Hosting NATGA: A Day Among the Truffles

We recently welcomed the North American Truffle Growers Association to the estate for a day built around the orchard we've spent years bringing to life. We led a tour through our ten-acre truffle orchard, walking guests through the full arc of establishing it: the choices we'd make again, the lessons we learned the hard way, and the advice we'd pass on to anyone planting their own.

From there, the day moved into the kitchen. Chef Eric Anderson, whose résumé includes The French Laundry, Coi, and Four Seasons, donated his time to craft a spread of appetizers created around our black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) and summer truffle (Tuber aestivum), giving guests a real feel for how each variety shines on the plate.

We closed with a truffle hunting demonstration led by Raul Deoiz of TrufDog, a trainer who runs his own orchard in Spain and brought a working dog's-eye view of the harvest. It was a day that had something for everyone in the room, from growers just getting started to those who've been at it for decades, and we're already looking forward to the next one.