ROB HANDEL CATERING

chef, forager, teacher

I’ve had a passion since childhood to create. Farm-to-table long before it was a buzzword. Creating everything from soaps and textiles to meals designed around locally sourced and foraged foods.

I am currently the executive chef at The Bees Knees Cafe, a farm to table cafe located on Heather Ridge Farm, an Animal Welfare Approved farm that raises grass fed and pastured meats, poultry, eggs, and honey. We're available to cater private events and curated dinner parties using locally-resourced, seasonal foods. Special consideration is taken for gluten free and paleo diets, vegetarian meals may be prepared by request. 

In addition to weekly brunch and lunch offerings, we organize a monthly "Supper Club" at the farm. This is a five or six course tasting dinner crafted with our own meats and complemented by locally grown and foraged produce, herbs, and flavors. I also teach monthly cooking classes that aim to provide a technique based approach to cooking that is accessible to cooks of all skill levels. For more information about the tasting dinners and cooking classes, please visit the Heather Ridge Farm website HERE

Please take a moment to review a sampling of my work on these pages.

Take your fork on a wild tour…

 

From my earliest days in the kitchen I’ve found boundless inspiration in the many edible herbs, roots, barks, mushrooms, berries, and nuts that grow throughout the mountains and valleys of upstate New York. They have unique flavors that can’t be replicated, and many of these ingredients are resistant to cultivation and can only be found growing in the wild.

Let me take you on a culinary tour of the forests, fields, mountains, and glens that I’ve come to feel so connected to. This exclusive experience is an opportunity for the diner to sit back and allow me to showcase ingredients and dishes that speak to what’s happening in the natural world around us at a given moment. It’s intended to paint a picture of how I see the landscape and its inhabitants, as well as how I feel we can be a responsible part of this ecosystem.

These foraged tasting dinners typically include five to eight courses highlighting various wild and cultivated ingredients sustainably harvested and/or sourced from local farmers. While diners are solicited for preferences, aversions, and allergies, the final menu is chef’s choice and not shared until the meal begins. Each course starts with an explanation of the dish, and questions and discussion about ingredients, techniques, and sourcing are welcomed and encouraged.