VERSAILLES — On Saturday, Sept. 14, the Versailles FFA Alumni and Versailles FFA hosted a brand new event entitled a Home Harvest Dinner – A Farm to Fork event. Over 100 individuals enjoyed a meal, entertainment and presentations from local Versailles FFA members and community members sharing their knowledge about the local products they produce.

The goal of this event was to promote production agriculture in Versailles and surrounding communities in addition to highlighting experiences and products our FFA members partake in and produce. The evening started at the North Star Community Center with appetizers which included cheese from Pearl Valley Cheese, summer sausage from Winner Meats, apples from Downing Fruit Farm and deviled eggs that featured maple/honey bacon glaze with cinnamon crunch cereal. The eggs were provided by Versailles FFA members Josie Pothast and Ben and Blake Pitsenbarger. During the appetizers guests could listen to Versailles FFA Sentinel Greta Broering who entertained the group with her wonderful vocal display of singing. During the appetizers guests had the opportunity to visit displays of Versailles FFA members and businesses that supplied products for the meal. Miss Bergman’s Food Science and Technology class made the deviled eggs. A special thanks to Mason DeMange for providing the MC for the event.

Versailles FFA and FFA Alumni partnered with Butcher Block-Blake & Lucy Schmitmeyer, Paige’s Patch-Paige Gehret, Barga Goat Farm-Eden and Liam Barga, Downing Fruit and Vegetable Farm-Scott Downing, Down Home Farms-Maggie, Gabe & Patrick McGlinch, Grogean’s Honey-Lauren Grogean, Smith’s Honey-Hank Smith, flowers from the Pollinator Patch-Janelle Weiss and eggs from Josie Pothast and Blake and Ben Pitsenbarger. The meal included Farmers Basket Salad which included hydroponics lettuce grow by Hydrogrowers of Pleasant Hill, the salad included eggs from Josie Pothast and Ben and Blake Pitsenbarger, bacon from Winner Meats, cherry tomatoes from FFA member Isley DeMange and Karnidy Mertz. During the salad guests enjoyed delicious homemade sourdough bread from VHS teacher Brittany Harman and herb and honey butter made by Miss Bergman’s Food Science and Technology Classes. The bread was served in hand carved wooden bowls from Versailles FFA member Danica York’s SAE. Homemade ranch dressing and raspberry vinaigrette dressing were used on the salads with honey in the dressing from Hank Smith and Lauren Grogean.

The salad was followed by a homemade Apple and Pumpkin Bisque soup that was created by Chief Chris Campbell and assisted by Versailles FFA members. The soup featured pumpkins grown by Versailles FFA member Paige Gehret and apples from Downing Fruit Farms of New Madison. The main entrees included a choice of a 12 oz Ribeye or Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken along with Chef’s Choice of Vegetables. The ribeye’s were grown by Versailles FFA members Blake and Lucy Schmitmeyer and butchered at the Butcher Block which is owned by their parents Matt and Liz Schmitmeyer and serves as Blake and Lucy’s SAE of job placement. The other main entrée was Hawaiian Huli Huli with Chicken grown by Maggie, Patrick and Gabe McGlinch and serves as their SAE. The chickens were also butchered by Versailles FFA members along with the McGlinch and Matt Aultman family. The sauce for the chicken contained honey coming from Hank Smith and Laura Grogrean SAE’s. Potatoes, cabbage, sweet corn and winter squash was served with the main entrée with the produce coming from Downing Fruit Farm.

A naked vanilla cake made by Versailles FFA member parent Sandy Bergman was served with fresh fruit and homemade vanilla goat ice cream from Eden and Liam Barga’s SAE of goats which concluded the 4 course meal.

North Star community center was decorated with a variety of pumpkins and gourds supplied by Paige Gehret’s SAE along with mums from Carson DeMange Versailles FFA member who SAE’s is job placement at Star Greenhouse. The tables were decorated with beautiful flower arrangements with the Dahlia’s and Zinnia being grown by community member Janell Weiss. Flowers and the backdrop decorations were also provided by Susan Ballinger of Nature’s Reflections. Thank you to Chuck and Kelly Smith for providing the wooden pallet backdrop. Mrs Wuebker’s greenhouse management class arranged the flower arrangements and made succulent pumpkins that were used as decorations and door prizes. Jackie Krember provided the chapter with free lien tablecloths.

Chris Campbell, the Executive Chef at Merchant House designed the recipes and Versailles FFA members assisted with cooking the meal. Jeff Wuebker of Wuebker Farms grilled the meat. A special thank you to Chris Campbell for sharing his talents with the guest and Wuebker Farms for the grill.

After the dinner, Versailles FFA members shared information about their products and SAE with the guests. Those members presenting included: Paige Gehert, Blake Schmitmeyer, Lucy Schmitmeyer, Patrick McGlinch, Gabe McGlinch, Jim Grogean, Hank Smith, Janelle Weiss, Joise Pothast, Eden Barga and Ben Pitsenbarger and Blake Pitsenbarger.

A special thank you to the sponsors of the the event which included: North Star Hardware & Implement Co., The Andersons, Darke County Farm Bureau, Park National Bank, Weaver Eggs, Phelan Insurance Agency Inc., The Butcher Block and Smokehouse, Bruns Animal Clinic, Hartzell Flower Farm, Greenville National Bank and North Star Plumbing and Heating. Thank you to all the community members all who attended and supported this event. Thank you is extended to all the Versailles FFA members that assisted with planning and carrying out this brand new event. A special thank you is extended to Butcher Block-Matt and Liz Schmitmeyer for donating the ribeyes for the event and to Hank Smith and Jim Grogean for donating the honey.