by Liz Hamill Scott

Community Work Day participants at the monthly event. Photos courtesy of Jered Lawson.

Sept. 1, 2010 — “Slow for Pie” read the hand-lettered signs stuck to sawhorses set out along Highway 1 just north of Año Nuevo. Sounds like a good idea to me! And come December, there’ll be more to brake for than pastry on one wedge of Coastside land.

Pescadero’s Pie Ranch might have been designed specifically to host an Outstanding in the Field dinner. The pie-shaped slice of land produces all the ingredients necessary to make delectable pies. That means wheat and berries, dairy products, and eggs and honey. The view of the Pacific Ocean adds a sweet touch of ambiance.

Adelaide and Dulce.

When Santa Cruz chef Jim Denevan dreamed up Outstanding in the Field, the term “locavore” hadn’t even been coined. Yet his vision of one long table standing in a farmer’s field, groaning with gourmet dishes prepared by top chefs using produce grown right there, couldn’t have been more timely. What started as a funky California concept — getting people to come out to eat on the fields where their food is grown — quickly became an international phenomenon.

Despite a hectic schedule of dinners prepared by some of the world’s leading chefs, Outstanding in the Field hasn’t forgotten its roots on the California coast. In December 2010, the ranch will open its barn doors to host two wintertime OITF dinners. One event will feature returning chef Scott Youkilis of Maverick restaurant in San Francisco. The other dinner will be cooked by Jean-Pierre Moulle of Chez Panisse, the grandmama of elegantly sustainable dining in the Bay Area. Nodding to the chill of the season, the table will be set up indoors, in the ranch’s big barn.

Chicken slaughter at the ranch.

A long hike across a pasture, down a beach, or through a forest is an integral part of the Outstanding experience — repeat guests know to wear broken-in shoes and farming-casual clothes. At both Pie Ranch events, diners clad in thick jeans and waterproof jackets will spend the pre-meal period with an expert forager, hunting edible mushrooms and other wild foods on the uncultivated parts of the property.

Staggering in from the damp fields, guests shake off most of the moisture before sitting down at the communal table. The farmer, the featured winemaker, and the guest chef each get a turn at talking about their contribution to the evening’s spread. Finally, the food appears. As people pass the family-style platters, strangers become friends as they discuss the delectable offerings before them. What could be friendlier than exclaiming — while gesturing with a loaded fork — over the freshness of eggs laid by resident chickens or the perfect flavor of the sautéed kale and chard?

Want to experience an Outstanding in the Field event? Go to the OITF website to check for any events that still have tickets available. Sign up for the e-newsletter and follow OITF on Facebook for information about last-minute tickets to dinners and for next year’s schedule. Tickets cost a hefty $180 and upward.

Pie Ranch from the ridge.

You don’t need to shell out for an OITF dinner to check out Pie Ranch. Its website and blog include dates for community activity days, volunteer projects, and even a yearlong farm apprenticeship program. Or you can just purchase pie and produce from the farm stand on Saturday and Sunday from noon-6 p.m.

Special Event: Sept. 26, 2010

A “Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker” event will be held at Pie Ranch on Sunday, Sept. 26. An afternoon of in-depth workshops, led by skilled chef-educators from the careers mentioned in the Rub-A-Dub-Dub nursery rhyme, will be followed by a late-afternoon fine farm dinner utilizing sustainable and locally produced ingredients.