Every year, Certified American Grown hosts a multitude of American Grown Field to Vase Dinners across the United States. These events are held at beautiful flower farms that place seasonal, local, and sustainable American Grown Flowers at the center of each table and serve locally grown food prepared by a farm-to-table chef along with beer and wine. The focus of the dinner tour is on the flowers, the farms, and the guests, which makes for quite a magical experience!

I was asked to be the floral designer for the Field to Vase Dinner held at at Green Door Gourmet in October. I happily said yes and gathered a band of Team Flower Members together to create an atmosphere of colorful serenity—using flowers and foliage straight from Green Door Gourmet!

Behind the scenes we had an amazing group of Team Flower members who color blocked, arranged and set up a 160 foot farm table brimming with artichoke foliage, okra, dahlias, cosmos, amaranthus, marigolds, globe amaranth, zinnias, celocia and sweet potato vine. The farm worked so incredibly hard to provide us with beautiful items to design with. We also had some amazing American Grown roses. I did sample demonstrations early in the day and let members take the lead on implementing designs with support as needed. It was fun time with lovely people, connection and teamwork in action!

The evening began with drinks and appetizers as guests arrived and explored the farm, admiring the natural beauty around them. The dinner was exquisite! Comprised of locally sourced meats and veggies, no one left unsatisfied. Best of all was the company. There’s nothing quite like gathering with others who love what you love and are passionate about what you’re passionate about. Laughter and conversation filled the air as old friends came together and new friends were made. It was a magical evening indeed!

Visit here to see the video recap of this magical evening.

You, too, can take part in a Field to Vase Dinner! This year’s tour has been announced and can be found here. Be sure to secure your spot before they’re all gone!

If you’re interested in American Grown Flowers and have questions or would like to be a part of the organization, contact Kasey Cronquist at kasey@americangrownflowers.org. You can also hear more about the organization and understanding the floral industry on the Team Flower podcast episode featuring Kasey himself!

A big thank you to this Team Flower group who came together to support American Grown Flowers with me! At 6 months pregnant in very warm conditions, this would have been an impossible task without you. All the love!

P.S. If you have link to add, just reach out.

- Kelly

Kristin from @everbloomdesignmemphis
Gaye & Tammy from @tulipsandtwigs
Whitney from @emeraldevv
Shannon from @wanderingtrailsfarm
Kelly from @grace_ gardens_bham
Lee from @goldenrodgardens
Diane from @diane_brown2017
Joanna
Helen & Kathy