Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort
Palos Verdes Peninsula, California
Celebrating Butterflies, Bees, Birds and other Pollinators at the
2022 Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

Over 200 dinner guests are seated at long tables in a stunning coastal setting… linen tablecloths with exquisite natural décor and wine glasses sparkling in the sunlight… the sounds of the ocean, and a gentle breeze inspiring the feeling of standing in a field of coastal grasslands. The first of multiple courses is served and an evening of fine wine, and beautiful food begins.

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

Hosted by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy in partnership with Terranea Resort, the Palos Verdes Pastoral: Garden-to-Table Dining Experience was held on Sunday, May 1, 2022.

Palos Verdes, California

Palos Verdes Pastoral is the Conservancy’s most important annual event, allowing it to raise support, funds, and awareness for the conservation and management of 1600 acres of permanently protected rare coastal habitat.

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

This year Pastoral highlighted the necessity of butterflies, bees, birds and other pollinators and the ways in which we can reverse the dramatic decline in their populations by creating waystations with native plants and wildflowers.

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

Palos Verdes Pastoral

From the signature cocktail, menu and décor to the displays and special tastings, the evening is an immersive experience for guests that will inspire them long after the event.

“We have created a one-of-a-kind event based on the concept of local food, nature and community” explains Pastoral Chair Diana Heffernan-Schrader.

“It is a special evening where old friends and new enjoy a local and sustainable dining experience around a theme that enables us to understand the importance of the rare biodiversity of the lands we are lucky enough to call home for pollinators and other wildlife.”

Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience
Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience
Palos Verdes School Gardens

Palos Verdes School Gardens

Palos Verdes School Gardens seeks to create edible education learning opportunities in public places including schools and restaurant gardens.

Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

Palos Verdes School Gardens provided all of the amazing featured decor, tabletop decor and edible flowers to garnish the signature cocktail. As part of the sustainability focus, all of the pollinator display plants were locally grown, purchased, and harvested. Subsequently, all the display plants made their way to local elementary schools to be planted in their gardens. The table decor was reused for school celebrations in the following week and composted afterwards. (pvschoolgardens.org)

Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

The Pollinator Place Cards

Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

The most common avian pollinator is a hummingbird

One in every three bites of food depends on pollinators

Monarch butterflies are colored to warn predators
that they are foul tasting and poisonous

Almost 90% of wild plants and 75% of leading
global crops depend on animal pollination

The honey bee is the only insect that produces
food eaten by man

A Monarch caterpillar can eat an entire
milkweed leaf in less than 5 minutes and the toxins in the milkweed
are stored in the body of the insect to help ward off predators

Honeybee Dance – When a bee has found food it will
return to the hive to let others know where the food is with a
round dance and a waggle dance for the direction

The Local Beekeeper and Honey Tasting

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea ResortHoney Girl Grows designs and tends culinary gardens and pollinator projects for home cooks, chefs and restaurants, corporate and resorts. Honey Girl Grows has grown tons of the rarest heirloom tomatoes and edible flowers for chefs, raised hundreds of happy healthy beehives, pounds of honey, and thousands of extinction-threatened butterflies with corporate pollinator projects. (from HoneyGirlGrows.com)

Wildflower Honey

Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

The Mead Tasting

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

Award-winning cider made with only locally sourced ingredients. Champagne yeast with a touch of Southern California honey served in sustainable, reusable bottles.

The recipes are steeped in tradition and the tastes refined by the warm Southern California sunshine. Made with fresh and local ingredients and Honest values… (from HonestAbeCider.com)

The Signature Cocktail

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

Purple Pollinator

Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

The Menu

Sustainable food proponent, Terranea Resort Executive Chef Andrew Vaughan, presented the event’s garden-to-table menu using Santa Monica Seafood’s local sustainable sea bass, Eel River grass-fed beef, and the freshest ingredients and flavors to create delicious and thoughtful Low Carbon Footprint courses paired with an inspired selection of wines.

The Canapés

The Canapés Terranea ResortThe Canapés Terranea ResortThe Canapés Terranea ResortThe Canapés Terranea ResortFig Wrapped with Chef’s Ham

Crispy Squash Blossom, Honeyed Lavender Goat Cheese, Terranea Sea Salt

Eggplant & Olive Tapenade, Stuffed House-pickled Peninsula Grape Leaves

Potato Tostones, Catalina View Farm’s Herb Pink Peppercorn Aioli

Cumin Scented Skirt Steak, Preserved Meyer Lemon Gremolata

The Canapés Terranea Resort

The Canapés Terranea Resort

The Wines with Canapés

Daou Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Catalina View Gardens Chardonnay 2019

Girl & The Grapes Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Cline Cellars Zinfandel 2019

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

The Dinner

Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

Artisanal Breads, Palos Verdes Peninsula Wild Herb Butter

Rosemary House-Pressed Olive Oil Sea Salt Grissini, Sea Salt Pepper Lavash, Brioche Chimichurri Rolls

First Course

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

Duet of Soup & Salad

Asparagus Soup, Toasted Hazelnuts, Black Truffle Butter

Nature’s Produce Stone Fruit, Coastal Wild Fennel, Watercress, Frisée, Citrus Vinaigrette

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

Wine Pairing

Daou Chardonnay 2021

Cambria Estates Pinot Noir 2020

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

Second Course

Baja Sea Bass

Santa Monica Seafood Baja Sea Bass

Cooked in Freshly Harvested Giant Kelp, with Dried Cherries, Zucchini, Heirloom Faro & Black Quinoa Pilaf, Sunflower Seeds, Preserved Mandarin with Sage  (read more about this delicious Baja Sea Bass and the superb recipe from Chef Andrew Vaughan here)

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

Wine Pairing

Cambria Estates Chardonnay 2020

Baja Sea Bass

Third Course

Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

Eel River Organic Grilled Grass-fed Filet of Beef

Braised Greens, Weiser Carrots, Lavender Beets, Honeyed Glaze

Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

Wine Pairing

Parker Station Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Fourth Course

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

Deconstructed Meyer Lemon Torte

Blackberry Sorbet, Meyer Lemon Cream, Terranea Harvested Honey, Almond Streusel

Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

Palos Verdes Pastoral Garden-to-Table Dining Experience

Wine Pairing

The Ojai Vineyard John Sebastiano Grenache 2019

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

“The intimate setting dining al fresco on the Ocean Terrance Lawn on a lovely blossom-scented spring evening is the perfect location to offer a rich experience for guests, one that fosters meaningful conversation over a meal celebrating nature.” says Conservancy Executive Director Adrienne Mohan.

“We are grateful to Terranea Resort for joining us to present this amazing culinary experience and for making the preservation of the natural landscape of the peninsula an essential part of the resort.” 

Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort

Thank You

Extending my heartfelt thank you to Louise & Diana for inviting me back to Terranea to shoot this fabulous event; to photographer’s assistants Chip & Pat for their keen eye and hours of hard work; and to Chef Andrew and his Team for the professionalism, help with staging, and the absolutely stunning photogenic food.

Excerpts written with the help of PVPLC.org.

Previous Pastoral Events

Outstanding Oaxacan Theme

Magnificent Mediterranean Theme

Beautiful Basque Cuisine

UPDATE: Read about the 2023 event “Go Wild for the Peninsula” now posted here.

2 thoughts on “Palos Verdes Pastoral at Terranea Resort”

  1. What an awesome event! You are so fortunate to be involved with Palos Verdes Pastoral.
    The menu looks delicious and your photos are outstanding. Magnifique!!

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