Host a Farm-to-Table French-Style Dinner Party

Dinner parties are where the French share ideas and engage in lively conversations and sometimes even a little healthy debate. In other words, you should host your friends for dinner or drinks more if you really want to adopt a Parisian lifestyle. The dinner doesn’t have to be elaborate, but just aim to work with fresh ingredients. The French are typically on a first-name basis with their favorite local bread makers, cheesemongers, farmers and flower vendors. Making regular trips to a farmers market is a great way to eat local and cultivate those relationships.

Here are some of my favorite makers and growers:

• Red Barn Herb Farm (9759 W. Farm Road 178, Republic) carries a wide selection of herbs, especially culinary ones. I visit the farm every year during their seasonal hours with my mom, and we have the best conversations with owner Barb Emge. She is always up for giving you ideas on how to cook with your lot.

• You can find Terrell Creek Farm goat cheese at multiple locations across town, but I love getting it straight from the stand at Farmers Market of the Ozarks (FMO) (2144 E. Republic Road, Springfield), especially because they offer free samples.

• While I’m at FMO, I always visit Found Flower Farm’s stand. It’s evident that farmer Rachel Parker grows, picks and arranges her bouquets with the utmost care for her craft.

• A visit to the walk-in cooler at Millsap Farms (6593 Emu Ln., Springfield) is always a treat. It’s fun to go there and see what produce is in stock and base a meal around what’s in season.

• La Mère Bakery: This bakery operates from Box Turtle Creamery (1458 E. Cherry St., Springfield), where baker Alex Maurer whips up the best sourdough loaves and pizza crusts.