Farm Fresh

Increasingly, hotels are growing their own produce for cuisine and amenities

- Todd Plummer

DAYS AT SINGLE THREAD

Farm in Healdsburg, California, begin before dawn, and decisions are made carefully. The farmers here typically get to work around 5 a.m., assessing the fields and gathering the morning's bounty. One day, it could be petite summer squash with enormous blossoms attached. The next, it could be tomatoes, harvested on the exact day they reach peak ripeness and not a moment sooner. By 11 a.m., fully stocked farm trucks trundle their way down Dry Creek Road to downtown Healdsburg, just four miles away, where they will supply SingleThread's restaurant and inn, a Relais & Chateaux.

"We are fortunate that we live in Sonoma County where we can grow all year," says owner/chef Kyle Connaughton. The proximity of Single Thread to its farm allows him to not only take advantage of California's growing conditions, but also have control over what is served. Connaughton works with his farmers for months in advance to grow the right varietals at the right time.