A pop-up test kitchen · Hickory Hill Ranch · Saturday, August 8, 2026

A Lamb Roast on the Lawn

Whole lamb over an open fire, the mobile bar truck pouring under the string lights, picnic-table seating on the grass — right up by the road. Festival-style. Bring the family.

Get Tickets What to expect

We're firing up the spit by the road for one Saturday in August — same lamb, same fire, same hands as the Fort Wayne Table dinner inside the barn, but on the lawn out front, family-style, and at a price you can bring the whole crew to.

What's on the lawn

Whole lamb on the spit

Slow-cooked all afternoon over an open wood fire by Tom, our chef from the Greek family-tradition. Carved to order onto a heavy paper plate — lamb, sides, the works.

The mobile bar truck

A vintage step-van pouring beer, a short whiskey list, wine, and non-alcoholic options under the string lights. Cash and card. Tip your bartender.

Picnic-table seating

Long wooden picnic tables on mowed pasture grass — sit where you find a spot. Bring a lawn chair if you want one of your own. Kids welcome, dogs on a leash.

A test-kitchen menu

A handful of side dishes we're trying out for the bigger fall dinner — written on a chalkboard the morning of. Tell us what worked. We're listening.

Tickets

Buy a plate online ahead of time and skip the line. Or just show up — we take cards at the gate, festival-style.

Advance · online

$45/ plate

A plate of lamb + sides. Beer, wine, and whiskey are sold separately at the bar truck.

Card on file via Stripe. We email a receipt and a confirmation code.

At the gate

$55/ plate

Cards accepted. Pay when you walk up; no reservation needed.

Drinks are sold separately at the bar truck. Lamb is served until it runs out — usually around 8 PM. Once we're out, we're out.

Date

Saturday
August 8, 2026

Time

4 PM — 9 PM
lamb starts carving at 5

Where

Hickory Hill Ranch
DeKalb County · roadside lawn

Parking

In the field
free, signs at the gate

Get on the list

Drop your email and we'll send the menu the week before, the address the day of, and a heads-up the next time we fire up the spit.

No newsletter blast. Only the things you'd actually want sent to you.

Plain answers

Is this kid-friendly?
Very. There's grass to run on, a barn to look at, and a fire to keep an eye on. Plates for kids are the same price as adults; bring an appetite.
Can we bring our dog?
Yes — on a leash. There are working dogs on the ranch and other guests; keep yours close.
What if it rains?
We have a tent over the fire and the bar. Light rain, we go. Storms, we move it to the next Saturday — we'll email everyone with a ticket and post the call by noon.
Do you sell out?
A whole lamb feeds about 80 plates. Once that's gone, that's it for the night. Buying online is the only way to be sure of a plate.
Where exactly?
Hickory Hill Ranch, DeKalb County — about 20 miles northeast of downtown Fort Wayne. We post the address on the sign at the road and email it the day of to anyone with a ticket.
Vegetarian?
The sides are good and there are several. A non-meat plate is $20 — pick it at the gate.
Refunds?
Online plates are refundable up to 48 hours before. After that, transferable to anyone you want — just send them with the order email. If we cancel for weather, full refunds.