Blue Hill Team Members Tara and Michael Gallina Branch Out With Rooster and the Hen

Two major members of the Blue Hill at Stone Barns team are leaving the celebrated restaurant in Pocantico Hills to start a farm-to-table pop-up project called Rooster and the Hen. Michael Gallina has worked as the chef de cuisine at Dan Barber's restaurant since 2011, and his wife Tara held a number of dining room positions throughout the years, including senior captain. Now they're hoping to bring a farm-to-table fine dining experience in the vein of Blue Hill to venues across the country. In November the duo will move to St. Louis — where Michael grew up — to establish a home base for Rooster and the Hen.

Michael tells Eater: "Dan [Barber] is my biggest influence for the next project. I believe very much in utilizing the whole farm, and it's how we should all eat in some way." Tara notes: "We met at Blue Hill. It's going to be part of our life forever in some ways. It was a very transformational experience for us." Last month, the Gallinas cooked at a fundraising dinner to support Edible Island Culinary Center in Stonington, ME. And on October 30, they will collaborate with chef Ted Corrado on a meal at the Drake Hotel in Toronto. Tara notes that they're "pretty open minded" about future pop-up dinners and events. Michael and Tara might eventually open a brick and mortar restaurant in the St. Louis area, but for now they're focussing on the short-term pop-ups and collaborations.