Abra Berens is a current chef and former farmer, though it’s difficult to swallow the “former” once you’ve seen her in her element at Granor Farm, where she regularly hosts chef-driven, multi-course meals for attentive guests from all over the world. Berens assumes a deep involvement in what’s currently growing on this organic-certified farm in Three Oaks, Michigan, which produces vegetables, flowers, herbs, and grains. Based on what’s available seasonally, she and her kitchen crew come up with a monthly Taste of Granor menu, which is tailored to the ingredients instead of vice versa.
“Our style of cooking and style of business is that we really are a farm that cooks, as opposed to a restaurant,” Berens tells InsideHook. “We know exactly how many people are coming, we can tailor the menu to give them the best experience, and that restriction frees up a lot of creativity in my mind. Taste Of Granor dinners are usually seven courses — they’re a mixture of individually plated and family-style servings, and they all take place in our glass greenhouse. The menu will be mostly vegetables, though there’s usually meat in the main course and additional ingredients like cheeses and fruit. That’s really the scope of it.”
As Berens explains, nothing about Granor is a “show farm,” and everything is purpose-built. So, the greenhouse where the dinners are held is a real, working greenhouse used to grow plants year-round, a necessity in the northern Midwest. And she would know — Berens grew up on a farm in Michigan and clearly felt at home in returning to that experience. The brief time when Berens was away from Michigan centers mostly around her stint at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland, a 12-week intensive program that’s based on a 100-acre organic farm. Perhaps you’ll notice a pattern emerging.
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