Dinner at Eddy Farm in Newington – twilight at morningside

Welcome to Eddy Farm – the only working farm in the town of Newington, Connecticut. This land has been with same family for multiple generations and that very connection brought me north for a Michael J. Fox Foundation event. This summer, endurance athlete Sam Fox (no relation to Michael J. Fox) is out to bike and hike the lower 48 states – climbing each of the state’s highest peaks, while uniting and inspiring his followers through meetups along the way. Sam’s mom was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 15 years ago. He channels her “tough,” no complaints mentality to find new ways to connect with the Parkinson’s community. Sam’s goal is simple. Raise awareness and funds to find a cure for PD.

Why Eddy Farm? Sam’s family has been the stewards of this land for over a century. This farm dinner was a deeply personal stop at the beginning of the Tour de Fox. Before the first course, there were a few heartfelt speeches. We listened to Sam, his sister and father speak about their lives, this particular landscape and their strong family bond. I’ve been to quite a few farm dinners over the years, but this one was special. Small and intimate, the warm summer evening was constantly filled with comfortable laughter and inspiring words of hope and love.

Dinner on the farm was provided by Chef Eric Stagl and the team from Barcelona Wine Bar West Hartford.
Barcelona has several other locations in Connecticut (Greenwich, Stamford, SoNo, Fairfield, New Haven), as well as Atlanta, Boston and Washington, DC.

After sampling hors d’oeuvres and wine, we set off on a tour of the farm. Sam’s sister Haley now runs her grandparents’ farm, along with her husband Andy. Beyond the summer farm stand of local produce, she also nurtures a deep connection with her blooms, offering up a bouquet CSA, floral design classes and custom floral design for the occasional wedding on the farm.

It’s not often that I can walk right up and watch a chef in action (with reasonable lighting and space to stay out of the way), so I kept returning to photograph the huge paella – served up al fresco – right next to the tent.