Rooted at Duke Farms

Food systems are conservation systems. Join Duke Farms for an intimate evening of connection: between you, your meal, and the living systems that make it possible. At Duke Farms, we believe food systems are conservation systems. What we grow, how we grow it, where food comes from, and the relationships that bring it to our tables are all connected to the health of our soil, water, habitats, farms, and communities. As Executive Chef and Culinary Program Lead at Duke Farms, Chef Lauren Owens approaches food as a way to connect people to place. Her work is rooted in seasonality, regional agriculture, thoughtful sourcing, and hospitality, using the table to bring the larger story of our food system into focus. Throughout the evening, Chef Lauren’s seasonal menu will become a doorway into that larger story. You’ll meet some of the people behind the ingredients and hear brief stories from staff and partners. Together, they’ll trace a meal back to the land that sustains it. This is also an invitation to become part of what happens here. Duke Farms is a living laboratory where conservation is tested, shared, and experienced in real time. By gathering at this table, you are joining a community that believes people and nature can work together to shape better solutions. This is not a dinner beside our mission. It is a seat within it. Agenda Cocktail Hour Curated cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, and a warm welcome from our Executive Director. Dinner A meal prepared with seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients, paired with moments of micro-storytelling. Dessert Delectable delights and a sweet send-off. Why Duke Farms? A dinner about food systems is one of the clearest ways to experience conservation up close. The health of a meal begins before it reaches the kitchen: in soil, water, biodiversity, growing practices, and the choices that connect producers with communities. Across Duke Farms, those relationships are part of our work every day, from agroecology and stewardship to public learning and partnerships with regional growers. Rooted brings those to the table. It is a chance to experience Duke Farms not only as a place to visit, but as a place where ideas about conservation are put into practice and where our community can be part of what comes next. About the Chef Chef Lauren Owens is the Executive Chef and Culinary Program Lead at Duke Farms, where she connects food, farming, and environmental stewardship through culinary experiences. Her career spans kitchens, classrooms, and entrepreneurship, including roles at Hilton Short Hills, Blue Hill, and Harvest Restaurant Group, where she served as Executive Chef of Urban Table in Morristown. She is the founder of Tiny Onion Chef Services and is passionate about mentoring the next generation, expanding access in culinary and food systems spaces, and using food as a tool for education, opportunity, and community impact.