, local, seasonal and in its purest form. What is better than a scenic dinner bursting with flavor with family and friends, steps away from the fields where the meat, poultry, fruits and vegetables on your plate are sourced? Here are some fun farm dinners happening around St. Louis this summer and fall.

Baetje Farms
Located in the hills of southeast Missouri’s Wine Country, Baetje Farms (pronounced Bay-G) is known for its artisan goat cheese. Co-founders and original owners Steve and Veronica Baetje started the farm as an exploratory hobby to make French-inspired artisan goat cheeses, and current owners Cara Naeger, Eric Clements, RJ Clements, and Shanna Starnes have continued the tradition and added a wedding venue. Baetje Farms cheeses have won over 80 national and international awards.

Baetje Farms hosts a variety of events, including brunches, murder mystery shows and dinners, which are held in The Artisan with its airy and bright French country-style all-white event space surrounded by open green fields, frolicking goats and spring-fed creeks. The next farm-to-table dinner on Aug. 18 offers a five-course meal and a pairing of Italian imported wine. Baetje Farms’ chef Dave Alexander crafts many of the dishes with the farm’s signature, delicious goat cheese, giving this farm experience a unique twist. Visit the website for more information and to buy tickets.
8932 Jackson School Road, Bloomsdale, 573.483.9021, baetjefarms.com

Blue Bell Farm
Make a day trip or a cottage getaway to the beautiful 300-acre Blue Bell Farm in Fayette, Missouri, located 30 minutes outside of Columbia. Jamie and Derek Bryant are seventh-generation owners who live in the renovated 1812 white farmhouse on the property. They welcome guests to enjoy the gardens, prairies, grazing chickens, cows and waterways on their land. You will be captivated by the country charm and pastoral landscape of Blue Bell.

For their seasonal dinner events, hors d'oeuvres are butler-passed while dinner is multi-coursed, often served family-style at long, communal tables decorated with floral centerpieces and bright linens. Dinner is served on the patio, in the barn, or out in an open pasture, with a seasonal menu that includes some of Missouri’s best ingredients. Produce and meat are sourced from surrounding farmers and artisans.

Dinner tickets are available online and sell out quickly, so stay connected via their farm newsletter for updates about upcoming dinners, ticket announcements and other Blue Bell Farm events.
3030 MO-240 Fayette, 314.220.7120, bluebellfarm.org

Claverach Farm
The 300-acre Claverach Farm is located in the most northeastern hills of the Ozark Mountains just 25 miles outside of St. Louis in Eureka. Claverach Farm is home to two state award-winning trees, rare wildflower species, 15 acres of fruits and vegetables, and, of course, the grapes used for its natural wine. The wine grapes are grown in a European style at a high, steep density.

Owner, chef, farmer and vigneron Sam Hilmer had the vision to bring food from the farm directly onto people's plates. The six-course seasonal dinner is served in the 120-year-old renovated barn. Produce is grown on the farm while meat (chicken, pork, beef, lamb) and dairy are sourced locally within 60 miles from neighboring farms. Dinner can be paired with one of Claverach’s natural wines, craft beers or seasonal cocktails. Don’t forget to tour the gardens, orchards, and vineyards while you’re there. Stay connected to their website for menu updates and upcoming dates. In addition to farm-to-table dining, Claverach offers wine tastings for parties of 20 or more people Email claverachevents@gmail.com to schedule a wine-tasting event. 
570 S. Lewis Road, Eureka, claverachfarm.com

Defiance Ridge Vineyards
Defiance Ridge Vineyard stems from owner Chuck Gillentine and his team’s love and passion for wine, community and vineyard-to-table cuisine. Located in Missouri Wine’s Country, the 42-acre property sits in a lush landscape with a tranquil lake and a convivial ambiance.

Every second or third Wednesday of the month, Defiance Ridge partners with local farms, vineyards and distilleries for their intimate multi-course farmhouse dinners inside an open-air pavilion that can be closed and air-conditioned as needed. Collaborators include Circle 6 Acres Farm, a family-owned and -operated farm specializing in Angus beef and pork, Wentzville’s Lucky Dog Farm and Tony’s Family Farms, home to a variety of flavorful heirloom tomatoes.Guests have the option of pairing dinner with a wine selected from their Missouri or west coast wine collection. This fall, Chuck Gillentine will bring Chappellet Winery, of Napa Valley, California, known for their cabernet sauvignon, as well as other California vineyards, to Defiance Ridge. Dinner menus are on the website beforehand. There is limited seating and reservations are required.
2711 S. Missouri 94, Defiance, 636.798.2288, defianceridgevineyards.com

Homie Hospitality
Homie Hospitality is a partnership between Such and Such Farm and Farm Spirit that aims to create an elevated farm-to-table experience centered around food, community and sustainability, according to its website. The multi-course dinner series, held at Such and Such Farm (only open to the public for special events) on Sunday evenings from May until November, is set in its rustic barn with family-style seating. Before dinner, guests are welcome to grab a cocktail from STL Barkeep or take a stroll around the 120-acre homestead, where they can visit the herd of 12 Nubian, Alpine and mini Nubian dairy goats, take a picture of a Swabian Hall or Ozark Black Wattle pig, or see the garden where over 120 varieties of heirloom vegetables are grown.

When Farm Spirit's Ryan McDonald, formerly of Good Fortune Restaurant, and team aren’t preparing dinner over an open wood fire, they join forces with chefs from around the St. Louis region and Midwest to create and execute a decadent menu. This season, Homie Hospitality hosts an impeccable lineup of collaborators including chef Samantha Nawrocki of 404 Kitchen Nashville, chef Nate Hereford of Chicken Scratch, chef Aldi Alarcon of Casa Gaucho and Madeline Hissing of Damn Fine Hand Pies. Seats are snapped up quickly. Early reservations are encouraged.
Such and Such Farm, DeSoto, homiehospitality.com
Instagram: @farmspiritstl, @suchandsuchfarm