BLAND — The Osage County Agritourism Council’s first annual farm-to-table dinner last Saturday was a smashing success. Nearly 100 people attended the event, and the food, weather, and atmosphere could not have been better.

The event was held at Prairie Star Farms, a stunning venue outside Bland, owned and operated by District 61 Rep. Bruce Sassmann and his wife, Jan.

Agritourism Council members prepared the meal using foods from Osage County, and Fatima FFA students served it.

Monica Busche and Carla Stephan served wine and hors d’oeuvres on the upper floor of the barn. Westphalia Vineyards provided wines, including the 2015 Norton Reserve, 2015 Maries River Red, and 2017 Sweet Renaissance. Mini-quiche and cucumber-tomato appetizers featured vegetables from Strope Farms. The sausage pastry puffs contained sausage from the half-hog purchased from Levi Weed at the Osage County Fair. (The other half of the hog was purchased Heritage Community Bank.)

The first dinner course was a savory butternut squash soup prepared by Ken and Mary Ann Gelven using squash grown by the Boys from Chamois. Each table also had bread baked by Christy Brandt with honey butter prepared by Linda Roberts.

The second course was an excellent roasted pear and spinach salad with pecans in a light vinaigrette dressing. Strope Farms grew the spinach, and Monica Bishy provided the pears. During the salad course, one appreciative attendee commented, “Are we still in Osage County?”

The main course featured pork loin and roast, mainly from the half-hog purchased at the fair and supplemented by a donation from Mueller Processing. The pork was served with a tangy apricot horseradish sauce made from Gelven Farm ingredients. Side dishes included corn from the Boys from Chamois, as well as the Zeilman and Gelven farms, fresh green beans from Strope Farms, and roasted carrots, sweet potatoes, onions, new potatoes, turnips, and beets from the Gelven farm, in a seasoning blend from Lavender Rhapsody.

Dessert was a selection of pies, and coffee was served afterward.

Attendees exclaimed over each delicious course, and everyone seemed to have a great time.

The evening also included a silent auction featuring food items from Osage County.

The event was planned mainly by Mary Ann and Ken Gelven, Christy Brandt, Mary Zeilman, Ginny Massman, and John Gulick, who did a fabulous job. Special thanks are also due to Angie Cole and Connie Stroup, who worked so hard in the kitchen during the event.

“When planning an event you have certain expectations, and I have to say this event exceeded my expectations, thanks to the hard work of everyone,” said M. Gelven. “At the event, we recognized the Gold Level sponsors of Osage County Agritourism, the farms or ranches on this year’s ‘Be a Tourist in Your Own County’ motorcoach tour, and showcased food produced in Osage County. Bruce and Jan Sassman were so gracious to allow Agritourism to hold the event at their farm. We appreciate so much their assistance in the planning and the night of the event.

“The Fatima FFA students and their sponsor, Alicia Carson-Peters, were so courteous and did a superb job serving the food,” Gelven continued. “They represented Osage County youth and their FFA chapter extremely well. We cannot thank them enough for giving up their Saturday evening to help at our event. A special thanks to everyone who prepared the food and those who orchestrated the serving.  A thank you to all committee members who spent months planing this event. We are certainly looking forward to next year’s farm-to-table dinner.”

Their next event will be the Christmas County Church and Cookie Trail on Dec. 13. This holiday tour will visit five country churches in Osage County. Attendees will enjoy Christmas music and decorations, as well as a brief history of each church. Dinner will be served at Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Chamois. The other four churches will provide a dozen cookies to each attendee.

For more information about the Christmas County Church and Cookie Trail, go to www.visitosagecounty.com.