In anticipation of its new geodesic dome, the Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano, the city’s 28-acre regenerative farm and education center, will debut its new Peace Portal dinner series throughout March.
Once open, the new geodesic structure, christened the Peace Dome and measuring 44 feet in diameter, will host the farm’s indoor events and culinary processes.
“Really, I like to call it meaningful conversations with people who care, and that can be anything from a meditation gathering to a speaker to an art projection on the interior walls,” said Jonathan Zaidman, the Ecology Center’s director of engagement. “The dome is really kind of sacred gathering space, and the tunnel, the ‘Peace Portal,’ leads into it.”
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As with everything on the farm, the dome will also serve a critical agricultural function, providing a protected space for drying flowers, onions, garlic or gourds. “Everything that we do is modeled around this honor and homage of agriculture and the land and then conserve a multi purpose function.”
The new Peace Portal dinner series will also offer guests a touch more comfort, ditching the al fresco dining environs for a warmer space during the end-of-winter month. “It’s an energetic offering where we gather a little bit closer,” he said. “You know, it’s not a summer night, it’s a winter gathering, so we’re covered. We’ll have this beautiful space that we have essentially redesigned and reimagined.”
Zaidman bills the new dining series and the renovated venue as “equal parts upscale and experiential and also very rustic and familial.”
For the unfamiliar, the Ecology Center’s dinner series, which take place on Fridays throughout the four seasons, invites chefs from around Southern California to host intimate, family-style feasts using ingredients grown on the farm.
The farm-to-table dinners inside the revamped venue will feature Carla and Chris Malloy of Elder Flat with chef Clark Staub of Full of Life Foods on Mar. 7; chef Michael Campbell of San Juan Capistrano’s Pacific Pearl and the new Capas on Mar. 14; chef Kyle St. John from Laguna Beach’s Harvest at The Ranch on Mar. 21; and personal chef Amanda Perez on Mar. 28 capping off the series.
Each dinner costs $175 and is limited to 60 guests, with seating from 6 until 9:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at theecologycenter.org.
Founded by Evan Marks in 2008, the Ecology Center, a nonprofit organization that hones in on environmental education and sustainability while growing a diverse bounty of fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs, with an estimated 200 different ingredients grown at any given time.
This spring, the South County-based farm will open a dedicated florist shop, as well as host a litany of events, including Grateful Shred Farm Fest, an official launch party for the Peace Dome on Mar. 9, featuring music by a Grateful Dead tribute band, dancing and more.
Find it: 32701 Alipaz St., San Juan Capistrano
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