{"id":357785,"date":"2026-09-26T21:28:48","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T21:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/357785\/"},"modified":"2026-09-26T21:28:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T21:28:48","slug":"tractor-beverages-hosts-queens-farm-dinner-erykah-badu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/357785\/","title":{"rendered":"Tractor Beverages hosts Queens Farm Dinner & Erykah Badu"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than 15 years ago, I sat at a long table at the Queens County Farm Museum<\/a> for my first Outstanding in the Field<\/a> dinner \u2014 an experience I chronicled in my October 2010 Amsterdam News column, \u201cDining in the Green.\u201d Last week, I returned to the farm for a different dinner rooted in food, farming, and community.<\/p>\n

Cultivated since 1697, the 47-acre Queens Farm was a well-suited location for Tractor<\/a>, the farmer-founded organic beverage company whose drinks you may have enjoyed at Chipotle<\/a> without knowing their name. Tractor gathered a small group for dinner with Chef Will Coleman<\/a>, founder of PLATED Studios<\/a>, celebrating people preserving and telling the stories of Black food and farming. I have known Will for years, and watching him step out on faith, create boldly, and deliver is always a joy.<\/p>\n

After more than an hour of stop-and-go rush-hour traffic from Harlem \u2014 much of it spent lying in the back of an Uber \u2014 I arrived late and nauseated. I walked the equivalent of two city blocks into the farm, past fields and farm animals, before coming upon the oasis Tractor had created beneath an open-air pavilion near the annual Amazing Maize Maze<\/a>. Worried that I had missed the start, I was welcomed by Tractor Community Connector Adjoa Kittoe, who assured me I was right on time. She then offered me a drink from the colorful lineup. I had to choose the Citrus Ginger Haymaker<\/a>, hoping the ginger would settle my stomach and prepare me for the meal ahead.<\/p>\n

Adjoa welcomed the table to the event, introduced Will, and invited us to introduce ourselves. Our circle included Kenya Crumel of the National Black Food & Justice Alliance<\/a>, Amanda Everich of Black Farmer Fund<\/a>, and Oko Farms<\/a> founder Yemi Amu, alongside others in food and media. The intention became clear: to create fellowship and connection among people cultivating land, protecting foodways, and carrying their stories forward.<\/p>\n

Will opened the meal with warm cornbread and whipped honey butter, then invited us to dig into a September tomato-and-stone-fruit salad \u2014 bright, spicy, and tasting of summer\u2019s last freshness. Brown-butter miso corn and sweet-chili-roasted potatoes brought smoke, sweetness, heat, and umami. I helped myself to Green Goddess coleslaw, its herbaceous crunch a welcome foil for the cider-miso-glazed salmon and Tractor-brined herb-roasted chicken thighs. Will later appeared with the aromatic herbed rice he had forgotten to serve. It folded into the meal as easily as the conversation. We ate, talked, and kibitzed while Will effortlessly moved between chef and consummate host.<\/p>\n

Gatas<\/a>, a Brooklyn dessert company making decadent, small-batch flans, closed the dinner with beautiful individual boxes of its signature flan for us to enjoy. To walk it off, I wandered among fields of produce and the farm\u2019s livestock with a fellow diner who works at the farm. Our path led back to the site of that long-ago Outstanding in the Field dinner \u2014 a lovely full-circle moment.<\/p>\n

Soon after, we rallied to head to Forest Hills Stadium for Erykah Badu\u2019s LIVE tour with legendary producer The Alchemist, supporting their new album, \u201cBefore the World Blows: The Abi and Alan Experiment.\u201d As we approached the stadium grounds, I heard De La Soul performing and hoped to catch the end of their set, but they finished just as we reached our suite \u2014 ironically, the same suite I had for the Rauw Alejandro<\/a> concert. (Apologies again, Pos and Mase. R.I.P. Dave.)<\/p>\n

When the lights went down, a single spotlight found The Alchemist rising from his bed. He made a \u201ccall.\u201d As the phone rang, the second spotlight appeared across the stage where Erykah Badu arose to answer it. The crowd went wild. They chopped it up for a minute before she said she wanted to share something she had been working on. And just like that, the show had begun. We were all in. It was dope!<\/p>\n

This audience felt different, too. All my Gen Xers came to represent. For the most part, rather than experiencing the show through raised phones, people danced, sang, and stayed present in the moment. When thirst got to me, I was happy to step inside the suite for a Tractor Passion Mango Haymaker over ice \u2014 the other flavor I wanted to try. Then Erykah Badu tapped the opening notes of \u201cOn & On,\u201d and the crowd exhaled with reverence.<\/p>\n

Somewhere between the farm and the music, the evening restored something in me. Food, farming, fellowship, and music carried me across Queens and through the night. By the time I headed home, I felt inspired \u2014 not only because of Will\u2019s excellent meal, but because I had seen talented people create boldly, preserve culture, and continue setting the table for each other and for their community.<\/p>\n

Thanks for reading and happy eating!<\/p>\n

Kysha Harris is a chef, culinary producer, and food editor for the NY Amsterdam News<\/a>. As a consultant and owner of SCHOP!<\/a>, a personalized food service in NYC for over 23 years, she remains on the hunt for the city\u2019s next great bite. Follow her on Instagram<\/a> and on Facebook<\/a>, @SCHOPnyc<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Questions, comments, requests, feedback, invitations! Email us at AmNewsFOOD@SCHOPnyc.com<\/a>. Follow us on Instagram<\/a> and Facebook<\/a>, @NYAmNewsFOOD<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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