Our story

In 2007, Jonathan Rapp of River Tavern Restaurant in Chester, Connecticut, Drew McLachlan of Feast Gourmet Market in Deep River and Chip Dahlke of Ashlawn Farm in Lyme, created Dinners at the Farm, a series of benefit dinners celebrating Connecticut's local farms, food and community as a way to generate awareness of the importance and vitality of our local farming community and the delicious, wholesome and abundant food it provides us. Recreating a sense of connection to farming, cooking and eating is what Dinners at the Farm is all about.

Each of the dinners highlights the richness of our local traditions of farming and fishing and the often forgotten value of eating fresh, vibrant food that was just harvested by a dedicated farmer you know and trust.

Dinners at the Farm also strengthens our community by helping to raise funds for local agricultural and humanitarian non-profit organizations. Over the past two seasons, Dinners at the Farm has fed nearly 3,000 people at sold-out dinners, donated more than $28,000 and directly purchased more than $60,000 worth of food and wine from Connecticut producers. In addition, our project has generated extensive local and national media coverage. Plus, Jonathan and Drew co-creators of Dinners at the Farm were awarded the 2008 PathFinder Award for their support of local agriculture. All combined, Dinners at the Farm has made a significant contribution to celebrating and promoting Connecticut Grown products.

Some of our current and past beneficiaries are: Connecticut Farmland Trust, Slow Food Connecticut, CitySeed, Shoreline Soup Kitchen and Pantries, Working Lands Alliance and the Stanton Davis Homestead among others.

Working together we have created an event that helps support our farms, farmers and community. We hope you will join us.

Our Chefs

Jonathan Rapp

Jonathan is the creator and co-founder of Dinners at the Farm and chef/owner of River Tavern Restaurant in Chester, Conn. He opened the River Tavern in 2001 to rave reviews for both the simple, careful and always changing menu and for the uniquely stylish interior designed by Jonathan and his father. Since then, River Tavern has become a hub of neighborhood activity and continues to enjoy an ever-widening appeal.

Creating Dinners at the Farm was Jonathan’s way of viscerally connecting his restaurant guests with his philosophy of sourcing local ingredients for his popular menus. He thought, “Why not just cook right on the farm.” And in 2007 that’s exactly what he did.

In addition to his work at the restaurant and on Dinners at the Farm, Jonathan has been helping to spearhead several community initiatives that support his belief of eating fresh and local food. Early on Jonathan partnered with the Connecticut Department of Agriculture to help shape their Farm-to-Chef program and along with  Drew partnered with the area school district’s Wellness Committee to prepare a series of freshly cooked lunches at the local elementary schools. The initiative introduced children to the delicious and wholesome possibilities of freshly cooked local food. He is currently working with other local food activists maintaing the Chester Sunday Market he helped create in 2009 in Chester, Conn., and developing plans for a community farm.

Jonathan lives in next door Deep River, with his wife Jeanie and two children, Tommy and Teddy. For more information about the restaurant visit RiverTavernRestaurant.com.

Thomas Peterlik

Chef Thomas Peterlik is the Culinary Director of Yale University Dining.

A native of Austria, he graduated with honors from Austria’s prestigious Berufschule Salzburg with a degree in culinary arts. He also earned a Food & Beverage diploma from Cornell University. He’s traveled the globe as Executive chef for two cruise lines, the Silver Seas and Silverwind which fostered his love for "Food Vacations." In his current position at Yale he uses local products and seasonal menus with zeal all the while searching for new products and combinations of products. His passion is to share his experience and knowledge. With his career at Yale and his involvement with Dinners at the Farm he has embraced the local food philosophy and is active in the teaching and promotion of sustainability.

Besides his passion for food and cooking, and given his Austrian heritage, Thomas enjoys skiing and hiking. He lives in Deep River, with his wife Amy Forbes and two children.

®

Drew McLachlan

Drew is a co-founder of Dinners at the Farm and a tireless advocate of healthy cooking and eating. Drew’s professional experience took shape in the food forward city of Portland, Oregon where he worked as a chef for the highly acclaimed Pastaworks owned by Peter deGarmo, one of the founders of Slow Food USA. Drew currently resides in Chester CT and can be seen every other Saturday morning conducting cooking demos on WFSB-Channel 3.

Chip Dahlke

Chip Dahlke is the owner and farmer of Ashlawn Farm in Lyme, Conn. and is a founding member of Dinners at the Farm. Chip helped save his family farm in 1996 by selling the development rights to the state of Connecticut. His 100 acre farm is the headquarters for his wife’s Carol’s successful coffee roasting business, Ashlawn Farm Coffee. The farm is also home to the popular Lyme Farmers Market and was the scene of the first Dinners at the Farm in 2007. In fact, Chip built the 30 or so farm dinner benches. He’s also partnered with his good friend Nunzio Corsino of Four Mile River Farm to pasture his heard of cattle at Ashlawn. Chip and Carol are examples of people who have used ingenuity and creative thinking in keeping their farmland viable and in the family. Visit Ashlawn Farm for more information.

Our Founding Members