Coachella 2023: Here's what it's like to dine at Outstanding in the Field

In the midst of all the bass-thumping music, crowd shoving and surprise guests that took place during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, I found myself in the middle of a "Midsommar"-esque scene.

There were no bear costumes or mating rituals taking place — at least for me, I don't know about others at the festival — but there was a very long communal dining table and mini-community forming at the VIP Rose Garden. What was the occasion? The eighth annual Outstanding in the Field event at Coachella.

For those who might not be familiar with the non-music activity, festivalgoers are treated to a four-course, family-style meal created by a new chef each evening of Coachella. You have to pay extra for a spot at the 200-seat table ($350 plus fees) and you usually don't know what will be served until you get there.

The communal-style dinner, created by Jim Denevan in 1999, intrigued me ever since last year's Coachella. I wasn't able to attend then, but that was one of my goal's during this year's festival. On Sunday, I got to join the cool kids table and sink my teeth into Chef Jared Simons', of Argento and Nic’s on Beverly, plant-based meal. Here's what the experience was like.

Welcome to the Rose Garden

If you're not donning a VIP wristband at Coachella, your chances of getting into the VIP Rose Garden are fairly slim. But my Outstanding in the Field wristband granted me access to the area on Sunday.

Once inside, I got to take in the sight of hundreds of roses of all colors, as well as the scent of some sweaty upper-tier festivalgoers. VIPs, they're just like us general admission folks!

I was on celebrity watch the second I stepped into the garden, but unfortunately I didn't spot Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello canoodling, or Leonardo DiCaprio lurking around the grounds with his trusty baseball hat.

After taking in all the influencers who were getting ready to take their final Coachella sunset selfies, my nose led me to the site of my dinner.

The people behind the food

I arrived to Outstanding in the Field about 30 minutes early, which gave me the opportunity to chat with some of the people who have been instrumental in its success over the past two decades.

Denevan's brother was a big inspiration for it all, he said. He looked up to his brother, who is 13 years older than him, when he was younger, particularly after their father died when Denevan was 5. Denevan grew up around his brother's organic farm and saw the hard work and passion that goes into agriculture.

"When I would see him at Christmas and Thanksgiving, he would just talk about agriculture for most of the family gathering," Denevan said. "The other family members would kind of drift away, and I was just like, 'Wow.'"

He created Outstanding in the Field for people to better understand where their food comes from and to appreciate the labor that goes into growing the produce we love and need. Over the years, the roving restaurant without walls has reached across all 50 U.S. states and 24 different countries.

Why is Coachella the best place to host this concept year after year? Denevan said the VIP Rose Garden is a "mental oasis of sorts," especially when you see the "plants that are so well taken care of." And if you're worried if the noise from the surrounding festival will ruin the mood, Denevan said "it's actually noisier at a regular restaurant than it is sitting at a table in the Rose Garden at Coachella." Aside from hearing a bit of bass from a nearby stage, I have to agree.

During more of my mingles, I met second-generation farmer Romeo Coleman of Coleman Family Farms in Carpinteria. This year's weekend dinners celebrate the Coachella Valley's and Southern California's rich agricultural landscape and utilize produce from local farms. Featured this year are Aziz Farms in Thermal, County Line Harvest in Thermal, Sage Mountain Farm in Anza and Coleman Family Farms.

The second-generation farmer is one of six children who grew up on the farm. He decided to study agriculture in college to take on the family business his father started. When he was in college, he realized his father was able to "make a livelihood off of farming, raising six kids and doing OK. I always wanted to have two kids, so I figured I could do the same thing and just have two kids." How has it panned out so far? "It's worked out well," he said with a chuckle.

Coleman added he has always enjoyed farming and learning about agriculture, which made the career choice a perfect fit for him. One of the most important lessons he learned from his father was to work hard.

"There's reward, but you've got to put the work in to get the reward," Coleman said of what goes into farming.

His father initially connected with Outstanding in the Field and started a working relationship, making Coleman Family Farm the first foray out of Northern California in 2003, he said. He's kept up the relationship over the years because of how educational it is for diners.

"It gives people a tie to the farmer and the farm and what the chefs have to do to create a beautiful meal," Coleman said, whose farm grows edible flowers, fennel, lettuce and more, which was showcased Sunday night. "It ties the whole thing together, so if you appreciate food, it's very, very nice to see."

Once my fellow diners made their way to the VIP Rose Garden for dinner, they were greeted with a welcome Aperol spritz cocktail, or they could opt for a nonalcoholic option, like a Mojave Agave from The New Bar — a Los Angeles-based and Latina-owned nonalcoholic bar that also has a location inside the Indio Central Market this year (the festival's first-ever official nonalcoholic partner).

A swan hat, YouTuber and lots of good food

The "most powerful" aspect of Outstanding in the Field is chatting with the people around you, Denevan said. Around me were some familiar faces — Coleman and his wife, and my friend Kay-B, who flew from Houston to attend the festival — but many more were new friends waiting to be made. The person who caught my attention most was Diane Leeds, sitting to my left wearing a bedazzled and feathered swan hat.

This wasn't the Northern Californian's first Outstanding in the Field dinner. She told me she spends around eight to nine months traveling with the group and going wherever the dinners take her. She's at the gatherings more often than not, and her absence is a big deal because she'll often get texts from people asking her if she's OK. Leeds began the year dining in the Bahamas with the group.

"I found my tribe," Leeds said as to why she keeps coming back to Outstanding in the Field. Events last about five hours, she said, but the Coachella feasts were expedited so that people could get back to watching their favorite artists perform.

To my right was YouTuber Jori Mezuda, who was filming and editing a YouTube Short video all while she was eating dinner with her friend. Talk about multitasking!

But the number one question on my mind was, of course, what's with the swan hat? Well, when Björk is listed on the lineup, you have to pay homage to the iconic swan dress she wore to the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001, Leeds said.

In between these conversations, beautifully plated meals made their way to our table. We began with ciabatta from Los Angeles-based Clark Street Bakery topped with sun-dried tomato oil. Sun-dried tomatoes typically have a tart flavor that can be overbearing, but here it was toned down thanks to the oil and herbs used. I actually went for another slice because of how delicious it was.

The first course consisted of grilled California asparagus with tonnato, Coleman Family Farms fennel and thyme pesto. The asparagus was cooked to tender perfection, but the pesto was the star of the show. It had a light taste because it wasn't a totally green pesto, but it was still so flavorful and so creamy. I initially grabbed around four asparagus spears, but once I saw no one else was going for seconds, I couldn't stop myself from grabbing the last couple. Paired with each course was wine, and this one was a 2019 TerraQuilia Terrebianche. I tried a sip − I was still working after all! − and it had a natural, bubbly flavor to it.

Mezuda was super impressed that she was sitting near Coleman, whose farm produced the fennel and edible flowers featured in the dish. She even snapped a video of him for her short.

Next was salad that consisted of Coleman Family Farms' freckled lettuce, Sage Mountain Farm beets, Aziz Farm radishes and a Mandarin orange vinaigrette. The veggies were so crisp and fresh, and the sweet vinaigrette perfectly tied together the many flavors.

Unfortunately, I had to leave before the final two courses were served and before meeting Chef Simons, but what I ate definitely left me wanting more. I do wish it wasn't an entirely plant-based meal because I was still hungry afterward, but after eating a lot of not-so-great food at the festival throughout the weekend, I was thankful I could enjoy some fresh veggies served up in such a beautiful way.

If your appetite has been piqued and you just happen to be going to Coachella Weekend 2, tickets are still available for Outstanding in the Field. Purchase your seat at https://tinyurl.com/4b6m5974

This weekend's chefs include:

• April 21: Javier Plascencia owns and operates Erizo and Caffe Saverios in Tijuana

• April 22: Monty Koludrovic, executive chef of Grandmaster Recorders

• April 23: Nogales, Sonora-born Rene Andrade and Sonoran desert-born Derek Christensen, of Phoenix-based restaurant Bacanora

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella 2023: What it's like to dine at Outstanding in the Field