Posted on Dec 22, 2023
Oregon’s ōkta restaurant takes farm-to-table one step further
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The ōkta farm would be easy to miss if you weren’t looking for it. Tucked among dozens of vineyards about 15 miles outside of McMinnville, Oregon, the former cherry orchard sits at the top of Ribbon Ridge, giving full view of a rainy and overcast day.
“Okta is a British meteorology measurement. It’s eight grades [indicated by] circles, so the more the circle is filled in, the more cloud cover there is,” said Christine Langelier, the general manager of ōkta and Tributary Hotel, a boutique hotel and tasting menu restaurant that’s the brainchild of Katie Jackson and Shaun Kajiwara, both vineyard owners in Sonoma County, California, and Michelin-starred chef Matthew Lightner. “So today — a beautiful rainy day here in the Pacific Northwest — would be eight okta, a perfectly sunny day would be zero okta.”
“Okta is a British meteorology measurement. It’s eight grades [indicated by] circles, so the more the circle is filled in, the more cloud cover there is,” said Christine Langelier, the general manager of ōkta and Tributary Hotel, a boutique hotel and tasting menu restaurant that’s the brainchild of Katie Jackson and Shaun Kajiwara, both vineyard owners in Sonoma County, California, and Michelin-starred chef Matthew Lightner. “So today — a beautiful rainy day here in the Pacific Northwest — would be eight okta, a perfectly sunny day would be zero okta.”
Oregon’s ōkta restaurant takes farm-to-table one step further
Posted from opb.org
McMinnville
Farming
Agriculture
Restaurants
Food/Chow
Posted 5 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Nguyen explained that ideally any produce not used at the restaurant “as-is” can be used for stocks, sauces and even the daily staff meal. But if it’s not being used fresh, it’s up to him to figure out what happens next.
“I have some dried chilies from three years ago that we’ve been able to get on the menu this past year,” he said. “That way we’re not losing them.”
Another example he points to is their white kimchi, made with Caraflex cabbage, Habanada peppers, green garlic and daikon all grown on their own farm — produce that a traditional restaurant may see just as waste.
“The daikon is actually from daikons that were imperfect that would never make it to the restaurant,” Nguyen said. “So instead of losing those, I simply wash them, cut them up and they make it into this kimchi, and then we end up having a second chance at it instead of just taking it for a loss.”
Using produce from the ōkta farm means the menu at ōkta restaurant has a distinct sense of place. And the preservation at their larder means the food grown there can go even further."
..."Nguyen explained that ideally any produce not used at the restaurant “as-is” can be used for stocks, sauces and even the daily staff meal. But if it’s not being used fresh, it’s up to him to figure out what happens next.
“I have some dried chilies from three years ago that we’ve been able to get on the menu this past year,” he said. “That way we’re not losing them.”
Another example he points to is their white kimchi, made with Caraflex cabbage, Habanada peppers, green garlic and daikon all grown on their own farm — produce that a traditional restaurant may see just as waste.
“The daikon is actually from daikons that were imperfect that would never make it to the restaurant,” Nguyen said. “So instead of losing those, I simply wash them, cut them up and they make it into this kimchi, and then we end up having a second chance at it instead of just taking it for a loss.”
Using produce from the ōkta farm means the menu at ōkta restaurant has a distinct sense of place. And the preservation at their larder means the food grown there can go even further."
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