Restauranteur Haley to be Outstanding in the Field

There’s nothing quite as “green” as eating food that was grown locally, in an outdoor setting, enjoying all that Mother Nature has to offer. It seems miles away from rushing through a well-lit drive-through or even eating a home-cooked meal with ingredients from who-knows-where.

Matt Haley, a local chef and restaurateur, understands the “farm-to-table” concept and has been implementing it for some time now. Haley, who came to Southern Delaware about 14 years ago, prides himself on using fresh, local ingredients to promote local business and local products.

Founder of “Outstanding in the Field,” chef and artist Jim Denevan, of Santa Cruz, Calif., seems to be quite the kindred spirit to Haley. In 1998, he had the idea to bring the farmers to the restaurant to better acquaint the eaters with the growers of their food.

The idea took off, but then he thought it would be an even better idea to celebrate the farmers right on the farm, and then expanded it further to celebrate local guest chefs and local products amid the backdrop of beautiful community-filled tables at vineyards, ranches and orchards.

That idea took off, too, and expanded, and now Denevan travels coast to coast hosting events at which people get to celebrate community while eating freshly prepared local food among friends, old and new.

“We sort of heard of each other,” explained Haley, of Denevan. “He’s doing great things, and we are doing great things,” he said, adding that they have the same belief system. “It was an honor to be asked and to be part of this.”

Delaware’s First Outstanding in the Field dinner will be held Monday, Sept. 6, at the Indian River Lifesaving Station. Passed appetizers will be served in the courtyard, and dinner will be on the beach. The event, at $200 each, can accommodate 150 people.

Because of the nature of using only the freshest, local ingredients, Haley said up until Sunday or Monday morning this week, he could be picking various things up from farms so the menu is fluid as of now. He did say he plans on serving fresh bluefish, blue crab claws with a corn and Old Bay aioli, and fresh chilled pea soup as appetizers.

Also likely to be on the menu are a peach and corn salad, green bean salad, tomato salad, potato salad and roasted oysters with a sliced pesto made from local herbs. He also said that whole rockfish fillets will be roasted over a wood fire.

“Part of the fun is taking up to the last moment” to choose the menu, explained Haley, adding that right at that moment he was testing out ice cream at a local dairy farm, to serve with dessert. He also said a small amount of beef raised by local farmers would be available, and he had plans to make lavender honey using lavender from Lavender Fields in Milton.

“At the end of the day, it’s a Delaware menu,” he explained.

“This will not only give Delaware national, but international, attention,” he added, speaking of the Outstanding in the Field event. “And Delaware has a great little community of restaurants.”

In addition to a great community of restaurants, Delaware also has a plethora of local food and food products. With a 50-mile radius, and sometimes less, foodies can get free-range beef and organic chickens and eggs, locally prepared bread, local honey and lavender, local cheese and dairy products, locally made cookies and desserts from all natural ingredients, locally prepared granola and, of course, locally grown vegetables and fruits of many varieties.

Haley added that the “farm-to-table” concept, or even Outstanding in the Field, isn’t just about putting some food from the farm on a table.

“It’s about communicating with people and interacting with people. It’s creating a nice environment where everyone has fun and can celebrate and remember how good Delaware has been to us.”

The dinner starts at 3 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 6, and will be served on the beach at the Indian River Lifesaving Station. For more information or to buy tickets, visit outstandinginthefield.com.