Chef Niven Patel and business partner Mohamed “Mo” Alkassar’s first real attempt at hosting a community dinner at Patel’s Homestead, Florida, farm should have been a water-logged disaster. “It wasn’t just rain,” says Alkassar, who recalls the sudden downpour with a hearty laugh. “Our staff was drenched, and the guests were drenched. The band was super wet. We were like, ‘It’s the Titanic. Just keep playing!’ ” Somehow, in spite of the veritable monsoon, Patel produced a farm-to-table feast (albeit a slightly watery one) on a wood-fired grill beneath a rickety tent. Alkassar remembers making the rounds apologizing to patrons. To his surprise, folks voiced their encouragement rather than complaints. “People were so happy to be in that setting that they were forgiving,” he says.
The setting—2 lush acres called Rancho Patel—reveals its charms instantly and unabashedly, something the chef recognized on his first visit there. “I went to look at this place at midnight after work, and the owner was willing to walk me around in the dark, which was crazy,” says Patel of the property where he now lives with his wife and young twin daughters. “I noticed there were 14 lychee, 5 mango, and a couple of avocado trees. Lychees and mangoes are my top two favorite fruits in the world. Those are kind of the treasures of South Florida because they don’t grow many other places in the United States. I was like, ‘Where do we sign?’ ”
Peter Frank Edwards
Shortly after moving to the land, while working as chef de cuisine at Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in Miami, Patel noticed a fellow cook was trashing large chunks of perfect heirloom tomatoes. “I realized that most people just don’t know how much effort goes into growing great produce,” he says. That summer, he began bringing staff from the restaurant out to his home, and together, they built the farm from the ground up. “We didn’t have any formal experience, so it was a lot of trial and error. But we dug our own trenches for irrigation and built beds,” he says. “For me, it was so rewarding to see this microscopic seed become a tomato plant and be able to harvest [from it].”
Peter Frank Edwards
Patel channeled this dedication to homegrown, organic ingredients—as well as his Jacksonville childhood spent eating his parents’ traditional Indian dishes—when opening his first restaurant, Ghee Indian Kitchen, in 2017. And it’s this ethos that has guided his other ventures since then, including Italian-inspired Erba in Coral Gables, NiMo Coastal Mediterranean in Tequesta, and Paya (the island-fare spot they opened in Miami Beach last fall).
Even with these culinary playgrounds at their disposal, the partners behind Feal Hospitality experience a unique joy in hosting folks at Patel’s farm, a seasonal dinner series they’ve dubbed Sundays at the Rancho. Some things have changed since that early, rainy start: They now have two striped canopies (colorful vestiges of COVID-era street dining at Ghee) to shrug off showers, and the guest list has grown to approximately 110 people who gather around two rows of tables. But the spirit remains the same.
The soul of the event still belongs to the land, from which attendees harvest some of the produce themselves. Depending on the month, that can be anything from carrots and Romano beans to edible flowers, like nasturtiums and marigolds. What’s growing determines the meal, says Patel. “I stress everyone out because I decide the menu about a day or two before the event,” he acknowledges. “It’s cooking from my with heart and making what I’m feeling at the moment. Guests have no idea what they’re in for until they are at the Rancho.”
Peter Frank Edwards
If the bucolic locale lays the groundwork for the family-style dinners, it’s the people, stirred by their surroundings and seeking meaningful connections, who bring their own magic. “It’s the most eclectic group of individuals you’ll ever meet,” says Alkassar of those who come. “We have everyone from retired couples from Coral Gables to the party crowd from Miami.” All of them—snowbirds and DJs—sit at the table in an arrangement designed to spark conversation and friendships, and for each patron, there’s a handwritten note of welcome.
Peter Frank Edwards
“It’s honestly the most wholesome thing I’ve ever been a part of,” says Alkassar. “Our team fights over who gets to staff these events. It’s a lot of work: You show up really early in the morning and don’t leave until late at night. It’s physical work, but it’s incredible.” After the supper is over, the crew sticks around to cook the meal again, this time enjoying it together. “That’s almost half the reason we do it,” he says. “Sundays at the Rancho are as important for all of us as they are for our guests.”
