a day ago
5 Farm-to-Table Resorts Every Food Traveler Should Know About
Farm tour at Castle Hot Springs in Arizona.
There's a quiet revolution happening in the world of luxury travel—and it's sprouting straight from the ground up. Across the globe, hotels and resorts are rethinking what it means to serve a truly unforgettable meal. These resorts with on-site farms or greenhouses are asking chefs to get dirty (literally), bringing fresh, sustainable, hyper-local ingredients to the center of the dining experience. And trust me—you can taste the difference.
A food lovers delight awaits at Castle Hot Springs, just an hour north of Phoenix.
Castle Hot Springs, Morrisville, Arizona
Take Arizona's Castle Hot Springs, a wellness resort with incredible natural hot springs, the state's only Via Ferrata and a robust culinary program about an hour north of Phoenix, for example. Chef Chris Knouse isn't just running the kitchen—he's helping run the farm. "Having the produce you want at the freshest possible quality is every chef's dream," he says. "Our vision for our farm and culinary program is simultaneously evolving through sustainable practices. We are finding the perfect balance of give and take to keep each other flourishing."
At this resort, the farm isn't just for show. With over 200 plant varieties growing at any given time, the farmers and chefs are talking daily—like, every day—to keep things humming. "It takes the whole team to follow through with the plan," Knouse says. And when that plan works? You can taste it. The tomatoes, grown in mineral-rich soil and spring-fed water, come out bursting with flavor. 'It's almost as if they're pre-seasoned,' he adds. How cool is that?
Dairy Flat lodge with a farm that sources Lake House restaurants.
Lake House and Dairy Flat, Daylesford, Australia
And Castle Hot Springs isn't alone in this. Over in Daylesford, Australia, Lake House has a full-on working farm called Dairy Flat—the lifeblood of its award-winning Two Chefs Hats restaurant. Co-owner and culinary director Alla Wolf-Tasker and her team pulls heirloom veggies and herbs straight from the garden into the kitchen. The 38-acre farm also includes a five-acre vineyard, 300 tree orchard and bee hives.
'We ensure that our plantings favour the beautiful pollinators at Dairy Flat Farm,' says Wolf-Tasker. 'Just like them, when we work together in harmony and with the rhythms of nature, … and deliver great experiences.' Guests are invited to wander the gardens, join sourdough baking classes, and basically geek out on where their food comes from.
Rows of seasonal abundance at Babylonstoren in South Africa, where edible gardens meet Cape Dutch ... More farm charm—and every harvest tells a story.
Babylonstoren, Simondium, South Africa
On a Cape Dutch farm dating back to 1692, Babylonstoren in South Africa's Franschhoek wine valley has over 300 types of edible and medicinal plants on 1,500 acres. 'We build our menu around what comes from the farm and garden,' says Executive Chef Schalk Vlok of Babel, the resort's fine dining restaurant. 'The produce dictates what we cook and reflects the current season.' You can immerse yourself in the rhythms of farm life with a daily guided walk through the orchards and up the koppie, where sweeping views and fragrant fynbos await. Explore the working farm by bike or on foot, pass serene Chianina cattle, or join the early morning buffalo tour to witness milking and indulge in fresh water buffalo dairy at breakfast. Or, harvest fruit and vegetables with the chefs, bake alongside the farm's artisan baker and discover the magic of essential oil distillation in the Scented Room. Basically, a stay at Babylonstoren is like very refined Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory for food travelers.
Babel restaurant at Babylonstoren.
'The inspiration one gets from the garden is something, I think, that every chef dreams about,' says Vlok about working with Babylonstoren's farm garden. 'At Babylonstoren, every single person here shares the same passion for the ingredients and produce we use. This is what inspires me and everyone in the kitchen on a daily basis – the shared passion for what we offer.'
SingleThread, Healdsburg, California
Back in the U.S., SingleThread Farm, Restaurant and Inn in Healdsburg, California, might be the most refined example of this movement. Chef Kyle Connaughton and his wife Katina (the farmer half of the duo) manage a 24-acre farm to create a stunning Japanese-inspired, 10-course tasting menu that's earned them three Michelin stars (Sonoma's only three-star) and well-deserved cult status.
The creative duo behind SingleThread's incredible success: Chef Kyle and Katina Connaughton.
'Our menu is a reflection of that day on the farm, guests are really experiencing the seasonality of that exact moment in time throughout their meal,' says chef Connaughton."The farm dictates every creative decision we make in the kitchen." And the farm's bounty looks downright red-carpet glamorous on every dish at SingleThread.
Produce from the farm as art at SingleThread restaurant in Healdsburg, California.
If you're staying at the SingleThread Inn, don't miss the Japanese style two-course breakfast or the in-room hot pot Donabe dinner, both are 'wish you were here' write-home worthy.
The farm map at Castle Hot Springs where no inch goes unused to provide Harvest restaurant with the ... More freshest produce.
Back at Castle Hot Springs, the farming program is just hitting its stride. Since reopening in 2019, the property's agricultural team, led by Arizonan agronomist Ian Beger, has cultivated over 200 varieties of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and florals each season, including 30 heirloom tomato varieties. Heritage corn and watermelon are next on Knouse's wishlist, while current crops like celery are presenting creative challenges. "It has a slightly more bitter aftertaste," he says, thanks to soaking up minerals from the soil and water. But pickling it or using it in broths has unlocked surprising new flavors.
Chef Chris Knouse on the farm, harvesting in-season produce for the menu at Castle Hot Springs, ... More Morrisville, Arizona.
At Castle's Harvest restaurant, you'll get to experience Chef Knouse's wildly creative talents with the ever-changing tasting menu. The starters, soups and salads, are where he—and the freshly-plucked produce—shine. Think fire-roasted coconut curry squash bisque or a Tatsoi green salad topped with caper berries, pickled onions, sweet corn sourdough croutons and basil pine nut vinaigrette. And it's not just about the food—Level 2 sommelier Sarah Foote, formerly of French Laundry, pairs it all with rare wines. Opt for the 'Sarah's choice' wine pairing—a globe-trotting, oenophilic adventure. And don't miss their signature lithium-infused lager—brewed with mineral-rich hot spring water and only on tap for lucky guests. Cocktails are next level as well, with deft bartenders allowing the garden to govern what's in the glass—like the Medicine Man featuring Thai basil, lemongrass, lemon and ginger all grown on property mixed with Frenet and Licor 53.
Cocktails are just as culinary focused as the nightly tasting menu at Castle Hot Springs.
During the day, double down on a foodie-focused getaway with a Farm-to-Bar mixology class (often using foraged Sonoran desert ingredients like prickly pear), wine tasting led by Foote, an agave spirit tasting or a farm tour.
Besides being in a state of enlightened bliss from the rhapsody of flavors, another reason to check out these dirt-to-dish resorts is the sustainability factor. "We utilize 100% of all our farm products—whether they are used fresh, dried for preservation, or even used to feed our chickens," Knouse says.
Los Poblanos, Los Ranchos, New Mexico
In Los Ranchos, New Mexico, Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm—a historic 1930s dairy farm turned dreamy resort— is doing the same thing: growing what they serve at their James Beard-winning Campo restaurant, composting what's left or feeding it the farm animals, like alpacas, and letting nothing go to waste. Lavender, with 25 acres of a Grosso lavender hybrid grown on the property, dictates much of offerings at the restaurant, gift shop and bakery at Los Poblanos, from lavender scones and soap to lavender gin and cocktails, like Lavender '99 (a tribute to the year 1999 when lavender was planted) of Los Poblanos gin, Crème de Violette, lemon juice, and lavender simple syrup and topped with sparkling wine.
Lavender harvest at Los Poblanos in Los Ranchos, New Mexico.
Campo's head chef Christopher Bethoney and his team goes out on the farm to weed or harvest every day before service as a way of connecting with the farm and each other. 'It's a great opportunity for guests to stop and chat or sample the harvest before enjoying it on the Campo menu,' explains Sarah Sheesley, Los Poblanos' director of marketing.
Chef Christopher Bethoney harvesting salad greens for Campo's menu at Los Poblanos in New ... More Mexico.
What really sets these places apart, though, is the guest experience. From farm tours to tasting produce straight from the ground, it's a full-sensory connection to the soul and terroir of the place. "You get to see how the chef reimagines it and pairs it with other flavors," Knouse says. "It connects a lot of dots."
In a world craving authentic, sustainable, wellness-focused travel, chef-driven farm luxury hotels are checking all the boxes. And this isn't just another TikTok food fad—these resorts featuring chef-driven farming represents long-term shifts in how hospitality thinks about ingredients, guest connection, and the planet.
"I would love to see more chef-driven farms," Knouse says. "Or at the very least, a better way for farmers and chefs to communicate with each other."
Same here. And with more resorts turning to the soil for inspiration, the future of travel tastes very, very good.
