Local Flavor

thoughts on current and future potential safety measures. By polling a large handful of frequent guests, they hoped to understand what would make us most comfortable in choosing to make reservations.

In the end, the newest safety measures encouraged by the guests include requiring masks in the cabin when not seated at your table and showing proof of vaccination.

“If we take seriously the necessary precautions and work to get guests’ buy-in on the precautions ahead of time, our dinners o er an opportunity for them to put the pandemic behind them for a few hours and enjoy the company of family and friends, old and new,” says Ford. e couple knew that not everyone would agree with the decision, but rst and foremost, ensuring the safety of their Living Kitchen family and guests is the priority. Fortunately, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, with dinners lling up as quickly as before. Some guests who had been reluctant to visit this season due to pandemic-related concerns have now made reservations, knowing that the extra measures are in place.

If you have never experienced one of these beautiful evenings just a short drive from both Tulsa and Oklahoma City, I highly recommend it. You can also visit their restaurant FarmBar in Tulsa.

October reservations are available online. November reservations open Sat, Oct. 2 at 9 a.m. December reservations open Sat., Nov. 6 at 9 a.m. For more information, visit livingkitchenfarmanddairy.com. For reservations, visit exploretock.com/livingkitchen. AMANDA JANE SIMCOE

Left: During dinners at Living Kitchen, guests can enjoy walk-throughs of the farm.

Below: The summer salad is a well-loved dish at Living Kitchen. Photos courtesy Living Kitchen

TASTE | LOCAL FLAVOR

VELDY’S ARTISAN CHEESE AND WINE

Stealthily leaving her house long before dawn, the rural Texas grass still wet with dew, 17-year old Erica would meet her boyfriend (and future husband) Jared Veldhuizen and drive to the 5:15 a.m. milking at his parents’ dairy farm.

“ e cows have it easy,” she recalls. “ ey roam in big pastures and they’d recognize us. ey knew Jared was their best friend.” e members of the Veldhuizen family, on the other hand, don’t have it easy. ere’s always something to do – seeding the pastures, making the cheese, chasing down runaway cows – and they work straight through ‘til evening, milking 12 hours later.

“And there are no holidays,” says Erica. “But I fell in love with the farm life. Jared was the answer to my prayers.”

It’s not an ordinary farm: Veldhuizen cheeses have won many well-deserved awards. Made from raw milk so heat doesn’t damage the delicate proteins, the cheeses are aged in “the cave,” an underground room dug into a hillside, for anywhere between 2 months to 5 years. ere are so many cheeses to choose from. ere’s Paragon, aged for three months. en Redneck Cheddar, made with stout from a microbrewery and aged 18 months or longer. ere are sheep’s milk cheeses, too.

When the Veldhuizens moved to Tulsa, they decided to open a shop selling their family cheeses, along with charcuterie plates and wine. It’s also an event center – you can have your wedding there. Sadly, Jared died a few months ago, but his brother Jesse has moved up from Texas and Veldy’s has carried on the legacy.

“Our family all works together to make something beautiful,” says Erica. “And we’re proud of our cheese; it’s so good and it’s ethically made. And when I say we all work, that includes the cows. ey’re part of our family.” 2439 E. 11th St., Tulsa; veldystulsa.com BRIAN SCHWARTZ

Photo courtesy Veldy’s Artisan Cheese and Wine