There is something insightful and inherently beautiful about kicking back on the farm and forging a real connection between your dinner plate sitting in front of you and where your food actually comes from. That lightbulb of a moment is A Grazing Life‘s entire reason for being. The epic farm-to-table dinners at Frost Farms, which are back in action this season, bring patrons local food, beverages and entertainment for the summer and fall of 2021.
“A Grazing Life’s mission is to be a bridge between consumers and their local producers by showcasing their products through authentic farm dinner dining experiences,” says Mike Preisler, founder of A Grazing Life. “We have some new chefs, that will be doing their first A Grazing Life dinner, that we’re excited about and there will be a lot more local partners and vendors joining to showcase more of the amazing local businesses we have here.”
In years past, the ethos of A Grazing Life stemmed from “A Night on the Ranch” and we feel that this motto still best encapsulates the magnitude of these very special occasions. These full fledged events are essentially a half-day get-away, that sweeps in with cocktails, charcuterie and mingling during the “happy hour” timeframe and seamlessly eases into an educational hayride to see firsthand the crops being sown, the livestock grazing and to learn about why we are all invited to this working farm in the first place. This informative land-yatch ride transitions smoothly with games and conversation into a progressive, family-style meal with a five star dinner and drinks, done up all classy like, but still in the unpretentious vein of a let your hair down and relax kind of house party. Local bands bring the evening home in addition to dessert and s’mores around the fire pit as patrons, reluctantly, trickle out. An evening with A Grazing Life is the epitome of the kind of night that you wish would never end.
“Guests can expect a full immersion into Colorado agriculture, cuisine, and entertainment,” says Preisler. “They will get a full education on sustainable agriculture on the Colorado Front Range. They will get to experience the absolute highest quality ingredients the region has to offer, done justice by the most talented chefs around. They will experience the best the area has in beers, wines and cocktails, served by the men and women who create them. They’ll get to hear from our local bands, see work from our local artists, and shake hands with our local farmers.”
Does it literally get any better than that? It sets our hearts a flutter just thinking about all that homegrown goodness that comes together in one meaningful and serene place. The prideful significance of the venue is sure to grab your attention, hosted at Frost Farms, which Preisler refers to as “a pillar of sustainable farming and ranching in the Pikes Peak region for over 50 years.”
“It’s an honor to have our events on such a special and historic piece of land,” says Preisler. “If our events in any way help the Frosts prosper and continue to operate on and protect their land, then it’s all worth it.”
Beyond the evening events in 2021, A Grazing Life brings back “Brunch on the Ranch” on select Sundays which Preisler refers to as “a crowd favorite.” Chef Jacob Cheatham kicked things off on Sunday, June 27, and book ends the season with one last “late breakfast” hurrah on September 26.
If you’re curious about more ways to support local, A Grazing Life is the proverbial door to walk through to “find one reason to source from clean, healthy and local food producers,” reaffirms Preisler.
“Whether it’s the health benefits for the families, the quality difference for the foodies or the sustainability aspect for the environmentalists; local, organic, and clean food is just better in so many ways,” says Preisler. “Supporting local is a snowball effect. The more a community supports the local economy and the creative entrepreneurs behind it, the more entrepreneurs and creativity it will inspire.”
Additionally, A Grazing Life donates $500 from every event back to Palmer Land Conservancy, an organization that conserves and maintains public parks and open spaces, necessary farms and ranches and, the iconic scenic views that we value so dearly here in Colorado.
“I think what makes A Grazing Life events unique, beyond the authenticity of the farm-table meal that is served, is the bigger movement that every guest is a part of,” says Preisler. “Guests will leave an event knowing they’ve helped build a stronger, closer, and more unique community here.”
Want in? There are still a few opportunities to partake during this season of A Grazing Life. Find the full list of upcoming events and purchase tickets here.
