Bartlett Arboretum’s dreamy dinner series returns with homespun food and gypsy jazz
It was January 2020 when Robin Macy decided to launch a new Monday-night supper series at her idyllic Bartlett Arboretum — a historic tree sanctuary in nearby Belle Plaine that doubles as a venue for concerts, art events and a big annual tulip celebration.
Two months later, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to the series before it really had a chance to start.
But now, the dinner series — which Macy has dubbed “Live From the Whistle Stop Cafe” — is back on, and I went to check it out on Monday night.
It was a perfect summer evening in Belle Plaine, and this time of year, the Arboretum is lush and green and filled with summer flowers.
The party started with an appetizer hour on the patio of a building on the property that Macy calls “The Depot.” It’s an 1876 Santa Fe railroad depot that was transplanted from Oxford to the arboretum property in 2013, and inside, it’s been transformed into a small venue with a kitchen and cozy antique furniture. As her husband, Ken “Kentucky” White, performed live gypsy jazz as part of a trio nearby, guests mingled and enjoyed appetizers passed by Macy herself, including a caprese kabob made with produce grown on site.
When it was dinnertime, the party moved inside and people took their seats at tables decorated with fresh flowers grown on the property. The jazz trio followed attendees inside and resumed the music on an elevated stage in the corner of the room.
The dinner, which is prepared each month by the Soil Sisters — a group of dedicated volunteer gardeners who help Macy maintain the arboretum’s 15 acres — consisted of a fresh garden salad followed by homemade meatballs with pasta and a homemade tomato sauce. A creamy cucumber salad and a slice of garlic bread finished the plate. Dessert was homemade blackberry cobbler with whipped cream.
Most of the dishes were prepared using produce harvested from the on-site “hoop house,” where the Soil Sisters grow vegetables and herbs. Partway through the evening, Macy — who also is a well-known singer and songwriter — stopped delivering plates and joined the trio on stage for a couple of songs.
The dinners continue the first Monday of the month at the Arboretum, which is a 30 minute drive south of Wichita.
The next one is scheduled for Sept. 6, and people can make reservations on the Bartlett Arboretum website, www.bartlettarboretum.com. Of the $50 ticket price, $40 will be tax deductible. Money raised will be used for several arboretum-related missions Macy is passionate about, she said, including her annual Tree House Concert Series.
The dinners, which are BYOB, start at 6 p.m. each month.
This story was originally published August 3, 2021 at 10:24 AM.
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