From Pasture to Plate, Literally: White Oak Pastures Opens Restaurant On the Farm

Bluffton, Ga. is now home to a new restaurant at White Oak Pastures, where sustainable farming is the focus. Grass-fed beef and lamb and free-range pastured poultry plus no waste, energy-efficient methods of farming mean only the cleanest ingredients will go into restaurant dishes.

White Oak Pastures is the largest certified organic farm in Georgia, and the spacious layout of the restaurant is located in the middle of an organic vegetable farm. Pasture to Plate is so close to the food chain action, guests will almost be able to reach out and pick their vegetables while observing the spectacular view from the 90' x 30' open-air building.

After a private opening dinner prepared by celebrity chef Kevin Gillespie for Southern Foodways Alliance guests, the restaurant will serve lunch to the farm's 85 employees. Beginning in August, anyone can stop by for breakfast and lunch, and the restaurant will be able to host up to 100 patrons at a time. Evelyn Taylor, who has managed restaurants most of her life and has prepared lunch for the Harris family for several years, is the chef, and her daily plate (one option) will pull from what is fresh and available on the farm. Owner Will Harris has many chef friends, and you never know when one of them will drop by for a special event. So, is it okay to show up with dirt on your overalls, or is the establishment more geared towards formal attire? You choose. Harris says Pasture to Plate will be exactly halfway between a five-star establishment and nearby Blakely Chicken. Better look that one up.