Good Stock Farm

My partner and I participated in one of Good Stock Farm's three-day New England getaways this weekend. I purchased the getaway as a Christmas present for my partner. It was one of the best experiences of my life and certainly the best gift that I have ever given to my partner. I guess there's a reason - or 100! - why Food & Wine magazine listed Good Stock Farm as one of the "best cooking classes around the world" this summer.

The proprietors of Good Stock Farm are Sanford ("Sandy") D'Amato and his wife, Angie. Sandy is the former owner of both Sanford and Coquette Café in Milwaukee, WI. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, a James Beard Award-winning chef, and the author of Good Stock: Life on a Low Simmer (a memoir with recipes). They have a small garden behind the school where they grow a large variety of fruits and vegetables. The school overlooks the Connecticut River and, at this time of the year, beautiful fall foliage.

We arrived on Friday afternoon and, after introductions and light refreshments, we dove into making a soup, salad, entrée, and dessert. On Saturday, we visited the Clarkdale Fruit Farm, took in the fall foliage from atop Mount Sugarloaf, visited the Greenfield Farmers' Market, and purchased meat from Sutter Meats in Northampton. Again, we prepared a soup, salad, entrée, and dessert. On Sunday, we prepared brunch, including a salad, appetizer, entrée, and dessert. Angie served wine with each meal. The group is limited to eight people and, as a result, both Sandy and Angie are available to offer a lot of guidance and answer any questions that you may have. They prepare all of the ingredients prior to arrival in order for us to have time to learn and socialize with the other participants. We had a wonderful time getting to know the other six participants and left hoping that we would see them again in the future.

In addition to the three-day getaways, Sandy and Angie offer demo-dinners, hands-on cooking classes, and observation dinners. I cannot say enough about Good Stock Farm and the experience that Sandy and Angie provide to their students. We look forward to participating in another class. I've already told my partner that we may have to make this an annual trip!