All-Change as Dan Barber Reopens Blue Hill at Stone Barns

Dan Barber has announced he will be re-opening Blue Hill at Stone Barns on 7 October with some big changes to how the restaurant will be run. There will also be changes to how staff engage with the public in order to build a more relaxed restaurant environment, and foster a learning culture for both the team and the guests.

Announcing the changes on Instagram, the visionary US chef and pioneer in the farm-to-table movement said that they will re-open as 75% restaurant - operating four days a week, from Thursday to Sunday - and 25% educational workshop at the Stone Barns Center, with every Wednesday dedicated to learning.

The change comes 563 evenings after the restaurant's last 'normal' service, where a pre-pandemic dinner at Stone Barns could include more than 25-courses and last over six-hours. During the pandemic Barber pivoted to a meal kit business, resourcED, and a 'Chef in Residence' programme inviting chefs from around the world to use the farm and restaurant to share their cuisine and stories (which he plans to bring back in 2022.)

As a result of this experience, Barber decided it was time to change. "Cooking and farming became more interesting, and more complicated. It changed the way our team thinks about food, and focused our thinking about Blue Hill restaurant and the culture we want to create," he said.

Barber has created a new way of working designed to build a less pressurised restaurant environment. It will allow his team to engage more deeply with farmers, experts and researchers, both internally and externally, and in turn share what they learn and cook with more people. 

Every Wednesday will be dedicated to learning with the entire campus (from porters to farmers, and foragers to mechanics) being given the opportunity to engage and learn from each other. Visiting professionals - as well as students, farmer trainees and wellness professionals - will get the opportunity to share their perspectives.

Guests will also get more opportunities to have 'hands on' opportunities behind the scenes, with an exciting range of ideas like greenhouse and farm tours, and butchery and cooking courses, among many more initiatives.