It started five years ago with a simple idea. A meal that celebrated the amazing food grown in our own backyard. It has evolved into a summer celebration. A gathering that reinforces the connection between the farm and the food on your plate. Farm & Plate, well that's not very catchy. How about Plate & Pitchfork?

Behind this simple idea is a powerful message. A couple actually. We're committed to increasing your awareness of the multiple benefits of eating local foods – social, environmental, health, economic, gastronomic. As preachy as that might sound, we're not here to give you a lecture. We just want you to know your options when you're purchasing food. We want you to remember what it feels like to have the juice from a freshly picked peach trickle down your chin. We want you to discover that eggplant doesn't have to be icky, in fact we've got a recipe that just might make you crave it. And oh, by the way, carrots don't grow on trees.

Plate & Pitchfork is an adventurous evening that celebrates and supports local farms. In fact every Plate & Pitchfork dinner begins with a farm tour. You see in most places, farms are disappearing and we're concerned that they'll be as hard to find as the blunt-nosed leopard lizard. So we want to make sure that you have a chance to meet your farmer and get to know a little bit about them and how they run their business. Our host farms range from 10 to 110 acres and their business models and produce are varied, but they all have one thing in common and that's a commitment to using sustainable farming and business practices.

Speaking of support...each year a portion of our proceeds are contributed directly to organizations that support small farms, environmental literacy and food security.This year our summer farm dinner series will benefit the Sauvie Island CSA Scholarship Fund, Sauvie Island Center and Oregon Tilth's Organic Education Center at Luscher Farm

Behind all this hoo-ha you'll find a small army of volunteers and two women who are passionately committed to food, knowledge and their community. Passionately committed is a nice way of saying obsessed, and slightly nuts. Between us we've got nearly 20 years of corporate experience with schmancy titles like financial analyst and director of corporate intelligence. We accumulated our skills in marketing and business before career transitions led us to stints of staffing grape and olive harvests. None of this really prepared us for the prospect of serving 100 diners a five-course meal in a thunderstorm. Nothing really can. We've found the transition from cubicle farm to family farm to be an easy one and we hope you'll find as much pleasure in farms and food as we do.

Founders

Erika Polmar, Founder
I build things. First it was legos and tinkertoys, then it was models, now it's audiences.

I've spent the past 18 years in positions ranging from Santa's Helper to pink-slip-wielding acquisition manager to corporate spy. In the end, they all contributed something to what I like to think is a refined approach to creating comprehensive marketing programs. I've never been all that interested in schmaltz and pizzaz, after all foundations built in sand are rather useless. Instead I like to create smart, relevant and compelling ideas that move brands and issues forward. And that’s where Plate & Pitchfork comes in…

You might also find me sorting grapes for some of Oregon's finest Pinot noir producers, or developing a communication plan for an emerging business. And I make it a habit to do things that push me out of the notorious comfort zone – like climbing Mt. Hood to raise money for breast cancer research.

Emily Berreth, Founder
After a brief stint as a financial analyst, I found myself living in Italy. It was only supposed to be a month long visit, but it turned into two years. What can I say…it must have been the wine.

After working in the vineyard and olive grove and learning risotto secrets from a 70-year-old Italian countess, I realized that while I might make more money as a financial analyst, my life would be far richer if I followed this path. And you know what the say, do what you love and the money will follow. The financial background comes in handy though, especially when we’re crunching budget numbers or making change for t-shirt sales.

When I'm not giving the bum test to 96 chairs in a field to make sure our guests don't topple over, I'm coordinating events for the Classic Wines Auction, balancing inventory for a local wine distributor or throwing a stick for my dog Audrey.