
Most of Old Chaser’s blackberries will become jam, says Dillon, perhaps for a cheese dish with jam, or frozen whole for blackberry ice cream. (See the rest in Seattle Chef Matt Dillon’s Cookhouse at Old Chaser Farm on Vashon Island.) Above: The hardworking part of the property is the farm, which supplies almost all of the food served at Bar Ferdinand. “I’m not the best farmer in the world,” said Dillon, “but I like doing that kind of stuff.”Ībove: A concrete patio off the cookhouse has rows of string lights hanging above for use during events. The two kept a good deal of what was already growing on the property, but uprooted and replanted it. Above: The gardens in front of the main house and cookhouse were collaborative efforts with Jennifer Roberts, said Dillon.
#Island thyme vashon island full
The Robertses live in the house during the summer when their children are out of school, and their plan is to eventually live on the island full time.
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The property has a main house, shown here, plus a “cookhouse,” an all-purpose space that can be rented for events (featured on Remodelista today). Above: Dillon bought Old Chaser Farm in 2010 with business partners Jennifer and Christopher Roberts it was an organic “U-Pick” blueberry farm he found in a real estate listing. Photography by Aaron Leitz for Gardenista.

And nothing goes to waste-Bar Ferdinand’s food scraps return to the farm, to feed the chickens and pigs. “With Bar Ferdinand and Old Chaser, minimizing our impact is just as important as how well we treat our customers at the restaurant and how delicious the food is,” Dillon says. “Everything we grow on the farm fits into one of two categories, either fresh produce for the restaurant, or ingredients to use in the larder,” says Dillon, who in 2012 won a James Beard Best Chef award at another of his restaurants, Sitka & Spruce.Īt the pesticide-free farm, everything is grown organically.

That’s where Old Chaser Farm comes into the picture. On 20 acres of land on Vashon Island (a 30-minute ferry ride from the city), Dillon and farmer Pierre Monnat grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs, tend bees, and raise pigs and chickens to supply the restaurant. With five other Seattle restaurants to run, award-winning chef Matt Dillon chose the ingredients for the menu of his Capitol Hill wine bar, Bar Ferdinand, with a simple goal: “The whole idea at Bar Ferdinand is that we don’t buy anything.” Icon - Check Mark A check mark for checkbox buttons. Icon - Twitter Twitters brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Pinterest Pinterests brand mark for use in social sharing icons. flipboard Icon - Instagram Instagrams brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Facebook Facebooks brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Email Used to indicate an emai action. Icon - Search Used to indicate a search action. Icon - Zoom In Used to indicate a zoom in action on a map. Icon - Zoom Out Used to indicate a zoom out action on a map. Icon - Location Pin Used to showcase a location on a map. Icon - Dropdown Arrow Used to indicate a dropdown.

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