Experiencing Blue Hill at Stone Barns with Lincoln MKZ

Mention the restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns and people either say it was the best meal of their life or they are dying to go. I was very lucky to be invited recently to drive the Lincoln MKZ an hour outside the city to experience the restaurant and farm for myself.

For those unfamiliar with Blue Hill at Stone Barns,  Stone Barns is actually the sprawling Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, New York which is a non-profit farm and educational center. They invited chef Dan Barber to  open a second outpost of his New York restaurant Blue Hill on the site which is part of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve. It was a perfect pairing since Dan Barber was one of the first true farm to table chefs after having grown up on his family’s 138-acre farm Blue Hill, after which the restaurants are named, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

After arriving at  Blue Hill at Stone Barns, we were treated to welcoming French cider, non-alcoholic since we were driving, and delicious hors d’oeuvres before embarking on a tour of the working farm. One of my biggest frustrations with the United States is how farmers and food companies have been allowed to ruin our food supply. It was fascinating to hear how  Stone Barns uses no chemicals on their farm and even uses their animals like the chickens to control pests. Truly organic produce is more flavorful and safe as we experienced first hand after being able to eat purple pea pods and raspberries directly off the vine.

The real treat was having Chef Dan Barber personally greet us during our lunch at  Blue Hill at Stone Barns which really was an amazing. We also got to see the kitchen and even participate in a Iron Chef-like cooking contest. It’s an experience that I will never forget.

To learn more about Dan Barber and  Blue Hill at Stone Barns, I highly recommend watching Dan’s episode of Chef’s Table on Netflix and reading his book  The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food.

I also recommend checking out the new Lincoln MKZ. I’ve had the opportunity to drive a few different luxury cars in the last year and can attest that the  Lincoln MKZ is just as chic and smooth as some cars costing $100,000 more. Definitely makes me want to plan another road trip soon.

The entrance to Blue Hills at Stone Barns.

I’m still dreaming of these mushroom burgers.

Vegetables directly from the farm.

Special purple and green peas.