What the hell is a Farm Club?
I was talking to a good friend from New Zealand the other day and he asked what I had been up to. I was telling him despite 2020 being a crazy and unfortunate year, we’ve had a great summer exploring our beautiful town, Traverse City, Michigan, and how there was a new place we had just checked out called Farm Club. He replied, “What the hell is a farm club!?” Well, if you’ve been you know that’s a bit of a loaded question. The real question is, “What isn’t a farm club!?” Seriously though, this new addition to Traverse City has sooooo much to offer!
If you’ve visited Traverse City, you’ve most likely been to The Little Fleet or Loma Farms and if you haven’t been to either
1. You need to go to them immediately and
2. Without knowing it, you’ve most likely enjoyed something from Loma Farms at one of the many Traverse City restaurants.
What I am trying to say is these places are incredibly amazing and serve incredible food. Well, Farm Club is a collaboration between the two establishments, and yup you guessed it, it’s awesome.
The two masterminds have teamed up to create a stylish and welcoming venue that serves fresh produce served right from the Leelanau County ground, wines, ciders, and beer also made locally, and an environment that is so cozy and fun, you’ll never want to leave! Their goal was to create “a gathering place to celebrate land, honest food and community” and I’d have to say they are doing a great job at just that.
On top of all those wonderful things, every detail is perfectly placed. To me it’s Scandinavian, minimalistic, adorable, clean, airy and relaxing!
Another great thing about Farm Club is that they offer indoor and outdoor seating.
What does Farm Club sell and serve?
I’ve had the opportunity to visit Farm Club a few times now and each time I am welcomed with a new fruit or vegetable, fresh flowers, a piece of pottery I can’t live without and so much more!
I can’t stress it enough, how awesome is it that you can walk in and buy produce that was grown just a few steps away or a bar of soap that was made just a few miles away!?
I was extra excited when I saw they carried so many tasteful and awesome local products including this amazing cookbook my friend, Lucy Engelman, illustrated. Trust me, you’ll want to buy everything from this marketplace but if you had to pick just one, I’d suggest not leaving without a copy of this beautiful book.
As for the beverages, Farm Club brews their own beer right on-site and has teamed up with local wineries and cideries to provide exclusive and tasty beverages. We’ve tried most of them now and there have been absolutely no complaints!
My personal favorites are the Dry and Heirloom Ciders, the Farm Club Pilsner, their Sparkling Wine and the Dram Lemongrass CBD Sparkling Water.
As I mentioned before, their menu is constantly changing and evolving. Each time I’ve been there, there’s been something new. This menu below is an example of their small plates but I guarantee next time you go in it will be larger and you’ll find something new and yummy to try. You can also check their website for their updated menu as they post one daily.
What I love about their concept is everything simply tastes fresher than your typical restaurant. These kale chips were to die for and their Farm Board was sooo tasty and fresh! (I’m still drooling over the beet hummus and marinated eggplant) I’m also dying to try their meatloaf open-faced sandwich but they were sold out because apparently, it’s that good. They just started serving a roast chicken dinner for two, every Sunday from 5-9, quantities are limited so get there early so you don’t miss out!
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND FARM CLUB TAKES THE FARM TO TABLE APPROACH AND SERVES A NEW MENU DAILY. YOU MAY SEE SOMETHING HERE ON THIS BLOG POST THAT ISN’T OFFERED ANYMORE!
Fun offerings and events to look forward to!
As I stated before, this is just the beginning for Farm Club. They’ve barely been open for 2 months and have already wowed our small community and tourists from all over the country. I spoke with one of the owners and learned that they have many new offerings coming soon. This includes a Farmers Market on the weekend come November, farm to table dinners, weekly specials, and much more! I am so grateful to live just a few miles from this beautiful new place and can’t wait to see how it changes and evolves with the Michigan seasons.
If you needed one more reason to check out Farm Club, here is a beautiful drone photo of the property taken by Dave Lewinski. I mean, come on!
I hope you have the opportunity to check out Farm Club soon! They are open year-round and keep getting better each time we visit. Click this link, to learn more about Farm Club and all its offerings!
Did you take the photos for your Farm Club article yourself, and if so, is it possible to get usage rights for one of them?
Hi Janice! Thanks so much for your comment. Minus the last photo (the drone one that I give credit to the photog) they are all mine! Where will these photos be used? Of course you are allowed to use them I just would love credit if you are going to 😊 thanks!