SWAC | Winter 2021
February 4 and 11, 2021
Our last Supper with a Cause was almost exactly a year ago. That night, we packed fifty guests into the Great Room and Cellar at Harvest Seasonal Kitchen in celebration of Empty Bowls McKinney. Little did we know it would be a full year before we could cautiously gather again, this time with only twenty-four guests, carefully spaced at tables more than six feet apart. Tickets sold out in just over an hour; Suppers with a Cause are always popular, but this was unheard of! When the waiting list grew to a couple dozen, we decided to hold a second event one week later.
As always, Chef Andrea Shackelford and her crew sent out dish after gorgeous dish, a celebration of comforting wintry braised meats and vegetables. The most talked about course was her housemade charcuterie, served alongside a heated and seasoned rock; guests were encouraged to lightly warm their charcuterie on the rock, then wrap in crisp local lettuce leaves and top with pickled vegetables and tangy sauces. General Manager Toby Thomason thoughtfully paired wines with each course, except the one where he noted Chef schooled him into choosing a white with the braised rabbit instead of a red.
As for the cause, our focus for all of 2021 will be McKinney Roots. Our founder, Rick Wells, introduced the new Executive Director of McKinney Roots, Vicki Deerman, and new Farmhand, Tucker Nickols. Vicki told us her vision of growing and donating nearly 20,000 pounds of food this year, and about the partnerships she’s forming with nonprofits in our community that will be poised and ready when produce begins rolling in from the farm. So many guests inquired about how to volunteer! (Sign up here!) It’s such an exciting and deserving project, you could feel the energy in the room.
Tucker has adjusted brilliantly to farm life, playing the proud Papa to 180 soon-to-be laying hens and two Akbash livestock guardian pups, not to mention the couple thousand baby plants he’s raising under grow lights! North Texas is about to face record cold, so the farm is all buttoned up for the time being. But spring is just around the corner…
Our next events will be a Farm Tour on April 24th and a Supper with a Cause on May 6th. Join our mailing list to be the first to know when tickets go on sale!