From Farm to Fork: How Nemacolin Partners with Local Purveyors to Deliver Exceptional Culinary Experiences

When it comes to foodie getaways, Pennsylvania offers few as deeply connected to their surroundings as Nemacolin. Tucked into the rolling hills of the Laurel Highlands, the resort offers more than luxury — it’s a celebration of local flavor, where every dish reflects the land and season. The Nemacolin culinary experience invites guests to explore the resort’s garden to discover local ingredients, then follow your tour with some of the finest farm to table dining Pennsylvania has to offer.

From the Laurel Highlands to Your Plate: Nemacolin’s Local Ingredient Philosophy

“Creativity starts with what’s growing,” says Resort Executive Chef Steven Haragos. “Using ingredients from our garden and greenhouse lets us design dishes that are fresh, seasonal, and rooted in this place.” Haragos and his culinary team also collaborate closely with nearby farms and trusted Western PA purveyors. But sourcing locally isn’t just about fostering strong Nemacolin food partnerships — it’s about delivering exceptional flavor. Fresh-picked ingredients don’t need to travel far, so they arrive at peak ripeness and taste. 

A Culinary Network: Local Purveyors Who Make It Possible

Nemacolin food partnerships with renowned Western PA purveyors bring the region’s rich agricultural bounty directly to the plate. Below, a look at just a few of the local artisans helping define the Nemacolin culinary experience.

Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream

Millie’s Ice Cream, Nemacolin’s go-to for small-batch, flavor-forward ice cream, is crafted by Chad & Lauren Townsend using high-quality Pennsylvania dairy, Amish-raised eggs, and local fruits and grains. The beloved scoops can be enjoyed across the resort at PJ’s Ice Cream Parlor, throughout Nemacolin’s restaurants and via in-room dining.

Footprints Farm

Chef Earl Guthrie, sous chef at Aqueous, values the personal connection with Jeremy & Ellen Swartzfager, owner operators of Footprints Farm: “He comes and talks to us directly to see if there’s anything we need that he might be able to grow or raise for us.” The Footprints Farm Nemacolin partnership plays a vital role in the resort’s culinary offerings — from farm-fresh eggs used in omelets at Aqueous and breakfast sandwiches at The Patisserie, to pasture-raised chickens, ducks, geese, and pheasant. Footprints Farm also provides specialty produce including edible flowers and heirloom tomatoes.

Haines Farm

Nemacolin food partnerships such as the one with Paul Haines and this family-owned and operated farm located just 15 minutes from the resort, form the backbone of its farm-to-table dining. Pennsylvania’s Haines Farm supplies premium beef and pork across the resort’s restaurants — as well as peppered beef jerky for the Whiskey Tasting in The Hardy Room and daily guest amenities.

Nemacolin Honey

Nemacolin’s beehives are home to thousands of honeybees that pollinate the resort’s gardens and surrounding landscape within a five-mile radius. Seasonal pollen sources influence the honey’s taste, color, and texture, producing honey that’s light and floral in spring, amber and warm in summer, and rich and molasses-like in fall. This hyper-local honey is available year-round at The Patisserie, with seasonal harvests noted on each jar, and can also be pre-ordered from The Market. Guests can also join Nemacolin’s expert beekeepers for a complimentary Beekeeping Basics class to explore hive life and the vital role bees play in our food system.

Laurel Highlands Brewing

For craft beer aficionados looking to explore local breweries, Laurel Highlands has no shortage of talent — including the team at Laurel Highlands Brewing who partnered with Nemacolin to develop The Peak Pilsner. This crisp Czech-style beer, inspired by Nemacolin’s vibrant energy and spirit of fun, features a golden, radiantly clear pour (5% ABV, 42 IBU) with biscuit-like malt and a clean, balanced finish.

Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy

Located just outside Pittsburgh, Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy is a 130-acre, family-owned farm boasting a herd of over 100 Alpine and Nubian goats. The farm relies on traditional cheesemaking techniques to craft both fresh and aged varieties including a creamy chèvre to a goat’s milk Gouda made from spring and summer milk.

Liokareas Olive Oil

Liokareas crafts premium extra virgin olive oil from olives grown on a fifth-generation family farm on the Mani Peninsula in Southern Greece. Harvested at peak ripeness and cold-pressed for purity, the oil is then bottled in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, and adds a rich, Mediterranean flavor to dishes across Nemacolin’s restaurants.

GHP Pierogis

GHP Pierogis serves up Old-World comfort and flavor with their pillowy dumplings, handmade in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and a beloved favorite at The Royale.

BreadWorks

A Pittsburgh staple for nearly 50 years, BreadWorks supplies Nemacolin with artisan-style breads made from unbleached flour that’s milled to exact specifications, and served at Fawn & Fable, Aqueous, The Patisserie, The Peak, and Amber Bar. 

Mercurio’s Gelato

Owned and operated by three siblings, Mercurio’s Gelato is known for its rich, velvety and inventive flavors, made fresh daily in Fox Chapel and served at Gusto!, The Carousel during the summer months, and at the coffee and gelato cart for a limited engagement in the Falling Rock Lobby.

Robin’s Holistic Garden

Just steps from Falling Rock, Robin’s Holistic Garden plays a crucial role in the Nemacolin culinary experience. Cultivated organically, its bounty typically includes cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, beans, and edible flowers earlier in the growing season, and pears, beets, radishes, tomatillos, okra, various herbs, onions, leeks, blackberries, strawberries, and rhubarb as the summer progresses. Crops are selected based on Nemacolin chefs’ requests and kitchen needs, then harvested at peak ripeness to elevate some of the most sustainable dining experiences PA has to offer. Local ingredients culinary tours can be arranged with advance notice.