Swank Farms to feature top chefs

For those who enjoy good food and al fresco dining, Swank Specialty Produce will again host its popular Swank Table series at its Loxahatchee farm in the upcoming cooler months. A lineup of 18 events has been announced from November 2019 through May 2020, featuring top chefs and mixologists from South Florida and around the U.S.

The series includes eight themed dinners with local chefs, six Master Chef dinners with visiting chefs (including from New Orleans, Nashville, Maine and North Carolina) and four family-friendly brunches, culminating on Mother’s Day 2020 (May 10).

You may not know the name Swank Specialty Produce, but if you dine at top South Florida restaurants, you likely have eaten the organic vegetables and fruits grown at Swank’s 20-acre hydroponic farm in Loxahatchee.

Darrin and Jodi Swank opened the farm in 1996, starting as a small, specialty-lettuce operation. They now grow more than 350 varieties of produce and flowers for restaurants and hotels. They like to celebrate their bounty with the annual food events, which started in 2011.

Dinners begin with a cocktail hour and a tour of the farm grounds, followed by a multi-course meal under an A-frame barn that seats hundreds.

The Swank Table dinners are age-restricted to those 21 and older and feature multiple courses with wine pairings. Brunches feature mimosas, beer or Bloody Marys and mocktails for those under 21. Each event also offers music and dancing, with performers ranging from bluegrass to classical.

Tickets for dinners are $160 per person, brunches cost $99 for adults, $45 for children 4-12 (free for ages 3 and younger).

PAPP PHOTOS/COURTESY Scenes from Swank Farms in Loxahatchee Groves.