Cedar Oak Farms isn’t a restaurant — at least, not in the traditional sense. Rather, it’s a 4-hour journey through food, as described by owner Teresa Sturm.
Tucked along the Middle Fork River Forest Preserve outside of Paxton on Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative lines, Sturm describes the area as an ideal, peaceful location — a place where visitors can relax, enjoy nature, take in the sky as the sun sets and the stars steal the show, and enjoy a five-course meal that turns strangers into friends.
“I love feeding people,” Sturm says, who is also known as Chef Ella to her guests. “There’s no greater joy, in my opinion, than to watch their faces light up from the experience; it’s just a unique thing to watch.”
Sturm spent years working as a CPA before retiring early to chase her true passion — cooking. “I’ve always been a passionate cook,” she says. “Accounting just paid the bills.”
What started as a modest farm market and bakery quickly grew into something more. She remembers people stopping in for bread or doughnuts and really enjoying the food. Some asked if she would consider having private dinners. Sturm put her chef’s hat on and gave it a try. The dinners took off.
Now in its second full season, seats for the dinners sell out fast — and for good reason. Only 24 guests are seated at the long farm tables each month in a restored, temperature-controlled barn. Sturm keeps it intimate by design. “We walk out as family,” she says. “I’d hate to lose that.”
Each dinner begins with a “golden-hour” social — drinks in hand, guests wander gardens, admire the scenery and flowers, and take turns on the porch swings. This is designed for guests to get to know their dinner companions. Sturm says that by the time the doors open to the dining room, laughter can be heard, and friendships are forming.
Once inside, dinner begins. Carefully choreographed, the evening celebrates local food and the season’s freshest flavors. The main event starts with a “nibble board” featuring local cheeses, followed by an appetizer, soup or salad, the entree and dessert.
“We’re inspired by whatever’s popping in the garden,” Sturm says. “If it is ready in the garden, you’re going to see it on the table that evening.”
From edible flowers to handmade bread made with Janie’s Mill flour (a nearby organic grain mill) every element is chosen with care. Local cheeses, herbs snipped from the garden, meat from nearby farms — Cedar Oak Farms seeks to incorporate quality local ingredients to support central Illinois agriculture. Even the drinks are supplied by neighbor distillery Silver Tree Beer and Spirits.
“We want a slow food experience,” Sturm says. “We want farm-to-table, hyperlocal ingredients. That’s very important to us.”
While the atmosphere shifts with the season — sun-drenched in summer, cozy in fall — the sense of togetherness never wavers.
“Good food is good food,” Sturm says. “But what you get here is more than that. It’s a sense of warmth and family and coming together with one another. Remember those old-fashioned dinners when we all used to sit at the table and talk to one another? That’s what we’re bringing back.”
The team behind the scenes is small but mighty. Sturm leads the kitchen with support from a sous chef, two wait staff and a dishwashing crew she calls “the unsung heroes.” Without the hustle of a traditional restaurant and because of the set menu, the team’s energy is focused on making sure the dinners run smoothly.
Looking ahead, she plans to grow slowly. Maybe a few pizza nights on the patio or cocktails and small bites will pop up in the future. Sturm is in no rush and remains focused on the monthly farm dinners. “We’re still pretty new,” she says.
For those hoping to attend, it’s wise to act fast. Tickets — available only online — are limited to 24 per dinner and often sell out weeks in advance. As of publication, there are three monthly dinners remaining in the 2025 season, and September is sold out. Signing up for the farm’s newsletter on its website offers early access, sneak peeks and surprise pop-up events.
“I fell in love with the people in the community,” Sturm says. “I love [how these farm dinners] bring people together. I will have strangers come to the dinners, and by the end of the night, they’re exchanging phone numbers and making plans. For me, that’s what it’s all about.”
PHOTOS COURTESY OF TERESA STURM
Cedar Oak Farms
