Saturday's tomatoes were in the soil Tuesday.
A chef-in-residence cooks from the regenerative farm on the property three times a day. What you watched grow yesterday is on the table tonight.
The food is half the reason the work shows up.
Most retreats serve "farm-to-table" the same way most hotels serve "artisan coffee" — as a phrase. At Stone House Farms the farm cooks the food. The chef walks the garden at six. The greens that show up at lunch were picked at seven. The tomatoes on Saturday's plate were ripe Tuesday.
This isn't a luxury detail. It's the mechanism. Food cooked from the soil it grew in shifts the body in ways no protein bar can. By morning two, your shoulders are different. That's the food doing it.
One chef. The whole weekend.
We don't rotate caterers. Every cohort has a single chef-in-residence on the property from Thursday afternoon through Sunday brunch. They walk the garden each morning, plan the day's meals around what's ripe, and cook for the same twenty people for four days straight.
This is how the food gets specific. The chef knows by Friday who's allergic to what, who's vegan, who came in tired, who needs more carbs Saturday. The room is the chef's room too.
Four meals. Built around the work.
The rhythm matters. Breakfast is light enough to write through. Lunch is the fuel meal. Dinner is the long-table moment. Studio Night has provisions for whoever's still up at one.
Breakfast.
Rolling. Pastries from a local baker, eggs from the property's hens, fresh fruit from the orchard, granola, real coffee. Self-serve so the early risers can write before anyone else stirs.
Served on the patioLunch.
Plated, light, on the patio. Salads, grain bowls, small plates. Built for fuel between the morning and afternoon sessions — never heavy enough to put you to sleep.
Patio, family-styleDinner.
The long table. Twenty plates. Family-style and considered. The chef introduces what's on the table — where it came from, what's in season. Conversation goes long.
Long table, indoor or under string lightsStudio Night provisions.
For whoever's still tracking at one. Cheese boards, sandwiches, tea, sparkling water, fruit. Self-serve in the studio kitchenette so engineers don't break the take.
Studio kitchenetteThe meal you'll remember.
Every cohort has one signature dinner — Saturday night, by tradition. Seven courses. Wine pairings from regional Sierra and Sonoma producers. Flower-and-foliage table styling from the morning garden. The chef walks the menu.
This is the meal where the cohort actually becomes a cohort. People stay at the table for hours. The room sings. Songs get sketched on napkins. Friendships start that outlast the weekend.
- I.Welcome cocktail + small biteGarden herb-led; non-alc option always served first
- II.First courseCold or raw — whatever's brightest this week
- III.Second courseThe vegetable highlight; often the meal's centerpiece
- IV.Pasta or grain courseHouse-made, garden-led
- V.MainProtein for those who eat it; substantial vegetable for those who don't
- VI.Cheese or palate momentLocal cheesemaker, simple presentation
- VII.DessertStone fruit, honey, restraint
Most of it grew within walking distance.
A radius is a useful number. Ours is small. What doesn't grow on the property comes from within fifty miles. Pantry staples are minimal.
From the farm.
Vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, stone fruit, apples, pears. Honey from the property's hives. Eggs from the property's hens.
Within fifty miles.
Meat from regional ranchers. Cheese from local creameries. Bread from a Nevada City baker. Wine and beer from Sierra Foothills + Sonoma + nearby Sacramento Valley producers.
Pantry, minimal.
Olive oil from California producers. Salt from the coast. Coffee from a regional roaster. Spices, vinegars from specialty California producers.
Wine. Beer. And a real non-alcoholic program.
The non-alc program is as considered as the wine list. Adaptogenic mocktails. Functional sparkling. Fresh-pressed juices from the garden. Real choice for sober artists, mid-cohort breaks, and the afternoon you'd rather not have a third glass.
With alcohol.
- Wine pairingsSierra Foothills + Sonoma producers; natural-leaning
- Cocktails3–4 signatures per cohort, garden herb-led
- BeerThree Forks (Nevada City), Sierra Nevada (Chico), Russian River
- SpiritsSt. George (Alameda), Charbay (Sonoma), small CA producers
- CoffeeRegional roaster, espresso + drip + cold brew
Without alcohol.
- Functional cocktailsAdaptogen + nootropic mocktails (Kin Euphorics, De Soi, Ghia, house mixes)
- Functional sparklingAura Bora, Olipop, Recess
- Garden juiceCold-pressed daily, in season
- Tea + tonicsApothékary, Four Sigmatic, full leaf tea program
- Non-alc beerAthletic Brewing, Best Day
- WaterTopo Chico, Liquid Death, still + sparkling
Every diet, not as a workaround.
Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, allergies, intolerances, religious — flagged on your application, then designed into the menu, not bolted on as an afterthought. No second-class plates.
- Vegan + vegetarian — designed into every course, not substituted
- Gluten-free — separate prep surfaces, dedicated alternatives
- Tree nut + peanut allergies — kitchen runs no-peanut by default
- Shellfish + dairy — flagged at intake, separated in service
- Halal / kosher — possible with advance notice
- Sober — covered by the full non-alcoholic drinks program
How it works.
You flag everything in your application (Step 5). One week before arrival, the concierge confirms with you personally. The chef designs the cohort's menu around the actual room — not against it.
If your needs aren't on the list above, mention them in the application. We've handled most things. We'll tell you honestly if we can't.
Eat at the long table.
Apply for a cohort, or inquire about a private stay or event. Either way, the chef is in the kitchen by Thursday afternoon.