An Evening at Stone Barns and Blue Hill

from Weleda.com: This summer I had the opportunity to visit Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture up the Hudson in Pocantico Hills, NY, to talk to the staff there about my work as an organic beauty consultant and makeup artist.  Dan Barber, the visionary chef (and one of my heroes), asked me to come and speak to the farmers and chefs and share my knowledge about natural beauty.  I'm so passionate about my work and my mission to educate and inspire folks to choose a more natural, healthier type of beauty routine, that being able to share with the staff at Blue Hill and Stone Barns was such an honor.

I got to take a stroll around the farm before we headed to the outdoor patio where the staff had assembled, eating their meal of fresh greens and pasta. First we heard from Jack Algiere, the farm manager, about what was coming into season and the importance of communication between the farmers and chefs. Then it was my turn. I told the staff about what I do, and then we engaged in a discussion about how the beauty industry is in desperate need of a makeover. Dan fired away with thought provoking questions, and the staff also chimed in, curious about what “organic” really means, whether sunscreen is toxic, which companies’ products are truly natural and how they can learn how to make sustainable choices.

I was thrilled to connect with everyone there; they are doing such great work educating and inspiring people about healthy food and sustainability. I like to think I do the same sort of thing, talking about our environment and sustainability through an interesting medium—mine is makeup and skin care and theirs is food. It was thrilling to be in the presence of such gastronomical rock stars. To finish I passed out Weleda treats of Skin Food and Almond Facial Oil. The staff was thrilled—everyone loved the samples.

Then for the part I had been waiting for: dinner! The next three hours were incredible. The chefs indulged us with fresh asparagus wrapped with prosciutto and sesame seeds, lemony watercress, purple potato gnocchi, apricot jam, smoked butter, fried smelt, fiddle head ferns, honey from the farm, tiny strawberries, goat’s milk yogurt and much, much more! I had the biggest smile on my face throughout the entire meal. Finally, for my final treat of the evening, we walked out of the restaurant to see the moon. It was bright orange, full, big and fat, and we could hear the newly born, baby lambs cooing in the distance.