The Yellowstone Valley Food Hub will be hosting its 3rd annual fundraiser at the Wild Flower Kitchen in Absarokee on Saturday, October 5. The event, “Chef Goldman’s Farm to Table Dinner,” will feature food raised by the Food Hub’s local producers. A Barn Dance will immediately follow the dinner at the same location.

“This has been an exciting year of growth for the Yellowstone Valley Food Hub, and our farm to table dinner is a great way to celebrate all we’ve accomplished and see where we are headed with the help of our local community,” said Annika Charter-Williams, a Shepherd rancher and President of the Food Hub Co-op Board.

“Our customers tell us how much they appreciate the taste and quality of our locally produced food over the products trucked in by corporate farms to big grocery store chains,” continued Charter-Williams.  “Food like ours, which is grown and raised by local producers who truly care, becomes even more delicious in the hands of a skilled chef like Nick Goldman. Whether you’re a hard-core foodie or simply someone who wants to enjoy an amazing meal that benefits family agriculture, we can’t wait to see you at the Wild Flower Kitchen in October.”

The Yellowstone Valley Food Hub was officially launched last year after the Northern Plains Resource Council and its Billings area affiliate, the Yellowstone Valley Citizens Council, brought together area farmers and ranchers to create an independent growers cooperative. Northern Plains helped the producers raise funds to hire a general manager and launch an online local food marketplace.  Chef Goldman’s Farm to Table Dinner is a fundraiser to help the growers cooperative spotlight quality local foods and grow in the year ahead.

Since its initial launch, the Yellowstone Valley Food Hub has expanded its product offerings and developed a system that allows customers to place orders online with weekly pickup locations in Billings, Red Lodge, and Absarokee.  

Attendees of the fundraiser can meet and socialize with the farmers and ranchers who produced the food served in the dinner. Locally-sourced raffle prizes and auction items will also be part of the event.

Chef Goldman’s Farm to Table Dinner is on Saturday, October 5, at the Wild Flower Kitchen in Absarokee. The 4-course dinner features food from 12 local farms and ranches. 

Doors open at 4 p.m. and the dinner lasts from 4:30-7:30 p.m. A Barn Dance follows the dinner from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.; admission to the dance can be purchased with or without a dinner ticket.

Tickets for the Dinner only are $125 per person; tickets to the Barn Dance only are $25; and combined tickets for both the dinner and dance are $135. To learn more, visit www.yvfoodhub.com/.