Cedar Oak Farms in Paxton is hosting a farm dinner series. Starting this August, the farm will offer a multi-course Midwest dining experience utilizing seasonal ingredients both from their farm and sourcing from other Illinois farms. Each month’s event will feature a different menu announced closer to the dinner date.
Here’s a peek at the menu for August.
course one:
herb-crusted lamb meatballs, whipped feta, fresh herbscourse two:
meats, olives, local cheese, veggies, and homemade breadcourse three:
salad wedge with radish, tomato, sweet corn, homemade sourdough croutons, buttermilk dressingcourse four:
miso-glazed Cornish hen with corn succotashcourse five:
peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream
Last weekend, Cedar Oak Farms hosted an open house, and I went to check it out.
The owner has refurbished the old barn, where the private dinners are held. It was cool to see the barn’s original wood still intact on the far left wall.
The farm has lots of open space to wander, and I found a little garden by the cornfields.
I liked how the outdoor spaces were decorated. It felt inviting with so many patio seats to take in the rural scenery.
I can just imagine how beautiful this fire pit area would be in the fall with friends (or strangers who become friends).
Each monthly dinner has multiple courses, but they all begin with an outdoor social hour of passed hors d’oeuvres.
At the open house, Cedar Oak Farms served (free) appetizers all the guests. The first round had firecracker chicken meatballs and ravioli in a yummy sauce.
The second pass of appetizers was Caprese on a stick and diamond-sliced watermelon with feta and balsamic. Farm-fresh tomatoes, basil, and melon taste so good this time of year, and these toothpick eats were simply superb on an August evening.
The dessert round had a chocolate macaron with fresh raspberries and chocolate sauce. The other nibble was toasted homemade bread with creamy blueberry spread, fresh blueberries, and fresh mint. I loved how both dessert bites had fresh fruit and that we got to try the farm’s fresh bread.
The open house also had live music by local musician Jennifer Hood, who is part of The Chickadee Sermon band. Playing a range of songs, she and her acoustic guitar added a lovely ambiance to the peaceful farm.
The dining experience here costs $60 and includes seasonal non-alcoholic beverages. The farm does not sell alcohol, but guests are welcome to BYOB. Book tickets here.
Cedar Oak Farms
56 N 2100E Rd
Paxton
