The Evolution of a Dish

How does a dish begin? Before it’s plated and presented at the table, before the ingredients are washed, chopped and cooked, the dish begins as an idea. Chefs may draw inspiration from a single ingredient, the season, a meal they loved or even a feeling they want to recreate. At Blackberry Farm, the authentic connection to the land and the ingredients it provides create a foundation of flavor that inspires a lot of what our team creates.

“Our dishes are driven by availability of the seasonal produce and not necessarily by a calendar date,” explains Executive Chef Josh Feathers. Josh helms the kitchen at the Main House, providing breakfast and lunch to guests at the Farm. “I try to give intentional thought to whatever is going to be the main ingredient and whether we want to bring something back from this time last year or evolve that dish with a different flavor, spice or presentation. If a seasonal dish was particularly popular, feedback from our guests may tell us that we don’t need to change it. So, we have the freedom to create new ideas as well as bring back favorites when the ingredients come back into season.”

Over at The Barn at Blackberry Farm®, Executive Chef Cassidee Dabney and her team do a lot of work with ingredients throughout the season, adapting dishes and flavors as the ingredients themselves evolve. “As ingredients change, so do the ways in which we manipulate them,” says Cassidee. “Corn starts off sweet and juicy, amazing served raw to highlight its freshness. As the Summer passes, roasting or grilling the corn is best. Its sweet juiciness transitions into a richer product, bolder in flavor and texture. In late Summer, we have to keep an eye on each corn delivery. The ears can become flavorless and starchy. At this point we say goodbye to fresh corn for the year and transition into something else.”

While seasonality drives a lot of the menu at Blackberry Farm, dishes are also fueled by creativity. Through the development process, the team stays flexible. “Dishes absolutely evolve, even from what we think they might be,” says Cassidee. “Some ideas don’t really land when made in actuality. Some dishes resemble the initial concept and others are truly unrecognizable by the end.”

The freedom and willingness to explore is what culminates in the best dishes – no matter how close or far they are from the chef’s original thought. The ultimate goal is a delicious bite, no matter how you get there.

For Cassidee’s latest partnership with Krug and their annual single ingredient campaign, she was guided to the first ingredient to use as inspiration to conceptualize a dish: flowers. This campaign highlights how different creative food minds can take the same idea in all different directions. For Cassidee, it resulted in Carolina Gold Rice with Clams, Lavender, Fennel and Yoghurt.

Click here to get the recipe and connect with this dish in your own space!