Wildflower Farms Hosts Le Creuset Chef's Atelier with Maxime Pradié and Brian VanderGast

Wildflower Farms, Auberge Collection, a 140-acre retreat opened in 2022 in the Hudson Valley beneath the Shawangunk Ridge, hosted the second installment of its "Chef's Atelier: Field to Craft with Le Creuset" residency from September 1 to 4. The three-part culinary series brings New York City chefs to the property's six-acre working farm; it began earlier in the summer with Hillary Sterling of Ci Siamo and concludes October 18 with Joshua Pinsky of Claud. For the September chapter, Maxime Pradié of Zimmi's led a foraging walk with farm director Will Conway, gathering fennel flowers, Jimmy Nardello peppers, and heirloom tomatoes. In Maplehouse, the wood-joinery culinary barn, Pradié demonstrated a crudité platter, swordfish confit, and a Basque-style gazpacho using Le Creuset enameled cast iron in the new Château color, a blue-grey inspired by historic French architecture. A three-course family-style lunch followed, then a four-course al fresco dinner on Maple Lane co-created by Pradié and executive chef Brian VanderGast, featuring tomato salad, tarte flambée, roasted leg of lamb, and berry clafoutis. Designed by Electric Bowery with interiors by Ward and Gray, the property comprises 65 cabins and cottages, a botanical spa called Thistle, and three miles of river trails.