At Oyatte, the Menu is Tied to the Farm, Not the Calendar: A Fine Dining Model Working with a Single Farm

At Oyatte, which opened in May 2026 in New York, the menu is not solely determined by chef Hasung Lee. One of the key decision-makers for the restaurant is Crown Daisy Farm, located about 150 kilometers to the north, and the products that can be harvested that week.

Oyatte, Lee's first independent restaurant after working at places like Atomix, The French Laundry, Gramercy Tavern, and Geranium in Copenhagen, is a contemporary fine dining concept that spans two floors and accommodates 30 guests. The restaurant opened on May 5, and the current price of the eight-course tasting menu is $210. According to official restaurant information, the menu can change daily based on product availability.

This structure sets Oyatte apart from being just another fine dining restaurant in New York. The more striking aspect of the operation is that the relationship with the supplier is established not at the final stage of the menu but at the beginning of the creative process.

Working closely with a single farm changes how the menu operates

Oyatte's primary vegetable supplier is Crown Daisy Farm, located in northern New York State. Brett Ellis, who heads the farm, is a producer who previously worked at The French Laundry's farm. The restaurant's official statement notes that Oyatte's culinary approach is built around the close relationship with Crown Daisy Farm, seasonality, fermentation, and preservation techniques.

This relationship is showcased in a video published by Eater on June 30. As Ellis brings the week's products, such as small turnips, to the restaurant, the team views them not as ingredients for a fixed recipe but as the starting point for the menu. This approach is also evident in dishes that use cucumbers, chrysanthemums, wild water parsley, and various flowers.

In a traditional purchasing model, the kitchen first creates the menu and then tries to source the desired products. Oyatte's model works in the opposite direction: product availability influences the menu.

The creative advantage of this is significant. However, it requires much more flexibility on the operational side.

Working with micro-seasons complicates the standard menu

Lee explains in an interview with Eater's hospitality-focused Pre Shift publication in August that the menu changes almost weekly at certain times. The reason for this is the "micro-seasons" of farm products: a product can be in ideal condition for a few weeks but may completely disappear shortly after.

In a fine dining restaurant, this variability is not just a matter of recipe development.

When a new product arrives, the kitchen team must learn the preparation methods, update portion calculations, the service team must relearn the story of the dish, and wine pairings may need to be revised as necessary.

Therefore, a frequently changing menu requires a strong training system as much as a creative kitchen.

Eliminating standardization entirely creates another risk. If everything changes every day, purchasing forecasts, prep times, and labor planning can become challenging. In Oyatte's case, the solution lies in allowing products to change while keeping the technical approach more consistent.

Fermentation is not just a flavor tool but also a stock management tool

The significant presence of fermentation and preservation techniques in Oyatte's kitchen is also related to this supply structure.

The Eater video shows preserved versions of products like kumquat and cherry blossoms being used in dishes; fermented hot sauce made from pumpkin is also featured. In a later operational assessment of the restaurant, Lee mentions that there are many fermented products in the kitchen, and they are tracked comprehensively.

The lesson in management here is important.

In restaurants that work with seasonal products, it is not possible to consume the entire harvest during the service week. When applied correctly, fermentation, pickling, drying, or other preservation techniques can extend the lifespan of short-season raw materials within the menu.

This provides the chef not only with new flavors but also with a different stock management tool.

However, the growth of the fermentation program requires separate operations. Production dates, temperatures, contents, batch information, and shelf life must be recorded. Otherwise, a creative production system can quickly turn into an inventory that is difficult to control.

Two-story service transforms the tasting menu into a journey

At Oyatte, both the product approach and service design are different.

Guests do not stay at a single table throughout the meal. The experience begins on the lower level; after five to eight small starters are served, guests are moved to the main dining room on the upper level by the team led by general manager and sommelier Cécile Chastanet.

The restaurant's own statement indicates that the two-story space is designed to physically reflect the progression of the menu and its connection to Crown Daisy Farm. The lower level has a more rustic farmhouse atmosphere, while the upper section transitions to a more controlled fine dining experience.

This model is also interesting from a service operation perspective.

Moving guests to another area during the meal can create an experience, but it adds new variables from table turnover time to service synchronization. If service is delayed on the lower level, the table schedule on the upper level can also be affected.

Therefore, the spatial narrative only becomes advantageous if the kitchen and service teams work on the same timeline.

The chef's television visibility increased interest, but the project is older

Hasung Lee gained wider international recognition by reaching the finals of Netflix's Culinary Class Wars in 2026. However, it appears that Oyatte is not a restaurant project that was quickly created following its television success.

Lee stated in August to Eater that the idea for the restaurant and the work with investors began years before the program, extending back to 2020. The restaurant's opening took longer than planned due to licensing, construction, and various operational issues.

This distinction is important in terms of restaurant entrepreneurship. Media visibility can accelerate reservation demand, but concept development, investment, real estate, licensing, team building, and supply systems require much longer preparation.

Even the high demand for Oyatte after its opening does not negate this. According to Eater's follow-up on August 10, the restaurant's reservations are filling up rapidly.

Michelin also included Oyatte in its 2026 selection

About two months after the restaurant opened, it was also included among the new additions announced by the Michelin Guide for New York. Michelin evaluates Oyatte in the seasonal and contemporary cuisine category, particularly noting the use of farm-sourced products in the menu.

There is an important distinction here: being added to the Michelin Guide does not mean winning a star. Oyatte is currently included in the guide's restaurant selection; star status is a separate matter to be evaluated.

The main lesson for restaurants in Turkey is not "single farm"

Directly copying the Oyatte model to Turkey may not be realistic for every operation.

Linking a significant portion of a restaurant's products to a single farmer can create risks in terms of supply continuity. Weather conditions, yield, product diseases, or logistical issues can directly affect the menu.

However, the more applicable part of the model is moving the relationship between the farmer and the restaurant from the order list to product planning.

Having chefs meet with producers before the season starts to plan which varieties will be grown together, identifying second-quality products that can be used, or preparing a storage program for short-season products can enhance both kitchen creativity and supply efficiency.

This can be particularly valuable for fine dining restaurants that can frequently change their menus, boutique hotels, and product-focused independent operations.

Stafflink's perspective

What is strong in the Oyatte example is not the use of the term "farm-to-table"; it is the integration of this relationship into the operation.

If a restaurant views a producer merely as a supplier that provides prices, seasonality often becomes a narrative used in the menu. When the producer is involved in the menu development process, it becomes possible to plan together when which product will arrive, how each part will be utilized, and how to preserve excess.

In return, the kitchen team needs to be more agile. As the menu changes frequently, recipe management, food cost calculations, staff training, and service knowledge must also be updated at the same pace.

Therefore, the main lesson in operations for Oyatte is not to work with a single farm. The supply system should not be thought of separately from kitchen creativity.