By Kate Cohen
Emma’s Creekside Farm is a piece of paradise at Rosen Shingle Creek.
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to pick and eat a plump tomato straight from the vine or taste a berry plucked at the peak of ripeness, you know it can be a transformative experience. Freshly harvested produce has a rich earthiness and dynamic flavors that you can’t always find on the shelves of a grocery store.
The pursuit to harness those unmatchable flavors in restaurants is known as “farm to table.”
The farm to table movement is a culinary concept that connects farmers directly to restaurants and commercial kitchens. By eliminating wholesalers and retail vendors, chefs can ensure the produce they use is as fresh as possible, often while supporting local farmers and growers.
At Rosen Shingle Creek, Executive Chef Michael Dunton and his team have taken farm to table to a new level. Emma’s Creekside Farm is a lush 9,500 square-foot garden growing on the property of the resort. Its seasonal produce is harvested year-round and used primarily in dishes served at Cala Bella, the resort’s beautiful Italian restaurant.
We’re here to explore the roots of this remarkable feature of Rosen Shingle Creek and the driving forces behind its creation.
Humble Beginnings
Emma’s Creekside Farm is an endeavor that began about two years ago when Chef Dunton was announced as Rosen Shingle Creek’s new Executive Chef. Upon his arrival, he knew he wanted to find new ways to connect the resort’s 15 dining establishments to local ingredients.
“To know where your food comes from is really important, so when I first got here, it was about trying to find local farms to work from,” Chef Dunton explained. “It doesn’t get more local than your backyard.”
From there, he worked with Rosen Shingle Creek executives to find the perfect plot of land to grow a rotation of produce that could be used in his menus, particularly at Cala Bella and for special dishes at A Land Remembered, the resort’s signature steakhouse. What was originally a small, designated garden blossomed quickly into almost 10,000 square feet of farmable land overlooking the Shingle Creek Golf Course.
Emma’s Creekside Farm is named for Emma MacIvey, a character in the novel A Land Remembered, for which Rosen Shingle Creek’s other AAA 4-Diamond rated restaurant is named.
The beautiful patch of earth is helping to reimagine the way Rosen Shingle Creek offers fresh flavors and culinary delicacies unlike any other resort in Orlando.
Rotating Seasonal Crops
Emma’s Creekside Farm is home to dozens of crops that rotate throughout the year, offering fresh new flavors and seasonings with which Chef Dunton and his team can create innovative menu items.
While Florida’s unrelenting sunshine is perfect for a vacation, it can make growing plants a challenge. “When we get to this time of year, it’s a challenge because it’s so hot, you have to know what grows,” said Chef Dunton, who is originally from Massachusetts.
“For half the year, in Massachusetts, it’s frozen tundra,” said Chef Dunton. “The frozen tundra there is our summer here.”
That doesn’t mean that the summer fosters a barren wasteland by any means. “We work with a lot of peppers, which are fantastic through the summer. Right now, our field is full of different varieties of sweet potatoes. We have a lot of squash varieties that do well.”
When asked which Emma’s Creekside Farm ingredient is his favorite to use, Chef Dunton answered, “It changes with the seasons. One that’s kind of year-round is the curry tree. The leaves from the curry plant are so fragrant and versatile. I like to pick a few leaves and steep it in some cream. It just gives fragrance and flavor throughout the whole dish.”
On any given walk through the garden throughout the year, you may find yourself wandering amidst fragrant herbs like oregano and Thai basil, through bushy rows of chard and cabbage, or beside young fruit trees ready for harvesting.
The herbs and produce harvested from Emma’s Creekside Farm will then make their way onto elegantly plated dishes in Cala Bella, and when the crop runs dry for the year? Chef Dunton simply says, “We change the menu.”
The Importance of Farm to Table
For many in the culinary world, Chef Dunton included, farm to table is more than a philosophy: it’s the right thing to do.
Chef Dunton explains, “You see a tomato in the grocery store, and you don’t really know where it came from…when you actually grab a tomato from outside and you open it, and smell it, and taste it…it’s fresher, it’s brighter, it’s tastier. The whole experience is better.”
Even for ingredients not grown in Emma’s Creekside Farm, Chef Dunton makes very intentional efforts to source from local Florida farms. Frog Song Organics is a farm in the Gainsville area that he uses to supply a variety of his restaurants’ produce. Not only do they grow their own fruits and vegetables, but they also represent several smaller Florida farms, too.
The farm to table philosophy doesn’t exclusively apply to produce, either. The same principles of supporting local farmers who grow high-quality and ethically sustainable products apply to meat, too.
One of Cala Bella’s signature dishes is the HertaBerkSchwein Pork Chop, named for the farm from which it’s sourced.
“It’s an amazing story,” Chef Dunton shared. “Not only is it female-owned, but she does everything herself. She breeds them, raises them, and she has the department of agriculture on property so she can process them herself, too. She delivers them herself. She’s incredible.”
The Rosen Shingle Creek Difference
The attention to detail and commitment to quality that Chef Dunton brings to the Rosen Shingle Creek restaurants is admirable. To him and his team, it’s what sets the hotel apart from others in Orlando.
“It shows that we are bringing the community aspect and we’re being stewards of our environment,” says Chef Dunton. “We’re trying to use this little piece of earth we’re given and bring it to the customer.”
But being stewards of the earth certainly isn’t the easy way out.
“I could buy the ingredients and tell them I grew them outside and the customer would be wowed just the same. It’s a lot more of a challenge, it’s a lot more work, but we want to bring this experience to the customer.”
It also takes a village to fully commit to the farm-to-table culture. “I have an incredible team,” Chef Dunton said. “If I didn’t have chefs that were on board, I wouldn’t be able to be passionate about it.”
And, in the end, Chef Dunton believes it’s well worth it.
“It’s amazing to walk out there and have that serenity, to feel it and smell it and to see the excitement of the guests as they’re walking by and asking, ‘Do you actually use this in the restaurants?’ To have that pride in telling them the restaurant that it’s in. To see their face again in the restaurant that night and have it go from actual farm to table. The whole experience is very exciting. It’s what sets us apart from other resorts in Orlando.”
Experience Emma’s Creekside Farm at Rosen Shingle Creek
Regardless of when you come to visit, there will always be something flourishing in Emma’s Creekside Farm. Chef Dunton invites you to wander through the garden, taking in the sights and smells of this beautifully cultivated patch of earth.
Valued guests of Rosen Shingle Creek should make a point of visiting this quiet culinary haven to experience firsthand the passion and respect poured into this plot of land. Then, dine at Cala Bella or A Land Remembered to enjoy the literal fruits of the labors of Chef Dunton and his incredible team.
We already know you’ll see the difference when you stay at Rosen Shingle Creek; now come to taste the difference, too.
