Why this Oklahoma farm to table restaurant is requiring proof of vaccination
On a dirt road off Route 66 near Depew, Oklahoma, past Fred the Pyrenees farm dog, the Buttons cat, and a small herd of goats is Living Kitchen Farm and Dairy.
The restaurant is unlike any other in North Texas as owners Lisa Becklund and Linda Ford have required proof of COVID-19 vaccination since September in order to attend their multi-course farm dinners.
Prior to the pandemic, Living Kitchen’s three-month prepaid reservations typically sold out within two hours. Becklund’s tasting menu, served for three hours on the back porch of a quaint cabin, initially attracted mostly Tulsans. When she was named a semi-finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef in the Southwest in 2020, connoisseurs from Oklahoma City, Texas and beyond made their way to Depew.
As the coronavirus pandemic began, Becklund and her spouse Ford responded by canceling dinner for two months and waiting until June 2020 to reopen at half capacity. The agreement caused a loss of money, but they continued to keep the employees paid and to stay on the insurance policy and 401 (k) plan that they proudly offer.
However, Ford says half the capacity “felt dead”. Given that a small business can only operate at a loss for a limited amount of time and the Living Kitchen was designed as a shared dining experience, they decided to survey the willingness of 100 regulars to participate if a COVID-19 vaccination is required. It’s a policy that small business owners are allowed to make in Oklahoma, unlike Texas, where Governor Greg Abbott has banned vaccination cards. Of the 80 responses received in the Living Kitchen survey, 82% said they would not mind such a request at all.
Becklund describes the decision as “a matter of survival,” though she and Ford hesitated about what the split would do.
“We wanted the guests who have supported us over the years to come back,” says Becklund. “That was the only way we could get her to come back.”
Tables between parties are now slightly separated instead of guests sitting at a long, shared table, but guest numbers have been closer to pre-pandemic numbers since September as old customers return and supportive newcomers arrive.
“People keep telling us, ‘We’re so glad you’re doing this,’” says Becklund.
Guests pour their own bring-your-own wine during dinner on the screened back porch of a cabin as dusk falls at Living Kitchen Farm & Dairy on Friday October 22, 2021 in Depew, Okla. (Smiley N. Pool / Employee Photographer)
Becklund and Ford announced the new policy, which began in September 2021, on Instagram. Within a week they closed the opportunity to comment after being threatened with lawsuits and asking that Living Kitchen be permanently closed due to the new policy.
“We tried very hard to respond with respect and compassion,” says Ford, “but when we saw the comments coming from people unrelated to our business, we realized we were wasting our time. “She says it almost seemed like there was an online network to find and harass companies that had COVID-19 vaccination regulations.
“I was scared,” says Becklund. “I was like, ‘Oh my god, are we going to get death threats?’ I’m just a cook, man. “
Despite the antagonistic comments, the November reservations sold out within two days.
The first course of October tomatoes with hearty vanilla pudding is being prepared on Friday, October 22nd, 2021 in Depew, Okla, for a special “Fall Tapestry” dinner at Living Kitchen Farm & Dairy. (Smiley N. Pool / Employee Photographer)
An evening at Living Kitchen usually starts with a farm tour led by Ford, who explains that most of the ingredients for the upcoming dinner will come from their farm and other farms nearby. Sometimes they get rice from Arkansas, but she says almost everything comes from “the red filth of Oklahoma.”
Guests are invited to stroll through the garden, which grows kohlrabi, cucumber pickles, and cucuzzi squash, and pick and taste the cherry-sized tomatoes while Ford describes the challenges on the farm, mostly from predators.
As soon as the guests are seated, Becklund gives a warm welcome. The night we went, course after delicious course was laid out, starting with October tomatoes in hearty vanilla pudding and garlic tomato broth, and ending with zucchini bread pudding with summer fruit compote and butternut squash miso ice cream. A collective “Ahh” sounded on the veranda when she announced the hearty main course: pork schnitzel or “roast chicken” with cut pieces of pork, served on creamy lemon beurre blanc and herb spaetzle. Crispy yellow beans gave the rich creaminess on the plate a bitter crunch.
The night ended with people gathering around a campfire to roast s’mores with homemade marshmallows and graham crackers. It was the image of a bygone conviviality in which food was a thread between the country and its people.
Before joining Living Kitchen with Ford in 2009, Becklund previously worked at Pike Place Market’s esteemed Italian institution, The Pink Door, and owned another Seattle restaurant during her lifelong career in the kitchen. She hesitates to describe her style of cooking as healthy. She mainly works with vegetables, but “cooks them differently than your grandparents,” she says. “I have to be careful with the word ‘healthy’,” she says with a laugh.
Chef Lisa Becklund speaks to guests between the courses of a special “Fall Tapestry” dinner at Living Kitchen Farm & Dairy on Friday October 22, 2021 in Depew, Okla. (Smiley N. Pool / Employee Photographer)
Guests on the night of October 22nd included a group of seven women from Lufkin, Texas, who visited Osage County and Ree Drummond’s restaurant, The Mercantile.
Two women in the group have husbands undergoing cancer treatment, including Sally Alvis, who said the vaccine requirement gives them comfort and peace of mind that there is an extra level of protection.
Alvis says she appreciates the precautionary measures. “In the end, it’s a personal choice,” she says. “I vote on behalf of my husband and those I don’t know who are immunocompromised to limit my exposure.”
She says her group of friends over the age of 60 agreed that the requirement wasn’t a problem. “We don’t feel offended and we don’t feel any less Texan,” she says. “We want to do the right thing. We want to make this trip and will stick to the rules. “
Ashley Hardiman, a hair salon owner from Norman, Oklahoma, was also in attendance. Coupled with the appeal of the food, she says that she was there for the first time because she wanted to support a local company that she is sure had “not had an easy time”.
She read the Facebook comments when The Opolis, a music venue in Norman, and Ludivine, a restaurant in Oklahoma City, made vaccination announcements. She describes the resulting comments as a “mixed bag”, but overall it appears that the companies have received support in their decision.
Margaret Black, a licensed professional counselor from Tulsa who became a mother of twins in 2020, celebrated her birthday with her husband and another couple on her second visit that night. She said the requirement “reduced some, if not all, of the constant, reticent anxiety” she has felt since March 2020.
Chef Lisa Becklund waves from the front aisle of the cabin, where she will be hosting dinner on Friday, October 22, 2021, in Depew, Okla, at dusk at Living Kitchen Farm & Dairy. (Smiley N. Pool / Employee Photographer)
Information on next year’s bookings at Living Kitchen will be available in February, according to another Instagram post. Becklund and Ford say they have not yet decided whether they will continue the compulsory vaccination next year, but they want to draw their personal views from it.
“Our goal is to keep the business going,” says Becklund.
“—And safe enough not to add to the problem,” adds Ford.
Both say they currently want more data as a political show from the government.
“We don’t have the information we need to make constant decisions,” says Ford. “It’s been so politicized – what comes out is so ignited. It’s hard to know which approach to take. “
She says Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt failed to take some of the measures he was expected to take, such as Governor Greg Abbott’s orders banning the need for vaccines.
In this regard, Ford says: “We are grateful” [Gov. Stitt] has given small businesses the opportunity to make their own decisions. “
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