Tuesday May 7, 2019
Vixen Vittles at Duncan Farm – delish!
On a gorgeous spring afternoon, the Vixens toured Duncan Farm… a sweet ranch property near the hamlet of Wheatland, CA. Goats and other farm animals greeted us upon arrival and venue owners, Neil and Shalee Duncan, welcomed us to Duncan Farm with a hand-painted entrance sign (how cool was that?) The ranch was set up so we could see an option for the ceremony and reception (there are a couple of cool options for event spaces.)
We wanted to create a farm-to-form style dinner to relax and enjoy the ambience of Duncan Farm so we asked Vixen Vendor, Sogood Catering, to participate and with no hesitation a menu was created that was soooo yummy! Additionally, Vixen Vendor Standard Party Rentals jumped in with the necessary tablecloth and napkins, china, flatware and glassware. It was fun to select from their vast inventory for just the right “look” to complement a great meal on the farm. We were excited to be one of the first to use their brand new antique folding chairs (exclusive to Standard Party Rentals) – perfect for the inside of this barn.
After we toured all the ins and outs of Duncan Farm (Feature Review is forthcoming), Bryan with Beth Sogaard Catering had appetizers and wine ready for us back at the barn. The purpose for our dinner was not for one of those magazine photo shoots…we were just hungry, but the end results were pretty magazine worthy! Notice the inscription in the photo below on the upper beam: “Blood, Sweat, and Beers!”
The menu Sogaard created was as follows – For appetizers: Cowboy Caviar (corn, black beans, jalapeños on a house made tortilla chip) ~ Pork Belly Skewers (with a brown sugar drizzle) ~ Cucumber Rounds with Hummus (Chef Beth’s hummus topped with a sliver of peppadew pepper)~
Family Style Dinner: Rustic Hearth Breads ~ Vintner’s Garden Salad (baby greens, berries, red grapes, with gorgonzola and blackberry vinaigrette) ~ Fresh Asparagus Platter (drizzled with lemon olive oil) ~ Roasted New Potatoes (tossed with lemon thyme and olive oil) ~ Chicken Breast Roulade (stuffed with sweet peppers, feta, spinach and leeks, served with arugula pesto)
And even dessert was presented!! Chocolate Martini (soooo gorgeous) and Shalee Duncan contributed pretty cookies displayed on platters
Vixen Lora whipped up the simple field-gathered flowers (from Trader Joe’s) and even tied rope to accent the dinner table to be reminiscent of the western vibe. Fun Fact: Shalee has collected items for their clients to borrow such as the log cut rounds for centerpiece risers, mason jars, and also several cake/dessert stands for use.
Leaving the farm and driving under the awesome farm name-sake sign, we rode away into the sunset, satisfied and very full from a great meal, wonderful company and learning about another cool Vixen Venue.
Many thanks to our friend and Vixen Vendor, photographer Beth Baugher of True Love Photo for the wonderful venue and food shots!