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f a l l 2 0 1 6 | 5 3 SO MANY RESTAURANTS TODAY—particularly in the produce-rich state of California—tout their farm-to-table ethos on their daily printed menus, but it's not always easy to understand what farm-to-table repre- sents outside of what's on your dish. I'm often reminded of the inaugural episode of sketch comedy show Portlandia, in which Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein play restaurant diners who are so concerned about the menu's heritage free-range chicken (named Colin, natch) that they leave mid-meal to venture up to the farm 30 miles away to make sure he was raised humanely. It's a comedy gold moment, but also indica- tive of the way we view local, organically-sourced produce: excellent in concept, often overwrought in practice. So when offered the chance to travel to the well-known-among-Los- Angeles-chefs Coleman Family Farms, I jumped at the opportunity to see what's really behind a farm-to-table feast (and possibly meet my very own Colin). My partner in this adventure was Chef Wes Whitsell, Head Chef of Manuela, an upcoming restaurant opening in the Hauser Wirth & Schimmel gallery in Downtown Los Angeles's Arts District. The concept behind Manuela, dubbed "California-Southern," is heavily influenced by Whitsell's upbringing, which, according to him, includes, "open fire cooking, smoking, preserving game and garden vegetables." Whitsell describes his ethos around cooking as, "trying to get the best ingredients possible, sourced with integrity, treated with respect and not disguise them. I want to go the opposite direction of the whole chef-driven game. I also want to use hyper seasonal produce, meaning you won't see a to- mato on my menu in January. I know you can find tomatoes at that time, but they aren't at their best." This pursuit of farm-fresh and seasonal ingredients led him to Cole- man Family Farms. The farm is located in Santa Barbara County's Carpenteria, a small town up the coast from Los Angeles. The farm is run by Romeo Coleman and his parents, Delia and Bill. Wes and Romeo met eight years ago at a farmer's market, and have maintained a friendly working relationship ever since. It's cultivating these types of relation- ships that Whitsell says is so important to his cooking: "My relationship with local farms is integral. I wouldn't be able to do any of this without them. I have so much respect for what they do and what they grow. What I will be cooking will come directly from their farms, so I would say my business hinges on what they do." The farm that Romeo tends to spreads over 12 acres of land; there, he grows 10 varieties of lettuce, along with Jerusalem artichokes, cilantro, edible flowers, squash and more. Romeo admits that the farm isn't "certi- fied organic; we farm organically," citing prohibitive costs as the reason for not going through the certification process. Romeo's parents look after six acres a couple miles up the coast, where the land is planted with herbs, borage, onions, arugula and even a clus- ter of banana trees near some large hen houses. It's clearly a family af- fair, as Romeo explains, laughing: "My dad started the farm with six kids, so I figured I could keep it going with my own two." The family rotates the crops every two weeks all year round to break the disease cycle, and often patches of land are left bare, while others flourish with seasonal greens, and are planted with something new once the previous crop has been harvested. Throughout the garden tour, Chef Whitsell keeps one eye on what's being grown, and the other on what will be harvested in the coming months. Although he sometimes makes requests as to what is planted, he's more than happy to work with what Romeo and other farmers give him: "Romeo Coleman and his family are constant- ly producing some of the tastiest greens you'll come across, and are always willing to put something in the ground that they might not grow, just out of a chef's wild idea." It's this symbiotic relationship between farm- ers and chefs that allows their businesses to flourish, and further proof that the farm to table concept is more than what you put on your plate, and definitely more than a comic punchline. Chef Whitsell's salad, made with ingredients from Coleman Farms: avocado, green beans marinated in mint, arugula, Anaheim chilies, fennel and fennel fronds, Thai and Italian basil, fermented radicchio, topped with a creamy ginger dressing. PHOTO: RAY KACHATORIAN PHOTO: ALEXA DILLION ■cr Wes Whitsell, Head Chef of Manuela, open- ing in Downtown Los Angeles in autumn of 2016.