A Malibou Summer Feast

It has all the essential elements of a summer season feast–farm-fresh cuisine, California wines, up-and-coming chefs, live entertainment—and it all takes place at the scenic Malibou Lake Mountain Club on June 12.

The popular venue for weddings and social events will be the backdrop for “A Summer Feast at Malibou Lake,” the first benefit put together by Out of the Box Collective, a new Agoura Hills-based business owned by Jennifer Piette.

Connecting farmers and consumers

Piette’s philosophy is, “it’s all about making connections,” whether it’s in her job as a film producer and screenwriter or in her new business of connecting local farmers to consumers like her.

Moving to California after living in Europe for over 20 years, Piette said she was pleasantly surprised by the bounty of fresh local produce and seafood. “The availability and quality of locally grown food was just jaw-dropping,” she said.

This discovery led her to launch Out of the Box Collective, a weekly home-delivery service that brings local organic produce and groceries to doorsteps from Woodland Hills to Newbury Park.

“It’s about moving food dollars into the local community,” said Piette, who grew up in Washington, D.C. Whether it involves citrus from Santa Paula or beef from Santa Barbara, Piette’s vision involves a more sustainable, user-friendly local food distribution system.

From the time Piette delivered her first box in July 2010, the mother of three has always utilized local farmers in the Ventura and Santa Barbara areas.

Celebrating local food

The same local farmers will be on hand on June 12, from 5 to 8 p.m., to greet community members and showcase their fresh bounty.

In the meantime, three talented and promising chefs will be whipping up their magic in the kitchen and transforming the farmers’ bounty into gastronomic delights.

Sara Woodward, just back from her London stint, will be on site and collaborating with Julia Crookston, chef-owner of Goodland Kitchen in Goleta.

Joining them is chef Erik Stenberg, known for his farm-to-table philosophy. Stenberg, who is a catering chef, won the Santa Barbara Sol Food Iron Chef competition in 2010.

Piette has worked with all three and has nothing but praise. “It’s a small community, so we’ve all been working together,” she said. “Sara has been creating meal plans for me and I met Eric at one of the farmers markets.”

Feast-goers can also expect some “fresh catch-of-the-day” from top fish supplier Ocean Jewels and top wines from nearby wineries, said Piette.

The focal point of the feast will be a Berkshire Cross pig, slow roasted for 18 hours by legendary rancher Lefty Ayers of Reride Ranch. Ayers’ pig was one of the five featured during the LA Cochon 555 event held last May.

“We think it would be a great way for people to gather around the fire, celebrate and be grateful for good food,” said Piette.

There will also be live Bluegrass entertainment provided by Mean Bunny, she said.

Piette is already thinking beyond June 12. “We hope and we want to do this seasonally, to continuously connect consumers to their sources of food,” she said.

Community-centered event

Proceeds from the summer feast will benefit the SOS Malibu's Outreach poor and homeless program, a grassroots movement that serves the poor, needy and lonely in Malibu.

For more information or to purchase tickets, go to outoftheboxcollective.com.