STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Even as temperatures in the South Valley hovered in the 90s, the cottonwoods shading the banks of Silver Creek near Picabo kept things pleasant for the 143 diners who gathered recently for The Elevated Table, a farm-to-table dinner and fundraiser for Future Roots.

The dinner was held at Bud's House, named after Bud Purdy who took over management of the land along Silver Creek in 1938. Rancher Nicholas Purdy told the crowd they were standing on the edge of what was the original homestead started by the Kilpatrick brothers when they built the railroad into the area in 1883.

The Purdy family grows cattle and sheep, barley for Coors Beer and mustard, supplementing its ranching operations with the Picabo Angler fisherman's store, Rancher's Supply and private fishing and hunting operations.

Julie Johnson of NourishMe curated a Grazing Table that included Ethiopian Ostrich Meatballs from an ostrich farm near Kuna owned by a Hailey man.

And, Purdy said, the ranch has transitioned from a conventional operation as it finds better ways of doing things--no tilling, no use of pesticides and insecticides and the use of compost from cattle grazing for its fields.

"Anything you can do to help young farmers trying to get into business or try new things," Purdy said, praising the work of Future Roots.

The evening was a celebration of the farmers and restaurants who make up the regional food system in and around the Wood River Valley. It also served as a fundraiser for Future Roots, which supports regional producers financially and works to connect Wood River Valley residents to their local growers.

"This is an incredible experience to have 143 friends," said Amy Matthias, executive director of Future Roots. "If I don't know you yet, we'll know each other by the end of the night and we'll be friends."

Scoti Carden and Sindy Sue Burke were among those taking part in The Elevated Table, a fundraiser for Future Roots.

Matthias, who has been with the organization for nine years, told the crowd she was raised in a family where going to the farmer's market, cooking from scratch, gardening and composting was the norm.

"I just really realized when I was a teenager that that wasn't the norm for most people," she said. "It made me realize that there's work that I can do here."

When Matthias moved to Idaho in 2014, she worked for Brian and Kathleen Bean at Lava Lake Lambs, ran Farmer's Market booths, helped Kraay’s Market and Garden get started and worked for Idaho's Bounty before joining Future Roots, or what was then the Sun Valley Institute for Resilience.

"We committed to using food system transformation as a lens of building community resilience," she said. "Because food and agriculture touch everything. Water, soil, land, transportation, economy, public health, human health, planetary health."

Sara Berman’s Squash Blossom Farms contributed herbs, salad veggies and vegetables for the dinner.

Board chair Adam Kesselman said Future Roots is entering a new phase, educating people about the local food system and connecting restaurants with local sources through a supply chain that encompasses southern Idaho, Glenns Ferry and other sites.

The organization provides help for startups, recently working with two farms to increase local garlic production which, Kesselman said, is amazingly expensive to grow. It helps restaurants recover when they lose food during power outages, and it publishes a “Locally Grown Guide” so locals and tourists know which restaurants utilize local foods.

Kesselman added that Future Roots is working with the Blaine County School District to find ways to incorporate local food into school meals and educate kids about the food they eat. The organization plans taste tests, noting that carrots are so popular they sell out quickly at Farmer’s Markets.

Kesselman, who has worked on federal policy for groups like the American Heart Association to elevate fresh, healthy food in schools, said the goal is to present recommendations to the Board of Trustees in late 2027.

Nicholas Purdy described an experiment using chicken pellets as fertilizer that failed—that’s why it’s helpful to have organizations like Future Roots that can have farmers’ backs when they want to try new things, he said.

The dinner itself was a showcase of what the local food system can produce. It began with a Grazing Table featuring Ethiopian ostrich meatballs and cheese curated by NourishMe, a Roadbar cocktail and mocktail made with Twin Falls Distillery vodka and basil, and wine from Holesinsky Winery in Buhl.

Holesinsky--Idaho's only USDA-certified organic winery, also introduced diners to its sparkling Ida Water—spring water placed in Charmat tanks for a week.

"The bubbles are extremely special, precious,” said James Holesinsky, who paired courses throughout the evening with various wines, including a 2025 Sparkling Unicorn Rosé of Syrah with a fruity, crisp cranberry-raspberry finish.

The family-style dinner featured a spring vegetable bundled salad that Chef Chris Kastner of CK's Restaurant instructed diners to eat with their hands.

"When we first moved here, we had a large garden. And we ate from the garden a lot," Kastner said. "We took a little bowl of salad dressing and just walked the garden and ate it with our hands."

Scott and Ann Mason, who formerly owned the Ketchum Grill, prepared a Mediterranean couscous salad with fresh herbs and vinaigrette, pickled vegetables and roasted Idaho potatoes. Hammer Head Cattle donated beef with tzatziki and chimichurri.

And Callie and Mamie Rasberry prepared Raspberry Gallets using Hillside Grain and raspberries from their garden, while Ann Mason baked Lavender Shortbread using apricot curd and honey caramel sourced locally.

One of the evening's most emotional moments came when the Rasberry sisters remembered their father, who passed away after last year's Elevated Table.

"He worked really, really, really, really hard every day on his farm," they told the crowd. "It's such a labor of love. And if you guys understood how much time and energy and passion farmers and ranchers and producers put into what they do, you would understand why it costs what it does. Just be so thankful and grateful for all of the people that have brought everything for you here tonight."

The evening included a fundraising auction with an anonymous donor offering to match up to $50,000. Among the auction items was a private barrel tasting and wine blending experience at Holesinsky's 200-acre property on the Snake River canyon rim, a gluten-free baking class, brunch at Lookout Farm and a Flourish and Nourish experience featuring mindful meditation, a dip in the Big Wood River and a meal by Chef Jenna Barnes.

Small details wove the evening's theme of local connection throughout. The yarn tied onto menus came from Squash Blossom Farm, which makes yarn from its sheep available locally.

"An event like this makes me grateful for how many gastronomies we have in the valley," said attendee Ellen Fastow. "Even all the flowers on the tables tonight were grown locally— by Madie Deffe of Wild Flora Farm. “They weren't shipped in from elsewhere."