Gilfillan Farm Garden Fete unveils the Big Red Barn to the public

By Sono Motoyama / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Big Red Barn, built in 1868, will have its public debut at Gilfillan Farm’s fall fundraiser, the Garden Fete, on Sept. 20. 

Populated by sheep and goats, the historic 15-acre farm in Upper St. Clair is the township’s only remaining working farm. It is surrounded by 60 acres of public park, which also were once part of the farm.

“Because it’s a more intimate event, we open up parts of the farm that maybe we don’t [usually] open to the public,” said Kim Tilghman, one of the volunteer organizers of the farm-to-table event.

Last year, at the inaugural Garden Fete, there were tours of the farmhouse, which was occupied until 2001 by the Gilfillan family, who emigrated to the U.S. from Scotland in 1772.

This year, visitors will view the barn, which was built in a traditional one-day barn raising in 1868. Tours will highlight the barn’s history, its construction and an explanation of various farm implements dating back to the 19th century.

“The Gilfillans literally never threw anything away,” said Rachel Carlson, president of the Historical Society of Upper St. Clair, which owns the property, and a member of the Gilfillan family. “So this is all their original equipment.”

Gilfillan Farm is not generally open to the public, except for occasional community events or by appointment, so the 100-person fundraiser is a rare opportunity. (The next community event will be a Harvest Picnic on Sept. 27.)

An annual spring fundraiser, the Barnyard Beer Benefit, is much larger, drawing 700 people, and more casual.

The garden party will be set up in a tent in an area near the barn, a stretch of lawn called, appropriately, the Barnyard.

Jess and Joe Rewis, co-owners of Bigham Tavern in Washington Heights (and Upper St. Clair residents), and their chef of 11 years, Les Murphy, are catering the event. They have envisioned it as an upscale cocktail hour with plentiful hors d’oeuvres.

“We’ve been researching local farms and local food purveyors to see how we can utilize their local goods and create some interesting small bites to have for dinner for this event,” Jess Rewis said.

“Their chef is so creative,” Tilghman said.

The Bigham Tavern team revealed some of their planned menu items:

Pork belly bite with stone fruit glaze, using pork belly from Highland Homestead Farm, in Beaver County, marinated in a stone fruit glaze from Washington County’s Simmons Farm fruits and honey from Gilfillan Farm’s own beehives. (The evening will also feature a honey tasting with the farm’s volunteer beekeeper.)

Marinated veggie skewers will highlight squash, zucchini, peppers and tomatoes, grown at Simmons Farm and in Gilfillan’s own garden, which also produces thousands of pounds of produce for the South Hills Interfaith Movement food pantry. The skewers will be marinated in Liokareas olive oil (imported by a local company) and rosemary grown by Armful of Flowers, a florist and flower farmer also co-owned by Jess Rewis.

Sausage and tortellini soup will feature Simmons Farm Swiss chard, Sewickley’s Forma Pasta tortellini and Highland Homestead Farm sage sausage in a light, lemony broth.

Beef crostini will spotlight beef from Highland Homestead Farm, served on a toasted Breadworks crostini. The appetizer will be finished with chimichurri made from locally sourced herbs and garlic, and topped with seasonal microgreens.

Other local purveyors include Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy and City Winery.

Each small dish will be paired with a cocktail made from local spirits.

And each bite is meant to underscore one thing: Though area residents may think of themselves as suburbanites, “we have some pretty amazing farms and folks doing some pretty amazing things,” said Tilghman.

The Gilfillan Farm Garden Fete will take place Friday, Sept. 20, at Gilfillan Farm, 110 Orr Road, Upper St. Clair, from 5:30-9:30 p.m. Tickets are $150 at gilfillanfarm.ticketbud.com.The farm’s Harvest Picnic will be Saturday, Sept. 27, noon-4 p.m., pack your own picnic basket; requested donation is one pantry item per person to be donated to the South Hills Interfaith Movement food pantry; RSVP [email protected].