Overview:
Join the Oak Spring Garden Foundation (OSGF) for a special evening as we gather around the table and celebrate the harvest through the seasons with a menu curated and created by Chef Jason Neve. Dishes will highlight a medley of heirloom crops grown at Oak Spring's Biocultural Conservation Farm (BCCF).
The evening begins at 5:00 pm with libations and hors d’oeuvres on the terrace of the historic Nora Mellon House - one of Rokeby Farm’s original buildings, constructed by Andrew Mellon and today a welcoming space for OSGF’s Residency and Fellowship Program. At 6:00 pm, we will move inside for a seasonal multi course dinner paired with local wines.
Kindly note that due to the nature of this event, we are unable to accommodate dietary restrictions or preferences. This meal may contain dairy, eggs, gluten, and nuts.
About the Chef, Jason Neve:
Jason Neve’s culinary career has taken him from the kitchens of New York, Las Vegas, and Boston to a Chef-in-Residence role at the Robert Rauschenberg Residency in Florida, experiences that shaped his approach to food as both a craft and a means of connecting people, place, and ideas. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Jason spent more than 20 years in culinary leadership, including roles at Del Posto, Eataly, and several Las Vegas properties.
In 2022, these experiences brought him to Oak Spring Garden Foundation, where he serves as Chef and Head of Culinary Services. At Oak Spring, Jason brings together his culinary and hospitality experience with his appreciation for community, creativity, and the natural world. Drawing inspiration from the bounty of the BCCF farm, he creates meals for Oak Spring’s residents and guests while developing culinary programming that uses food as a way to connect people with plants, gardens, and the natural world, advancing Oak Spring’s mission through hospitality and shared experience.
About the BCCF: The Biocultural Conservation Farm (BCCF) at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation was started in the spring of 2019. The BCCF grows fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs for use by Chef Jason Neve for onsite programs, as well as for feeding visiting artists-in-residence and a 24-week 50 member CSA. Additionally, the BCCF is committed to donating at least 50% of what we grow to local food banks and pantries, and has donated more than 170,000 lbs to date. The BCCF's mission is also interested in highlighting heirlooms that are culturally and historically important to the Appalachian and VA Piedmont regions and saving their seeds for preservation and sharing in the community. Lastly, the BCCF works closely with OSGF's Local Education & Outreach (LEO) department to grow materials and provide space for experiential learning programs for local K-12 youth and adult programs centered around plants, food, landscape conservation and art. The proceeds from this farm-to-table dinner directly benefit the LEO programs in the community.
About Oak Spring Garden Foundation: The Oak Spring Garden Foundation (OSGF) is a philanthropic foundation based at the former primary estate of the late Paul and Rachel Mellon, who were major philanthropists in the U.S. of the arts, humanities, and sciences in the second half of the twentieth century. OSGF is located in the northern Virginia Piedmont and Blue Ridge Mountains region (ca. one-hour drive from Washington, D.C.). Led by Sir Peter Crane, the Foundation’s inaugural President, OSGF provides workshops, short courses and supports residencies for artists and scholars. Its celebrated Library comprises rare books, manuscripts and works of art relating to horticulture, landscape design, botany and natural history. It is becoming a new center of stimulation of all things botanical, from fundamental research in plant evolution and conservation, to horticultural and plant conservation practice, to the history and art of plants, gardens and landscapes.
Photo Release Statement: By attending this event, you consent to your likeness and image being used for ongoing promotional and marketing efforts.
Availability: This dinner will be capped at 30 participants. Registrations will be accepted on a rolling basis through Zeffy until full.
Header Image: 2025 Celebrating the Harvest Dinner
