Farm to table Rockland, Maine

On a recent trip to Rockland, Maine we were lucky enough to be the guests of two local restaurateurs at their gardens as well as their restaurants. It was a unique opportunity to see the farm to table concept in person. Melissa Kelly, the award-winning chef and co-owner of Primo, and Kerry Altieri, the award-winning chef, and owner of Café Miranda, were both willing to offer personal tours of their gardens and farms and introduce us to their dream.

Primo is a Victorian house that is located on 4 acres of land which is used to raise chickens and pigs, grow edible flowers, vegetables and has beehives for honey. As soon as you walk up the hill past the restaurant, you suddenly feel as if you have gone down on the farm. Seedlings are started in the greenhouse and then moved into the fields. Many of the fields for growing and livestock are rotated as often as weekly.

It was amazing to see the little chicks in their cage. Laer in the tour we saw older chickens some for butchering and others for eggs. The chickens only lay for about two years and then they are off to the stock pot. The pigs were adorable and Melissa got right into the pen with them and scratched their backs. They are destined to end up in some really delicious dishes so it is a little difficult to get too attached to them. 

It is eye-opening to get to meet the animals that are going to be slaughtered for food. The circle of life:up-close and personal. With all that is done here, there is a great consideration for the land. Pens are moved at regular intervals to allow the soil to absorb the nutrients and to keep it healthy. It all feels very natural, the way things used to be done and the way it should be done today. You can just tell that the resulting meals that will be produced are going to be amazing. 

After leaving the field we moved inside Primo and saw the meat that was being cured. Pretty much everything they serve is grown or produced right here. It was a once in a lifetime experience tp tour Primo's gardens with the renowned Melissa Kelly, a pioneer in the farm-to-table concept.

Kerry's Headacre Farm for Cafe Miranda is just down the street from Primo. Kerry has a manager, Anne Perkins , who gave us the grand tour. Cafe Miranda's garden was int he early stages when we were there. It is strictly vegetables that are being grown here now for use in the restaurant but there are plans for a lot of expansion. 

When we were at the farm in June, the greens were still quite small but there were many rows of different varieties. What this means to the consumer is that you will be eating the products of the land here and as time goes on, more will be produced on the farm and less will be sourced from the outside. 

Being able to see these two farms and also visit the restaurants was very eye opening and it gives one a great appreciation for the freshness and what goes into the production of the food that we eat without a thought in restaurants.