Hit the Road for an Epic Farm Dinner
“We are not a restaurant,” says chef and cookbook author Abra Berens, who runs the dinners at Granor Farm in Three Oaks, Michigan. “We are truly a farm that happens to host meals and experiences to give people an opportunity to understand what we do.” And what they do is, well, a lot — from growing vegetables and grains to operating farm tours and a store that sells produce, grains, local meat and dairy products, olive oil, and housewares. Less than an hour and a half from downtown Chicago, the organic farm is a worthwhile trek for those wanting to experience the autumnal beauty of southwest Michigan while snagging some seasonal produce.
That said, the dinners are the real draw. They are held most Fridays and Saturdays in Granor’s greenhouse, whose glass walls offer views of the fields. (The “Taste of Granor” dinners start at $150 and must be purchased in advance.) Berens typically serves seven courses of family-style dishes that showcase the vegetables grown a hundred yards away (you can partake in an optional 30-minute farm tour before dinner if you’d like), along with proteins like smoked fish and housemade pancetta and cheeses and fruits from nearby farms. Beverage pairings are included, and the dinners occasionally feature special guests such as chefs and food writers. You won’t be able to get a peek at what you’ll be eating ahead of time, though: Produce is plucked the day of the dinner. Says Berens: “The menus are tailored to that moment in time on the farm and who’s coming.”
—ADAM ROTHBARTH
R.F.
See Hermès Artisans in Action
Just as Hermès debuts its massive renovation on Oak Street this October, the French design house is offering an inside peek into the work of the artisans who turn their artistry into art. Hermès in the Making, a free exhibition that takes over Union Station from October 27 to November 1, brings the brand’s leatherworkers, porcelain artists, silk experts, and fine jewelers into one space, where they’ll explain their techniques as they create pieces in real time. “Our skilled craftspeople take pride in sharing their knowhow and the beauty of their work,” says Diane Mahady, president of the U.S. division of Hermès. Here are some highlights.
1. A piece of silk turned into a collectible scarf. The current Carnets d’Equateur collection, designed by artist Robert Dallet, celebrates nature’s beauty. You’ll see patterns get screen-printed and applied by hand using 24-karat gold thread, a technique that takes three years to master.
2. Pieces of leather transformed into a Kelly bag. In the 1930s, house designer Robert Dumas created a women’s handbag shaped like a trapezoid with a rounded handle and a swivel clasp. Hollywood-star-turned-princess Grace Kelly was photographed frequently with hers, elevating this radical design to icon status.
3. The saddle stitch being made. Even better than watching someone sew leather? Learning to do it yourself. You’ll see how Hermès’s signature stitch is created using a single piece of thread, needles attached on either end, and a diamond-point awl to help make the holes along the way.
4. Porcelain plates decorated before your eyes. Craftspeople will paint on classic and new patterns, perhaps including the recent Soleil d’Hermès, meant to evoke the warmth of the Mediterranean sun.
5. Raw metal worked into a piece of fine jewelry. Stone setters delicately solder precious gems onto gold bands that eventually become bangles, rings, and other fine pieces.
—HEIDI MITCHELL
Get Up and Dance to Rami Atassi’s New Album
For local Syrian American musician Rami Atassi, sonic inspiration extends far beyond the city’s borders. He has, which won best original music at the 2022 Fine Arts Film Festival. And in the music he created with bandleader Tatsu Aoki’s Miyumi Project on an album accompanying Yoko Ono’s sculpture installation in Jackson Park. Atassi, who has played guitar for the local band the Curls, has, in turn, influenced other musicians, regularly teaching at Guitar Tactics, an in-person (in the Fine Arts Building) and online school he founded in 2021.
