Our Chefs & Our Team
Jonathan is the creator and co-founder of Dinners at the Farm and chef/owner of River Tavern Restaurant in Chester, Conn. He opened the River Tavern in 2001 to rave reviews for both the simple, careful and always changing menu and for the uniquely stylish interior that he designed with the help of his father Tom Rapp. Since then, River Tavern has become a hub of neighborhood activity and continues to enjoy an ever-widening appeal. Creating Dinners at the Farm was Jonathan’s way of viscerally connecting his restaurant guests with his philosophy of sourcing local ingredients for his popular menus. He thought, “Why not just cook right on the farm.” And in 2007 that’s exactly what he did. In addition to his work at the restaurant and on Dinners at the Farm, Jonathan has been helping to spearhead several community initiatives that support his belief of eating fresh and local food. Early on Jonathan partnered with the Connecticut Department of Agriculture to help shape their Farm-to-Chef program and along with Drew partnered with the area school district’s Wellness Committee to prepare a series of freshly cooked lunches at the local elementary schools. The initiative introduced children to the delicious and wholesome possibilities of freshly cooked local food long before Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign. He has since been “adopted” by Region Four School District as their local, professional chef assisting with ideas for a healthier school food programs. He is currently working with other local food activists maintaing the Chester Sunday Market he helped create in 2009 in Chester, Conn., and developing plans for a community farm. Jonathan lives in Deep River, with his wife Jeanie and two children, Tommy and Teddy. For more information about the restaurant visit RiverTavernRestaurant.com.
Chef Thomas Peterlik is the former Culinary Director of Yale University and is now the Food Service Director for Regional School District Four. He is working to incorporate farm fresh cuisine into the District’s school lunch program. A native of Austria, he graduated with honors from Austria’s prestigious Berufschule Salzburg with a degree in culinary arts. He also earned a Food & Beverage diploma from Cornell University. He’s traveled the globe as Executive chef for two of the world’s best cruise lines, the Silver Seas and Silverwind which fostered his love for "Food Vacations." In his former position at Yale he used local products and created seasonal menus with zeal all the while searching for new products and combinations of products. His passion is to share his experience and knowledge. With his career as the Food Service Director for Region Four and his involvement with Dinners at the Farm he is active and committed in the teaching and promotion of sustainability. He lives in Deep River, with his wife Amy Forbes and two children.
Michelle Parr Paulson
From the day Jonathan Rapp said, “I’d like to host a dinner on a farm,” Michelle Paulson, public relations and marketing consultant, has been responsible for the initial coordination of Dinners at the Farm and promoting all aspects of the event from website creation, to print materials, photography and to obtaining press coverage and interviews in local, statewide and national media including Connecticut Magazine, Associated Press, Time Magazine, BusinessWeek, New York Times, Bon Appetit, Cooking Channel’s Unique Eats and more...see our press page. She also serves with both Jonathan and Thomas in the Dept. of Agriculture’s Farm-to-Chef program and works to help promote that initiative as a means to help position Connecticut as a leading force in the local food movement. Michelle lives in Chester with her husband Scott and two sons.
Farm Dinner Cook Truck
Our 1955 Ford-F600 cook truck started life out as a fire truck in Salem, Massachusetts. It enjoys its new life lumbering from farm to farm and allowing our chefs to cook outstanding, just harvested food from each of the farms she visits. She’s equipped with a fully functioning, galley-like kitchen that includes a six-burner stove, grill, stainless steel prep table, sink and refrigeration. With our mobile kitchen, we’re able to cook all the food onsite, that day; beginning as early as 9:00 a.m. through to the last course served around 9:30 p.m. She’s a true gem and clearly the star of our popular dinners. Be sure to rub her shiny red hood for good luck.
Kathy Stephenson
Kathy Stephenson joined the farm dinner team as an original volunteer at our very first farm dinner. She loved the experience so much she became a permanent member from that day forward. She is now the Farm Dinner Manager keeping the whole operation running smoothly.... an incredible feat she handles with ease and lots of humor. She is also known for her amazing baking skills! Kathy lives in Old Lyme with her husband Gene and two children.
Amy Dyer
Amy is our cheery guest coordinator and the first person you’ll meet when you arrive at a farm dinner. She happily greets you, takes your name and escorts you to your assigned seat. She plays an important behind-the-scenes-roll too as she gets to create the seating chart, fields questions regarding dietary needs and is usually responsible for arranging the lovely flowers at each of the tables. When a guest has questions or concerns Amy is your gal. Amy lives in Chester with her husband Justin and their son.
