At Farmhouse, Executive Farmer Nathan Peitso mines his family’s deep roots in Southern California’s agricultural community to create the ultimate farm-to-table experience in Los Angeles
Peitso draws on his knowledge of seasons and crops from his own Kenter Canyon Farms to create menus that spotlight all-natural ingredients at their peak, which rotate with the seasons. Think earthy squash, crisp baby romaine, ripe heirloom tomatoes, sweet melons, delicate peas, and so much more, paired with responsibly raised meat and poultry, as well as sustainable seafood. The Farmhouse raises the standard for farm-to-table and, in effect, all of fine dining for discerning palates.
The Farmhouse not only espouses seasonal, locally sourced dining, Peitso also supports the ethical farming standards that he grew to know during his childhood. Peitso comes from a heritage of conscientious farming, with his mother Andrea Crawford supplying custom crops to culinary pioneers such as Alice Waters and Wolfgang Puck. In essence, Peitso witnessed the farm-to-table revolution take hold, and he now carries on the tradition. Peitso has taken the knowledge his mother nurtured at Kenter Canyon Farms and turned that expertise into carefully crafted menus that acutely mirror the region’s seasonal specialties.
Much like how his mother provided greens to restaurants, Peitso acts as a conduit, offering dishes made with only top-quality ingredients from hand-picked farms and artisans.
You can think of Peitso as a conduit, building a bridge between top-quality ingredients from specially chosen farms and artisans to the Farmhouse’s guests. As such, months ahead of each season’s rotating menu, Peitso works with numerous local farms and purveyors to select seeds and varieties of produce, including some ingredients exclusive to the Farmhouse.
As Peitso notes, “We operate in such an exciting time here in Southern California. Looking back to the ’70s and ’80s, whether here or in France, the culinary world experienced a significant turning point with a larger focus on utilizing fresh ingredients. Now, the revolution is evolving once again, as seen in the demand for quality over volume and low pricing, opening up opportunities for small farms to impact how we eat today.
Because the ingredients are planted and harvested at the optimal time, Peitso can offer a straightforward presentation, often simply grilled over a wood fire or an oven, to bring out the flavor profile. You can count on the Farmhouse philosophy of the less manipulation, the better.
This approach also extends to the Farmhouse bakery, where Peitso partners with his family’s Roan Mills Bakery for every stage, starting with planting and perfecting the heirloom wheat and followed by carefully calibrated milling techniques. Peitso and Crawford grow variations of wheat for flavor, not for volume. For example, the restaurant’s pasta flour incorporates a specially sifted durum wheat, an ancient grain, using a process that mother and son fine-tuned to their exacting standards.
On the bakery side, the Farmhouse serves brioche daily, using California’s Sonora Gold. This highly popular wheat is beloved for its deep, nutty flavor. The Farmhouse utilizes a meticulous milling process to produce a delicate, light flour that goes into the restaurant’s burger buns and other delicacies.
“For me, Farmhouse represents and is inspired by the farming, milling, and baking of my mother,” Peitso states. “In my eyes, Farmhouse firmly captures the lessons passed down from mother to son; generation to generation.”
These teachings are on display and in practice every night at the Farmhouse, and discerning, conscientious diners are more than welcome to join in.
For more information about Farmhouse, go to farmhousela.com
Free valet parking in the Beverly Center
8509 W 3rd Street, at the corner of La Cienega
(310) 818-4925
