The Story of the Table

The Chef’s Table Experience is one of our most popular events at the farm. The story of how it got started is one I love to tell…

Before purchasing our property outside of Corsicana we were living in a loft in downtown Dallas. We loved entertaining, and still do. Hosting a weekly small group from our church was something Houston and I both enjoyed. Our group began to share dinners together as we discussed the concept of “the table,” based on a book study on the topic. 

I honestly don’t remember a lot about the book that we went through together - not even the name. But what I do remember are the people, the connections made and the sense of community I felt with the others around the table in our apartment. 

A few years later, not long after the purchase of the property, but while still living in Dallas, the small groups morphed into six week dinner groups. The first week we had everything set up - tables, benches, linens, dinnerware. Each person attending brought a dish to share, based on the theme of the night - Italian, Chinese, breakfast for dinner, etc.

With 20 - 25 people around one long table (sitting next to at least one person you didn’t know was one of the ground rules), we shared, at first tentatively: “Hello, my name is Sherry.” “Hello, Sherry,” said the others. Then we each answered a question, such as: “Do you prefer broccoli or asparagus?” “What was your all-time favorite vacation?” “If you could meet any person in history, who would it be?” 

After dinner and discussion, we all pitched in to clean up the kitchen and dining area. The following weeks, everyone arrived and helped set up for the dinner as well. 

Those groups hold such a special place in my heart. They are the genesis of the Chef’s Table Experience at our farm. The idea that magic happens around the table was birthed for me in those evenings in a Dallas high rise. 

We met some incredible people during those years, one being a professional chef. While his wife was finishing her PhD, Tanner was working as a personal chef, catering weddings and special events. (He’s gone on to own a mobile pizza oven and more.) He came to us with the idea of doing dinners similar to those we’d all experienced - but this time at Purdon Groves. We did the first one at the farm, sitting in camp chairs near the pond, chowing down on pork that Tanner had cooked underground. The rest of us provided the sides. Fast forward another year and we had a few private dinners with Tanner cooking and figuring out what worked in an outdoor setting. In the spring and fall of 2019 we had our first ticketed dinners at the farm. The response was overwhelming. It seemed others loved the event as much as we did. 

Since then we’ve had many dinners, and even a few brunches. The name, Chef’s Table Experience, is appropo. The meal itself is amazing. The conversation is stimulating. The artist talk is inspiring. But it’s more than that. It’s an experience where we share not only food, but also ourselves. We have conversations. We slow down and listen. It’s an opportunity to nourish our bodies and our souls. 

This piece first appeared in Sherry’s column, Finding Myself in a Small Town, in the July 13, 2024 edition of the Corsicana Daily Sun.