Our nature preserves are open to the public 365 days per year from sunrise to sunset, providing natural places that offer peace and respite for all. Willistown Conservation Trust owns and manages Hartman Meadow, Ashbridge, Kirkwood, Kestrel Hill and Rushton Woods Preserves. We maintain these lands to preserve and enhance … Learn more about our nature preserves.
Field to Feast Dinner: 50 Mile Menu Experience (Sold Out!)
This event is sold out. Please check back for more culinary experiences this Spring and Summer!
We are celebrating the early spring harvest with a special menu prepared by Chef John Alff of Vesta Kitchen. John’s strong commitment to sourcing ingredients from Chester County, this four course menu is a truly local sampling from small, family-run farms and kitchens in and around Chester County, PA.
Guests will be welcomed to the Rushton Conservation Center and join the Trust’s staff for a brief walk-and-talk about regenerative farming on conserved land and what’s coming up at Rushton Farm for the spring harvest. John will then guide the group through the menu, the preparation of each course, the farms they were sourced from, and offer an invitation to visit the open kitchen for first hand culinary tips and tricks!
This is a BYOB event. Please wear comfortable shoes and attire for walking the farm fields. Limited tickets are available for this special event. If you are feeling unwell, please stay home and stay safe.
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MENU
Caputo Brothers Creamery Whipped Ricotta, Asparagus, Ramp Pesto, Grilled Bread
FIRST COURSE
Spring Pea Arancini, Mint, Lemon, Bomba Aioli
SECOND COURSE
Smoked Trout Salad Green-walk Hatchery Trout, Spring Greens, Radish, Pickled Onion, Mustard Vinaigrette
THIRD COURSE
Duck Rigatoni Neighbours Farmstead Braised Duck, Mushrooms, Asparagus, Grated Runnymede
DESSERT
Heart Stone Pastry Raspberry Gallette with Weckerley’s Ice Cream
If you have dietary restrictions or questions about the menu, please contact events@wctrust.org by Monday May 9, 2022. Menu adjustments cannot be accommodated after this date.
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FEATURED FARMS and PRODUCERS
Green Lion Breads (Phoenixville, PA)
Goose Lane Egg Farm (Sinking Springs, PA)
Keepwell Vinegar (Dover, PA)
Green Meadow Farm (Gap, PA)
Hill Creek Farm (Pottstown, PA)
Heartstone Pastry (Phoenixville, PA)
Green-Walk Trout Hatchery (Bangor, PA)
Neighbours Farmstead (Phoenixville, PA)
The Farm at Doe Run (Unionville, PA)
Woodland Jewel Mushrooms (Spring City, PA)
Caputo Brothers Creamery (Spring Grove, PA)
Knee High Farm (Pottstown, PA)
Blue Moon Acres (Buckingham, PA)
Sankanac CSA (Phoenixville, PA)
Vera Pasta (West Chester, PA)
First Field (Windsor, NJ)
Weckerly’s Ice Cream (Philadelphia, PA)
ABOUT OUR CHEF
John grew up in Bucks county, PA and discovered his love of food at a young age throwing pizzas and making cheesesteaks at a local pizza shop. In 2012, John joined Percy Street BBQ in Philadelphia, PA, which was part of the Cook/Solo restaurant group at the time. Despite Percy Street’s seemingly casual food, Executive Chef Erin O’Shea’s approach and attention to detail gave John a new perspective on cooking. In an effort to expand his experience, John went to work for Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran at Barbuzzo Restaurant in Philadelphia. There John worked extensively with handmade pastas and pizzas, and assisted in the opening of two new restaurants in their group. For a time John also worked at Root Restaurant in the Fishtown area of Philadelphia. John then took some time off to raise his three children and continued experimenting at home with pasta, pickles, and charcuterie. In 2018, John went to work at St. Peter’s Bakery in St. Peter’s Village, PA to learn the intricacies of bread baking.
In 2018, John decided the time was right to open his own business, creating Vesta BBQ & Catering with little more than a tent, a couple of folding tables and the smoker attached to the back of his car. During the pandemic, Vesta had to evolve with John’s need to focus on his family and the decline of in-person events. Out of that uncertainty Vesta Kitchen has emerged, providing small batch sauces and other pantry items to local stores and restaurants and continuing to cater local events as the effects of the pandemic fade.
In 2018, John decided the time was right to open his own business, creating Vesta BBQ & Catering with little more than a tent, a couple of folding tables and the smoker attached to the back of his car. During the pandemic, Vesta had to evolve with John’s need to focus on his family and the decline of in-person events. Out of that uncertainty Vesta Kitchen has emerged, providing small batch sauces and other pantry items to local stores and restaurants and continuing to cater local events as the effects of the pandemic fade.
