At Callisto Farm last weekend, chef Woldy Reyes welcomed friends to a warm, sunlit day of earthy aromas, fine cuisine, and bleating goats (just begging for a seat at the table). Reyes, the proprietor of boutique catering company Woldy Kusina and author of cookbook In The Kusina: My Seasonal Filipino Cooking, has developed a following for his sumptuous Filipino-inspired cuisine with previous meals presented alongside Theory, Pioneer Works, and Raf’s. But none have turned farm-to-table into table-to-farm quite like this one.
Reyes’s vision of “the art of hosting,” as he calls it, was on full display in the Hudson Valley retreat between ladles of hearty beans, Hibiki, (to experience the whisky three ways throughout the day), and dishes inspired by his family recipes. The chef offered CULTURED an exclusive look at the intimate meal with a series of film snaps, captured from the first whisky pour to the last karaoke ballad. Here, he takes us through them all.
Lost in the quiet intimacy of the Callisto Farm barn, Renata, Gabrielle, and Tara were perfectly bundled and gathered, with our beloved Larry (the dog) completing the scene.
Embracing my dear friend Danielle while showing her the final touches of setting the table.
My guests were greeted by the abundance of my fall crudité, featuring miso mushroom bagoong and savory bibingka. Each sip of the Hibiki Japanese Harmony Highball is a quiet toast to our connection and the sheer, effortless harmony we share in the beautiful space.
Gabrielle settled in next to the fire pit.
So grateful for the extra set of hands—and paws! Dearest Brianna and Larry reported for duty to help finish setting the lunch table.
It was the quintessential autumnal day—a truly sublime setting to gather, share a meal, and bask in the golden, upstate sunlight at the Callisto Farmhouse.
With her grace, Blanche the dog reigned supreme as the true queen of this lunch table.
I offered each guest a comforting, warm ladle of the dashi-infused Wild Hive Farm White Navy Beans.
The menu featured some recipes from my cookbook In The Kusina: My Seasonal Filipino Cooking [including] a crisp chicory salad, fragrant garlic rice served with kaldereta (my short rib version of my dad’s tomato-based goat stew, featuring Castelvetrano olives).
Angels Maryah and Tara!
With every bite of lunch, I ensured a perfectly chilled experience: serving the Hibiki Japanese Harmony on ice spheres, its smooth character echoed by the beautiful Portable Lamp by Louis Poulsen at each table.
The goal was to capture nature’s beauty and colors, but Eny and Amalia had other plans. They completely stole the show!
Karaoke is my favorite way to bring people together; for me, that infectious joy is the real art of hosting. My go-to karaoke song is “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys.
Introducing the new Supremes, featuring Gabrielle, Tara, and Maryah!
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