Kai chef collaborates with Native farmer on indigenous dinner
Kai’s Chef Ryan Swanson is ending the season with something completely new: a dinner featuring indigenous ingredients.
As a way to celebrate the holiday and Kai Restaurant’s last night of service before their annual summer closure, Swanson is collaborating with the Gila River Community’s Ramona Farms for a fine dining experience today, featuring a menu of products and ingredients from their farm.
Ramona Farms is a family-owned and operated business near Sacaton, Arizona, on the Gila River Indian Community that specializes in traditional indigenous foods.
“I wanted to do something to celebrate their farm and have fun,” Swanson said in a phone interview with The Arizona Republic. “End the season on a high note.”
Swanson has been working with ingredients from Ramona Farms for 10 years, but this specific dinner is a first.
“This will be the first collaboration with an indigenous farmer,” Swanson said. “It’s going to be an evening of just learning about the beautiful culture, the farm and the indigenous ingredients.”
Swanson said he wanted to showcase the families’ life work at Ramona Farms alongside his own.
Ramona Farms was started in the early ’70s by Ramona and Terry Button on a family plot of land.
Velvet Button, Ramona and Terry’s daughter, says Swanson has been enthusiastic about educating himself and his staff about indigenous food growing on their farm, spending hours on the farm harvesting and learning about each ingredient’s history and cultural importance.
“Kai has been using and sharing our food and our food story for several years,” Velvet Button said. “We’ve been tasting and sharing recipes over the last few years. Our nutrient-dense desert foods have really unique flavor profiles and incorporating them into a menu that is using all of our products is really exciting.”
Dinner service starts at 6 p.m. today and fireworks begin at 9 p.m. The cost is $140 per guest with an optional wine pairing for an additional $90. For reservations or for more information, guests can call the restaurant at 602-385-5777.