CITRA, Fla. - The most "boaring" day of my life? That's easy: the afternoon I spent at Rosas Farms feasting on a wild boar extravaganza created by chef Al Rosas. We were served larb, a Laotian/Thai dish made with ground meat, mint, cilantro, lime, and hot peppers; South American pupusas, or stuffed pancakes; and mofongo, a version from Colombia, Rosas's heritage, with fried pork and yucca instead of the usual plantains. We topped many dishes with his aji, a piquant red sauce found on tables across South America.
Florida farm an organic gourmand's delight
This was my second time dining at Rosas Farms, just north of Ocala in central Florida, and I had learned the hard way to pace myself. The first time I ate a five-course meal here I had no room for dessert. I didn't repeat that mistake and was able to enjoy the boiled backyard pears served with a sharp cheddar cheese.
"Chef Al," 45, and Erin Rosas, 44, his wife and business partner, have owned this 100-acre spread, a former thoroughbred horse farm that had been in Erin's family, since 1989. Over the years the couple has turned the business into an all-organic livestock farm, as well as a tourist and corporate retreat.
Visitors can sign up for a gourmet meal or an overnight farm stay or a full gourmet weekend. The lodging is on a peaceful corner of farm property across a field and over the hill from the Rosases' home. As many as eight guests can stay in the four-bedroom double-wide trailer remarkably made over into a luxury getaway with reclaimed wood furniture, organic sheets, bamboo towels, wrought-iron beds, and state-of-the-art electronics.
The couple met in their home state of Wisconsin in 1985, when Erin took a job as a waitress where Al was the chef. "I gained 40 pounds the first year we dated," she said with a laugh. They left the farm in 1993, when Al worked as a traveling corporate food and beverage director.
"When we came back in 1996, I said I'm never leaving again," recalled Erin. The couple lives in a casual, well-appointed ranch home atop a hill just off Highway 301.
Farm field trips are just out the back door, where 600 laying chickens roam the property. Farther out in fenced fields are bison and cows, while the boar keep nice and muddy in their pens.
"We buy them from a trapper who traps boars that are displaced by development," Erin said. In high season "we sell three to four a week, so we also breed them."
While some meat and eggs are sold through their farm store that fronts the highway, much more is shipped to restaurants in Florida and beyond.
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