Visiting a restaurant for a great meal can be an experience all on its own, but when thinking out of the box and creating a real culinary adventure, you need to think about Farm. Field. Sea.
Whenever I travel, I’m not only looking for the best meals, I’m also scouting out food tours, farm experiences, or any other type of hands-on activity that closely involves food, farmers, harvesters, chefs, and artists. We travel to learn about who grows our food, who prepares our food, even who creates the dishes our food is served on.
This is where Nevette Previd comes in; she’s been part of the Island community for more than 10 years, coming from a background of grassroots marketing. “Farm. Field. Sea. wants to allow people to step out of their everyday and experience coming together around food,” she told me when we met for coffee recently. Growing up in Harvard to a gardening mother who tended to not only the typical green beans and strawberries but also to an apple orchard, Nevette is well-versed in showing respect to food and where it comes from.
Farm. Field. Sea. is described on its website as “intimate events paired with expert farmers and naturalist guides, set on the island campus of authentic produce, dairy, and shellfish farms, fishing villages and historic/cultural sites.” Going to a Farm. Field. Sea. event promises to connect you to the great outdoors, real local food, and the people behind its story. These events are focused on bringing you a closer understanding of what the food ecosystem on Martha’s Vineyard is like, giving you a firsthand account of it.
These events are not just for visitors; Nevette’s focus is to give brands and businesses that want to bring their employees on-Island to experience the Farm. Field. Sea. events a team-building exercise. For those of you thinking you’ll have to get your hands dirty, you won’t. Each activity has a little bit of everything, and lets you be as involved (or uninvolved) as you’d like. Below is a listing of upcoming experiences:
- Farmer and Chef for a Day with North Tabor Farm and Chef Gavin Smith of Food Minded Fellow
- Farmer and Chef for a Day with Morning Glory Farm
- Let’s Shellibrate with Cottage City Oysters Farm Tour
- Painting Class with Island Artists Traeger di Pietro and Kenneth Vincent at the Grey Barn and Farm
- Bloomin’ Fantastic Flower Workshop at Morning Glory Farm
- Wampanoag Culture Tour with Juli Vanderhoop
- Shiitake Mushroom Farm Tour with Martha’s Vineyard Mycological
These adventures will take place throughout the summer. For exact dates and times, visit farmfieldsea.com to book a specific event. On Sunday, August 6, at the Martha’s Vineyard Shipyard, Farm. Field. Sea. and Boston’s NPR station WBUR will be hosting a fundraiser for an environmental recording. A pop-up cocktail party and dinner will follow. Check the site soon for more details.
