Farm to table dinners are part of a larger mission to attract people from Youngstown, Boardman, Canfield and beyond to rural Kinsman
By REBECCA S. NIEMINEN
KINSMAN
Historical elegance will mingle with modern opulence and country charm to create a gourmet dining experience at the Peter Allen Inn and Event Center’s first Farm to Table Dinner from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday.
The $95 per-person cost includes a six-course meal that will feature local, farm-fresh seasonal delights prepared and served by renowned chef Brett Sawyer of the Plum Caf and Kitchen in Cleveland.
Aundrea Cika Heschmeyer, event planner for the inn and event center, at 8581 State St., Kinsman, said the farm to table dinners are part of a larger mission to attract people from Youngstown, Boardman, Canfield and beyond to rural Kinsman.
“We are located in a rural setting that is a relaxing place to get away from it all,” she said. “This is a chance for the public to enjoy a gourmet experience in a setting that offers a unique combination of restored elegance and the creature comforts of today.”
Cika Heschmeyer said the inn and event center hopes to host a farm to table dinner each month from late spring until early fall.
“We intend for this to be the first of many,” she said. “Farm to table dinners first gained popularity on the West Coast. They have been very popular in the Cleveland area for a couple of years, and the trend is spreading here as well.”
The Peter Allen Inn and Event Center will showcase a local farm in each of its farm to table dinners. Kinsman’s Red Basket Farm is the featured farm Sunday.
“After checking in at the inn, guests will visit the nearby Red Basket Farm for appetizers, cocktails and a farm tour,” Cika Heschmeyer explained. “Then they will return to the inn for their six-course meal.”
Floyd Davis, owner of the Red Basket Farm, cultivates a variety of produce that he sells at farmers markets as well as to local schools and restaurants. He farms about 12 acres and has seven greenhouses.
Davis grows produce in his greenhouses year-round, even during the coldest months.
“Most people don’t realize you can grow produce during Ohio’s winter months,” he said. “But there are a variety of cold crops that you can successfully grow.”
Davis said he will educate visitors about greenhouse and field production during their tour of his farm, 6311 Mayburn Barclay Road.
“We have actually done our own farm to table dinners here at Red Basket Farm in the past,” Davis said. “We are very excited to be part of the Peter Allen Inn’s farm to table dinner and to help bring the farm to table concept to this area. It’s a celebration of our agricultural area.”
Davis collaborates regularly with the inn, providing produce for its Friday evening Tavern on the Courtyard events as well as other occasions. The Tavern on the Courtyard features gourmet food and fine beers and wines and takes place on the inn’s patio every Friday evening, seasonally and weather permitting.
Dick Thompson, who owns the inn and event center along with his wife Rhonda, also said he hopes the farm to table dinners will allow guests to celebrate the agricultural importance of the area.
“This area is really the bread basket for Trumbull County,” he said. “Agriculture is a huge enterprise here, and we are excited at the idea of taking time to celebrate the hugely important industry of local farming.”
One String Short, a quartet, will entertain. It is known for performing jigs, reels, waltzes, airs, polkas and marches from Ireland, Appalachia, Scotland, New England and beyond and performs at weddings, farmers markets and Civil War re-enactments.
Featured chef Brett Sawyer previously worked under nationally renowned chef Jonathon Sawyer (no relation) at both the Greenhouse Tavern as executive sous chef and Restaurant Trentina as executive chef.
He is an advocate for local and sustainable cooking, and his style is best described as simple food, done well.
“The beautiful produce grown at the Red Basket Farm and the gorgeous rural landscape that surrounds the Peter Allen Inn and all of Kinsman were inspirations for the menu I have created,” Sawyer said. “I enjoy the country setting very much.”
The inn and event Center is enjoying a growing reputation as a location for weddings, parties and events.
Extensive renovations to Kinsman’s historical Dr. Peter Allen House began three years ago, with the Thompsons updating and preserving the handsome Federal-style home, built in 1821.
“We purchased it because of its historical significance and then worked on determining a purpose for it,” Thompson said.
The interior is a blend of historical magnificence and sleek, state-of-the-art modernity. Original woodwork and early 1800s fireplaces blend seamlessly with modern touches such as a camera system, sound system, wi-fi and sprinkler system.
The front of the home boasts Greek Revival and Adamesque columns, swags and tassel motifs. In William Campan’s book “Architecture of the Western Reserve 1800-1900,” the house is praised as not being “surpassed in detail by any other house in the Western Reserve.”
For more information about the farm to table dinner, visit peteralleninn.com or contact events@peteralleninn.com or 330-355-2100.