Field Day
As our community crawls out of the grips of yet another -emic, it is true that sometimes, beautiful things can rise from the proverbial ashes. One such example, is the arrival of Field Day, the brainchild of Healdsburg-based Artist & Food Lover, Naomi McLeod. She spawned the idea amidst the Covid pandemic, at a time when our personal connections were severing and the need to “break bread” together was more evident than ever. Field Day is a pop-up dinner experience that brings together all the bountiful, beautiful things about Sonoma County Living: food straight from our soil, wine from our vines, flowers from our fields, great conversation with like-minded locals, and a well-curated live music rotation. Each evening with Field Day is highly considered, from the ingredients for each dish, the way the dish is served (plated or passed), the community it is serving, the music that will play in the background and the table-scapes that adorn the tabletops.
Field Day showcases different local chefs, winemakers, musicians, and artisans to curate the perfect evening. The key player on Naomi’s team though, is Hugo, a handsome, 30-foot 2002 BlueBird International School Bus that is outfitted as a prep station on wheels with two low-boy fridges, sinks, a grill and griddles that runs off of a combined generator and battery system. Each event is staged at different pastoral Sonoma County locations (such as farms, wineries and private properties). As long as the space can make way for Hugo’s arrival, a proper dinner party, deep in nature, beneath hundred year old oak trees, is now possible for Sonoma County residents and visitors.
Photos @Bryan Meltz
Field Day works in a number of ways. They are engaged by local individuals and wineries for private events of 30-90 people (think celebration dinners, or wine release fetes) and will offer a Field Day event at your space, with Hugo, and all of the artful details you can dream up with their team.
They also host their own Field Day Dinners, where the general public is invited to purchase a ticket (well in advance, we suggest, as they sell out!) and join for more than merely a dinner, but an event of community, food, wine and music and other artforms. This fall so far, they only have private dinners on the docket, but are hoping to squeeze in one more Field Day Dinner around harvest time.
Naomi’s background in arts, events and the culinary spheres, has led to a distinctive Venn diagram that ties these disciplines together under a single creative vision; and it doesn’t end with shared meals. As an extension of Field Day events she has launched, along with friend and partner Bryan Meltz, FD + Creative. This creative agency is dedicated to content production and bringing brand visions to life. Along those lines the Field Day team hopes to one day build a brick-and-mortar home for Field Day operations, a Base Camp , if you will, where collaboration, art, workshops, and education can take place and the entire community can come together to learn together, create together, connect together.
Naomi’s Summer Sipper: A Bubbly Lemon Verbena Tea:
Ingredients:
Lemon Verbena
Dried Hibiscus
Lemons for juice
Sparkling Water
Honey, Sugar, optional.
Instructions:
Let lemon verbena leaves dry on the branch (or purchase dried.) Break them up careful not to create tiny pieces. (You will be straining later.)
Add dried Hibiscus (available at Casa de Mole).
Combine 2 parts Lemon Verbena to 1 part Hibiscus in a large vessel.
Pour hot water to cover. Allow to sleep for hours to up to a day.
Add preferred sweetener to your liking.
Squeeze fresh lemon juice.
Add sparkling water.
Give it a good stir, and enjoy!
You can stay tuned on Field Day’s upcoming events and news via their website event page and by subscribe to their mailing list. To arrange a private Field Day dinner, inquire about Base Camp investment opportunities, or FD+ Creative…you can contact Noami directly at: Tel: 415-710-5145