Founded in 1999 by artist and chef Jim Denevan as a unique alternative to standard dining, Outstanding in the Field is a roving restaurant with headquarters in a red retro bus.
“Rather than source ingredients for a restaurant, we bring our restaurant to the source,” said Denevan. Since its inception, Outstanding in the Field has visited all fifty U.S. states and fifteen countries around the globe. Making stops at farms, beaches and more, an outdoor restaurant pops up in the morning and disappears at night with each new location.
Each dining experience begins with a reception of drinks and appetizers before the main course. Outstanding in the Field is joined at each event by a guest chef who artistically utilizes seasonal, local crops. In the weeks leading up to the event, the guest chef designs the multi-course menu based on the freshest regional ingredients. Therefore, the experience is best for adventurous eaters, as the menu is a surprise. Furthermore, a carefully selected wine pairs each course of the meal.
No matter the meal nor the location, the team aims to “connect diners to the origins of their food while celebrating the hardworking hands that feed us.” The hands include “farmers, chefs, fisherpeople, cheesemakers, vintners, brewers, and many more”.
While the dining experience is only momentary, its ephemerality heightens the celebration of human connection. Outstanding in the Field is a roving restaurant that brings friends and strangers together at one table in order to “share the most fundamental and universal human conversation: a meal”.
To learn more about Outstanding in the Field, click the link below.
