This New Resort Can Teach Your Kids Farm-To-Table Cooking

Forbes

17-04-2025

The Tudor mansion at Pendry Natirar in Somerset County, NJ.
Courtesy Montage Hotels & Resorts
It wasn't in the spa, covered head to toe in skin-toning jasmine and rose-infused mud. Or cozied up to the fireplace with an ice cold martini in the Great Room. Or on a morning hike along the Raritan River, which curls around the American Tudor estate originally built by the oil heiress Kate Ladd and her husband Walter in 1912, and recently reopened as a luxury resort called Pendry Natirar.
It was the sight of a huge glass jar, filled with dingy brown water and rotting banana peels, stewing in the bottom of a canary yellow Jeep that made me realize this place—and the woman who drives it—is the real deal.
'Let it sit for 48 hours. The potassium will revive pretty much any plant that's struggling,' says Melinda Hopkins, the blonde haired, blue-eyed farm manager at Pendry Natirar, during a private tour of her 12-acre turf. On her watch, the farm at Natirar (an anagram for the Raritan river) has been lovingly cultivated and coaxed into life, and now produces hundreds of varieties of fruits and vegetables, every herb you can imagine, 150 free-range chickens, an apiary buzzing with honey-making bees, and a friendly flock of sheep. As a guest, that means you can eat farm fresh eggs in the restaurants, take home jars of honey, herb bouquets and wildflower soaps, and come away with a clearer idea about how to grow your own garden.
The Farm at Natirar is entering peak season now.
Courtesy Montage Hotels & Resorts
Revival is just the right word. When Alan Fuerstman, the CEO of Montage International, and property owners Bob and Kim Wojtowicz announced the opening of Pendry Natirar late last year, the land that once lured wealthy business tycoons and socialites of the roaring 20s into its gilded mansions quickly became the new weekend getaway for well-heeled New Yorkers seeking respite from a harsh winter. It was welcomed as the 'Downton Abbey of New Jersey' — despite being, well… Jersey. Though the property hasn't completely shaken its Wolf of Wall Street sheen (especially when yellow Lamborghinis are parked in the mansion's gravel driveway in front of eager teenage valet drivers), it is a full-fledged luxury resort with the potential to enter the ranks of America's great estate hotels.
Already, Pendry's entrance on the scene rivals Wildflower Farms' programming in New York's Hudson valley, and offers a more approachable alternative to Chef Dan Barber's overly-commercialized Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Tarrytown.
Melinda Paige Hopkins, farm manager at Pendry Natirar.
Jennifer Leigh Parker
The question is whether Pendry Natirar can turn its 500 acres of parkland into an agritourism destination without losing the natural, homegrown kick-the-tires charm it now possesses. If Hopkins gets her druthers, Pendry's working farm will become the main event, attracting families who want to learn the art of regenerative farming, gardening, and cooking at the cooking school inside the property's Ninety Acres restaurant.
As a parent myself, the idea that there is a place within driving distance that can teach my little one how to grow food and cook it is like a balm in an over-processed, plastic packaged Gilead. The good news is that it's already happening.
Inside the Cooking School at Ninety Acres restaurant.
Jennifer Leigh Parker
Peak farm season, from now through to November, is really the best time to visit Pendry Natirar. There is a "Calendar of Classes" to choose from, including 'Farmer for the Day' tours. The cooking school offers themed classes or private events for up to 40 guests, including kid's birthdays. There are also complimentary 30-minute farm tours on Tuesday-Saturday at 9:30am, or guests can book a more in-depth, regenerative farming lesson for $95 a person.
At Pendry, 'wellness' is not just a spa treatment or farm-to-table marketing. It's a way of life that starts with food. And Hopkins is a natural advocate. 'We're completely organic and sustainable. I have an amazing agricultural community around me that supports what's going on up here. They're kind of champing at the bit to be able to do more educational programs and lectures to teach sustainability practices,' she says, sharing her ambition to make Pendry 'the agricultural destination' of Somerset County.
Strolling through the greenhouse filled with the scent of fresh basil, chives, garlic, oregano, thyme, and leek, I'm mostly just thinking about lunch. (Produce from the farm and herb garden supplies the kitchens at Ladd's Tavern in the main hotel and Ninety Acres, the upscale seasonal restaurant down the hill).
'We're experimenting with a lot of lettuce varieties. We've got romaine, sorrel, mustard leaf, red romaine, arugulas, russian kale, and our swiss chard is in the greenhouse now. We also grow corn; It's a totally different variety from sweet corn. That's why you can pop it,' she says, her smile widening from ear to ear, as one of her sheep bounds over to say hello. 'It's going to become a hotel amenity where you get the corn and are taught how to pop it right on the cob without shucking it off. I give it to the kids, but it makes the 40 year olds just as happy.'
Inside the spa at Pendry Natirar
Courtesy Montage Hotels & Resorts
Teaching kids how to cook and eat whole foods, while helping adults relearn healthy habits, is driving a serious growth trend in travel.
In 2024, the North American agritourism market generated approximately $3.75 billion in revenue and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.4% through 2030, according to Grand View Research. This is happening in the broader context of increased demand for 'experiential travel' and sustainable tourism. In the U.S., agritourism is going to play a key role, if the dollar weakens, it is fair to expect more Americans will travel domestically. And seek out the best ways to do it.
In this regard, New Jersey is setting a good example. With nearly 250,000 acres of preserved agricultural farmland, travelers have plenty of options, such as strawberry picking at Melick's Town Farm, or visiting local family-owned wineries like Old York Cellars and Beneduce Vineyards.
Hoteliers should take note. Too many hotels and resorts these days declare themselves 'wellness' properties simply because there is a small herb garden, a juice bar, or a few massage tables. In today's luxury wellness market, where longevity labs and resort-clinic hybrids are offering hydrotherapy spas, IV treatments and DNA repair, short cuts just won't cut it. Today's sophisticated travelers are well aware of the mileage on their plates. When a property has access to a working farm, with the ability to hire skilled farmers, it immediately raises the caliber of its food and beverage operation. Imagine, instead of a calorie count, your dish could display the fact that your heirloom tomatoes didn't travel a few hundred miles, but just a few feet.
Directionally, at least, this is where eco-conscious wellness travel is headed.
As we wind down our farm tour, we say our goodbyes and I mentally make plans to jar my own banana water (which later perk up my peonies), Hopkins leaves me with this thought: 'People come here to learn how to take care of themselves and how to be healthy. Yes, we want to do that with our eating and being outside and all that. But it's about taking care of the planet too, right? We should be proud that we figured out ways to do that, and we should have fun doing it. A healthy lifestyle doesn't mean punishing ourselves. We're not monks. Let's teach the next generation to make it fun.'
Melinda Hopkins teaches sustainable farming techniques at Pendry Natirar.
Jennifer Leigh Parker