This story has been updated to correct the day of the week this event will be held. The date of Aug. 28 is correct.
A collaboration between local forager Rachael West and local chef Calvin Davis will bring a dining experience to Springfield — and awareness about foraging and food insecurity in the Ozarks.
On Sunday, Aug. 28, Vantage Rooftop Lounge and Conservatory is hosting a multi-course dinner focused on locally grown and wild, edible foods. It takes place near the end of a week-long celebration of locally foraged foods that includes a class about wild edible and medicinal plants the Monday prior at the same location.
This is the latest in a string of foraging-themed events in the Ozarks, as the popularity of the activity continues to build.
West is the owner of Eating the Ozarks, a business focused on wild food education, through an assortment of classes and events. Some of the events include dinner parties held in a yurt tent in Reeds Spring.
In a previous story by the Springfield Daily Citizen, reporter Juliana Goodwin introduced us to West and how Eating the Ozarks, formerly known as Once Upon a Weed, came about.
RELATED STORY
How this Ozarks forager became locally famous for her yurt dinner parties
Some people look at invasive species and see a nuisance. Rachael West sees food. Once part of the corporate world, West has departed from her white-collar job to host her increasingly popular gourmet meals from weeds, roots and mushrooms foraged from the wild. “My goal is education,” West said. She now owns Eating the Ozarks,…
West has written Wild Foraged, a (soon-to-be-published) book about wild edibles, previously worked for the Springfield Community Gardens, and is for hire by curious property owners who would like to discover what edible plants and fungi are growing on their land, in addition to her culinary events where she collaborates with local restaurants, businesses and farms.
“Having chefs in Springfield who have an open mind about what food is available, gives me that education piece,” West said. “I don’t want to be the one that sells the food, I want people to have access to it…I’m really excited that [Hotel Vandivort] is on board to start spreading the good word.”
While you might find West cooking the food she forages for her yurt dinners, she plans on letting Davis do the cooking, and she will focus on educating attendees about the “whats” and “whys” of the food they’re consuming.
Foraging on-trend in Springfield and the Ozarks
While foraging is certainly nothing new, its popularity in the modern Ozarks is evidenced by West’s success. The recent Ozarks Watch issue by the Ozarks Studies Institute focused on foraging in the Ozarks, and found itself constrained to limit itself to keep within the boundaries of a magazine cover.
The magazine briefly touched on West’s collaborations with local businesses — Urban Roots Farm, Circle B Ranch, and Springfield Brewing Company, among others. Additionally, it introduced readers to other local influencers in foraging, Bo Brown and the late Steven Foster. It also provided an assortment of plant species — from elderberries to black walnut trees to purple coneflowers — that can be found in the wild and used for an assortment of reasons.
“Foraging today is a serious, widespread occupation for thousands, if not millions, of people across the country but especially here in the Ozarks,” managing editor Susan Kelly said in the introduction. “Taste, health benefits, need-to-know-just-in-case, curiosity, and lifestyle, not to mention commerce are all driving people into the woods and fields for what is a ballooning industry in the US.”
More on the event
According to a press release from Hotel Vandivort, which owns The Order and Vantage, 10 percent of the sales will go towards Ozarks Food Harvest, to address food insecurity across the 28 counties it helps provide for. According to their website, every dollar pays for four meals for children, families and seniors in need.
“I grew up in Cedar County, one of the poorest counties in the state, and I have seen food insecurity firsthand,” Davis said in the press release. “I am proud to support many initiatives and causes that work to fight food insecurity, from local food banks and programs such as Ozarks Food Harvest to national charities like Feeding American.”
West understands food insecurity as well, and played a part in addressing some of the issues the community faces during her time at the Springfield Community Gardens.
“With foraging, any way that I can tie into either our unsheltered community to somebody who’s food insecure or just your average Joe to keep them from spraying Round-Up on their yard is definitely my goal,” West said.
How to attend
Those interested in buying tickets for the dinner, which will feature an optional natural wine pairing for an additional fee, can book parties of no more than four people, and will have the option of attending the 6 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. seating. Tickets are on sale for $85 here.
Additionally, if you’re interested about Eating the Ozarks and what West does for a living, there are multiple upcoming events listed on their Facebook page.
