The Book
The Book
Native Harvest is available on Amazon.com
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Celebrating 38 years! (1986-2024)
Celebrating 38 years! (1986-2024)
Damon Baehrel is a chef, author, organic grower, native plant & preservation expert and owner/sole employee of DAMON BAEHREL and Sagrecrest Native Gardens, a unique 12 acre property/farm and restaurant located in Earlton, New York in the Upper Hudson Valley that is celebrating it’s 38th year in 2024! Damon is the creator of a completely self-derived, sustainable, living off the land cuisine called Native Harvest. The restaurant has become a popular destination for food enthusiasts from around the world seeking a one of a kind experience.
Damon has spent decades and thousands of hours observing, stewarding & cultivating the Native landscape. By discovering, harvesting, utilizing and celebrating Natures unique bounty, he has created by hand each and every component for your dining experience.
Damon has spent decades and thousands of hours observing, stewarding & cultivating the Native landscape. By discovering, harvesting, utilizing and celebrating Natures unique bounty, he has created by hand each and every component for your dining experience.
Dining guests arrive at DAMON BAEHREL for each private seating at the same predetermined time. It’s taken Damon years to get ready for that moment. In addition to planning, preparing, cooking and personally serving every course to each guest, he has also created by hand each of the hundreds of components (utilizing ingredients only from the on site property/farm…Sagecrest Native Gardens) he’ll be utilizing for the 5+ hour, 20+ course experience. This includes unique flours, pressed oils, preserved meats animal proteins & plants, tree sap and native plant based brine & cooking liquids (to name a few). He has no suppliers unless he chooses to utilize meats, dairy for preserving or east coast seafood. Many of the methods/techniques Damon has developed for creating these components take several years to execute.
He also creates, carves & constructs the unique serving pieces from logs, branches & stumps found on the property including platters, bowls, log branch herb-flower pots & one of a kind milling bowls. You can even commission a personalized one off piece for him to create as a momento/souvenir to commemorate your visit or purchase one of the items he has available.
If you enjoy wine, Damon offers and pre-selects a “grouping” of wines from his unique collection of older, younger and natural vintages. Guests can enjoy just a sip, or a bit more of a selection if they prefer since it’s billed on a consumption basis. He also creates non-alcoholic hand crafted blends of various plants, roots, tree-saps & juices utilizing ingredients harvested and preserved from the property/farm. (Hard liquors, mixed drinks, processed soft drinks (sodas) and coffees/teas are not offered.)
Bringing the outdoors into the Native Harvest experience is key, so you’ll be taking in the experience in several unique environments, including a majestic, year round outdoor room constructed of stone & timbers. Some of the courses may be just a bite, some may be comprised of several dozen components/tastes. After Damon serves each course, he takes a few moments to explain the origin of the components he has created and details of the preparation. His accompaniments/condiments are native plant based and free of butter, dairy and refined sugar. The offerings changes daily and a printed menu is not provided. You’ll engage all your senses and disconnect from the digital world since cell phones, photos, cameras and other recording equipment are not permitted in/at the restaurant.
Damon is completely self taught Chef with 46 years experience in the restaurant industry (38 years with his own business) and even longer as a beyond organic grower and sustainability pioneer. He’s also a wood and stone craftsman and hand built the premises while in his early 20’s. As an author, teacher/instructor/consultant for uniquely preserving animal proteins, seafood & plants, he’s created and developed many original techniques to unlock the hidden possibilities and secrets of the cultivated and Native Harvest.
The price per person is subject to change (and generally does several times each week). The current price is $550.00 per person (not including beverages, sales tax or gratuity).