Chef Daniel Meissner spends a lot of time around food. You can often find him in the kitchen serving as the executive chef at Willa on Main Street in Millerton, NY, or spending Saturdays at the Thistle Pass Farm booth (owned by his partner, Ellie) at the Millerton Farmers Market. Daniel’s newest project, Fair Play Hospitality, is a little different from his previous work – it’s a love letter to his Irish heritage.
Daniel’s mother is Irish – born and raised just outside of Dublin – and growing up, he often heard that he was “Irish” too. Throughout his childhood in New England, he always felt drawn to agriculture and seasonality, which eventually drew him to his first professional kitchen at the age of 13. After graduating from the International Culinary Center in 2015, he went on to further develop his skills in a variety of Michelin-starred fine dining kitchens.
After visiting Ireland two separate times at 22 and 29 years old, he decided that this was the perfect opportunity to “connect and explore” a part of himself that he had felt “disconnected from” thus far in his life.
From Éire to the Hudson Valley
In Ireland, “fair play” is a phrase used to describe a job well done. Oigidecht is the Irish word for “hospitality,” and during the Celtic times under Brehon Law, it was mandatory for households to provide some form of hospitality to travelers, even if they were strangers.
“Irish culture is something that I am still learning about, in all honesty,” Daniel says. “Though in my research of the country, throughout history, hospitality plays a big part in its culture.”
Fair Play is inspired by the Irish values of storytelling, agricultural stewardship, and community and ultimately aims to explore the question, “What is Irish hospitality?” Blending his interest in local agriculture and farming, Fair Play allows Daniel to showcase the farmers, foragers, and makers of the Hudson Valley through nights of shared meals, storytelling, and lasting memories.
“In terms of flavors, Ireland has a rich history of seafood, dairy, and wild food. Just like many cultures before the industrialization of food, the Irish ate seasonally because they ate what they grew and caught,” he explains. “So luckily for me, creating a menu with contemporary Irish flavors doesn’t fall far outside of the way I already cook.”
Fair Play is also heavily inspired by two chefs in Ireland – Chef JP McMahon of Aniar in Galway and Cúán Greene of Ómós in Abbeyleix. “These two gentlemen are at the forefront of contemporary Irish cuisine, and if you’re at all interested in what I am trying to accomplish in the Hudson Valley, it starts with these two.”
Daniel notes that he still relies heavily on what is grown, raised, and foraged here in the Hudson Valley, while incorporating bits of history that he learns along the way about Irish cuisine and culture. He’s so passionate about sourcing goods locally, in fact, that you can find an entire page on the Fair Play website dedicated to showcasing local farms, orchards, bakers, and makers that he works with, sources ingredients from, respects, and wants others to support as well. Some familiar names include Rock Steady Farm in Millerton; Mx Morningstar in Hudson; Vitsky Bakery and Ten Mile Table, both in Wassaic; and Kinderhook Farm in Columbia County.
A Summer of Fair Play
In addition to hosting pop-up events, Fair Play also offers private chef services; consulting for recipe development, kitchen design, and team management; weddings and other events; and cooking classes.
“As a new business, I am starting with a few different services and seeing what I can offer to the community,” Daniel explains.
For the foreseeable future, Fair Play will operate as a pop-up. However, Daniel shared that he has acquired a permanent location, although he noted that the details of that are not quite ready to be shared publicly just yet. Here’s what he can tell us: “In the long term, we are creating a venue that works in tandem with Thistle Pass Farm to share with our community.”
“We are just looking to be authentic, and with that authenticity will come triumphs and mistakes. We are not looking for perfection; we are looking to learn and grow with our community,” Daniel says. “Fair Play is about exploring curiosity and the exploration of one’s self. Our goal is to make people feel welcomed in our ‘home’ and not judged by the outside world. We wish to look deeper into how we as humans experience connection through food.” •
The best way to stay connected with Fair Play and get more information about their upcoming pop-ups is via their Instagram @fairplay.hv or on their website fairplay-