Chef Niven Patel and partner Mohamed “Mo” Alkassar started a farm in Homestead to cultivate fruits, vegetables and herbs to supply their restaurants Ghee Indian Kitchen, NiMo, Erba and newly opened Paya. They wanted their staff to understand the work and love it takes to grow the produce they serve daily. Their venture, Feal the Rancho, brings guests to the farm where they harvest some of the produce prepared for the evening’s tasting menu. 

It started with a cozy dinner for eight cooked in a wood oven in 2022. That led to an event for about 35 people where a storm rolled in, drenching everybody including Patel who was working under a rickety plastic cover and braving the rain every time he plated. Even soaking wet, diners showered Alkassar and Patel with praise for the food and the community they brought together. That wet evening catalyzed Feal the Rancho. 

“We invested in a permanent awning, manufactured a cool wooden bar, and it grew from 35 to 60 to 70, and now we’re at 100,” Alkassar added.

Starting in November, Patel and Alkassar will hold one monthly dinner through April. It starts with a welcome cocktail incorporating seasonal farm ingredients like star fruit and holy basil. Wood-fired pizza piled high with freshly picked squash blossoms are passed around the crowd. Alkassar, Patel and their farmer lead the guests through the rows of romano beans, Everglades tomatoes, bronze fennel and more, and teach them about what they’re growing and what’s in season. 

“(During) one of my favorite (dinners), a guest harvested carrots and just stood there smelling them. People are so used to supermarket carrots that they don’t realize they can almost taste a fresh-from-the-ground carrot just by scent,” Alkassar said. “It was the first time I noticed how much the experience touched people. They harvested carrots, we cleaned them up and they became part of the menu.”

Following the tour, everyone sits down to a family-style farm feast filled with raw vegetables from the farm (some harvested on the tour) with a variety of dips, salads, grilled vegetables and meats. Wine from biodynamic and small farms flows. Patel creates the menu a day or two before the event so he can take inspiration from the farm. “It’s a ‘my heart onto the plate,’ kind of situation,” he said.

Dinner dates are released on Instagram @ranchoptl about one month in advance and sell out quickly. 

Have dinner on the farm at these four agritourism destinations across the state.