A philosophy of food that features fun
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Lisa Rubin Jeb Wallace-Brodeur/Times Argus |
Toolbox
By Sylvia Fagin - Published: September 2, 2008
Frequent travelers on Vermont Route 14 may wonder what lies inside the golden yellow Farmhouse Café in East Calais.
Chef proprietor Lisa Rubin is happy to explain.
"I wanted a place to introduce myself, to hone my skills, and to play," she says of the café and catering business she's owned since relocating from the New York City area six years ago.
After catering for 20 years, Rubin knew she wanted to keep creating flavorful and beautiful meals. And while she didn't want a big restaurant, she did want the challenge of delivering delicious meals in the moment.
"Café and catering" was the perfect combination. Weekend café hours filled in the blanks between catering gigs — but as word of her amazing meals spread, brides, grooms and families clamored for more of her time, leaving less for the café.
Not to worry, though — the café is available by advance reservation for dinner and private parties.
In the intimate dining room that seats 18, you can taste Rubin's roast pork with bourbon peach sage sauce, seared vegetable salad with pine nuts, couscous and feta, or wontons with wasabi mango sauce.
Wide wooden planks make up the walls and floor and contribute to the authentic farmhouse feel; a quirky assortment of dishes and glassware add character and conversation, as do the cookbooks of international cuisine, ready for perusal. One entire wall is covered with an intricately carved, painted wooden Naga, a deity from Hindu mythology.
Patrons, Rubin says, "feel like I'm their private chef. We have four-hour dinners. I really enjoy having people here."
It's the perfect place for Rubin to play with the foods and flavors of her farmer neighbors.
"I am a believer in beautiful simplicity and not manipulating the food too much, which is why Vermont is such a great place to be," she says. A deceptively sim-ple salad features local baby greens and red onions, slivered almonds and sweet ripe peaches complemented by tangy Bayley Hazen blue cheese from Greensboro's Jasper Hill Farm.
Weekly, she takes a break to encourage others to "cook and eat well and live a beautiful life with beautiful food," on her radio show "Food for Thought," broadcast Tuesdays from noon to 1 on Goddard College's GDR (91.1 FM).
During each show, Rubin covers culinary themes, providing the historical, nutritional and cultural background of different cuisines as well as culinary terms and techniques. A recent program featured the similarities and differences between Indian and African cuisines, discussing different uses of similar spices.
Music and poetry related to the theme are frequent additions to the program, which gives "people grace and permission to be creative with food," she explains. "I want to empower people to cook."
Her enthusiasm sparkles as she explains her philosophy of food.
"There should be excitement in your mouth. Everything has to have a little fun," she says, displaying the cheddar-dill fondue she's creating for an upcoming localvore wedding. Skewers of bread and vegetables for dipping will emerge from a central stand, like a fountain.
"Everything is a conversation piece," she says of the fondue. "They're going to have fun eating it."
Rubin clearly has fun in her kitchen, and visiting local producers to pick up ingredients. She finds the professional environment enjoyable as well. "The chefs are great here," she says of her colleagues. "We all call each other — it's not so competitive."
Her kitchen window overlooks Route 14 and the green fields beyond, and from here she can see her daughters return from school on even the busiest cooking day.
"I feel blessed, I get to see my family every day," she says of her family's life in Vermont. "Our lives have been really enriched here."
Sylvia Fagin writes about local foods and food producers. Contact her at sylviafagin@yahoo.com.
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