Table for two or your family as our guests at The Griffin Ranch
From the moment you arrive and welcomed at The Griffin Ranch .. We will amaze you with the quality and mouth-watering specialties that we share with you as our guests .. In the bush , the quality of food is always of question but, allow me to share that our experiences take us out of the norm and into the future of fine dining .. We believe in using the freshest meats and produce in the markets .. Trisha’s experiences go far beyond the ordinary as she has studdied under several of the top graduates from the Culinary Institue of America as well as The Famous French Culinary Institute out of New York , made famous by Jacques Pepin, who has been awarded the top awards in France as well as the United States.. Carl on the other hand has a backround in the culinary arts as well . His family owned and managed Jacksonvilles Famous Stricklands Restaurants and Town House Restaurants along with the Bono Bar-B-Que Restaurants .. In addition he and Ray Daily sarted the famed Pirates Gold Marinade from the West Indies Spice Company in the Early 80’s .. Carl brings to the table those outstanding Southern meals made famous by Paula Deen. He is known for the unique cooking styles made famous by his family dating back to the 1600’s in Florida .. Yet both Trisha and Carl stay current on all food trends as well as culinarys new directions… Both have cooked for the finest chefs in the South and always recieve the highest compliments from all … They always say that they are only as good as their last meal so they strive to develope new flavors and tastes with each new serving along with those tried and Ranch favorites .. At the Ranch we also can many of our items used, such as special preserves and sauces .. so if you enjoy any of our Jams or Sauces than please ask as you may leave with a Jar or Two …
What a wonderful way to share the Suns gift to the fruit …
The Ranch Winery was started more than 12 years ago with only one goal and that was to develope some of the finest wines to enhance our culinary styles along with wine tastings .. Carl has studied with some of the finest in the southeast to develope both unique blends as well as wines that can not be found in any of the fine wine markets .. So feel free to bring your favorite bottle and compare it with ours . If one of your bucket list items to make your own bottle of wine than please ask as we have had several classes at the Ranch..
What better way to save the flavors of spring for the whole year..
Wanting to learn some of those lost and forgotten skills so cherished by your Grandmother and so loved by you as a young child .. Those experiences of watching Grandma make those special jams ,vegtables and other family favorites that have been lost .. Not any more ,dust off those old tatered and faded tucked away recipes that she used and bring them along . We are always up to helping you make a culinary dream come true for you and your family.. Don’t have a favorite no problem just see what is fresh in the market that you love all year and we will let you experience the cost saving method of having it on the shelf all year long ..
Canning Tools
Its easy and the tools needed are basic .. And so cost affective .. This weekend one of our very special guests wanted to learn how to can .. So the adventure began at 7:30 pm Saturday evening Patricia and Stacey began the simple and elegant process of preserving fresh strawberrys that were picked just 2 days prior.. Stacey is now an accomplished canner using only the simple and inexpensive tools in the above photo they bottled over 40 jars of fresh fruit .. by the way we will be using them in our new breakfast baskets for our ranch guests.. Thanks Stacey for your laughs and enjoyment of experiencing an old south tradition and lost art..
family cookbooks
The Sandra Kay Cookbook
This CookBook is very speical as it is first done by my wonderful sister Kay who has taken the time to put together many of our family favorites and and a few others from family members like Janice Lee Strickland who has to be one of my long time favorite cousins..I know how many of the family cookbooks get published and shelved each year .. This one goes beyond the ordinary as it is more in lines for those of you who enjoy flavor and the unusal , the different yet simple , the sophisticated that can not be found on the grocery shelf , the taste that your guests have to have the reciepe for before they leave .. again this is not your every day cookbook even though it can be , as it is the flavors and tastes shared from Hatteras to Mayport .. Its the backbone flavors hidden in the Old Southern family cookbooks that made history , that sent men to the seas in ships and kept them hungry to return ..
For those of you who have not stayed with us at The Griffin Ranch, you may not be aware of the culinary backround of both my family and that of Patricia’s.. First on Patricia’s side , she grew up in Hattetras and her family owned one of the first restaurants on the island Captain Peele’s Restaurant, and in addition she worked with the award winning Chef Ed Daggers graduate of the Culinary Institute of America at the Austin Creek Grill 1998 to 2004 .. In addition her son Henry Whyte is an award winning chef in Calif.. a graduate of the famous French Culinary Instiute .. She brings a lot to the table in all areas to include Pastry and Wine ..
My backround is a little different as I had the wonderful experience of starting early in my Great Grandmothers kitchen Josie Hulbert who was my Uncle Willie Stricklands mentor on his famous Jacksonville restaurants Stricklands , Bono’s Bar-B-Que and the Town House .. In addition it was a right of passage as a family member to spend the summers working at the restaurant located in Mayport,Fl .
So over the next few months we will be posting some of the fun and simple flavors that were made famous at the family restaurants..
