If you find yourself sitting down to a privately catered meal featuring dishes such as wild blueberry panna cotta with Meyer lemon curd and lavender springs, or pomegranate molasses lamb chops with whipped garlic-pistachio toum, or garlic scape chimichurri salmon, with a dessert of thyme-roasted strawberries, saba, burrata, and Thai basil, you are lucky enough to be living the dream of the epicurious with Chef Jillian Walraven.
A rising local talent in the New England area and beyond, Walraven’s creations bring what could be a rather esoteric culinary niche experience back to the relatable and accessible. Walraven’s creations are an amalgamation of a lifetime steeped in the authentic and home grown, enhanced by the cutting edge of education and training in high-demand environments.
Born and raised in central Massachusetts, her Argentinian and Italian family members exposed her to authentic, homemade food from both countries. Walraven recalls, “I grew up with my family making things like handmade pasta and just truly beautiful food. Everything was grown in the garden. My grandpa grew hazelnut trees and if I got a cut or injury, there was always some remedy my grandmother had made from homegrown herbs and plants to treat it.” In addition to being surrounded by quintessential, homemade, heritage cuisine and a deeply rooted knowledge of how to grow, harvest, and use your own food, Walraven also took in the local surroundings as forms of inspiration. “I grew up next to apple orchards and really love the seasons here in New England. They inspire what I create.”
With an upbringing so rich in culture, seasons, and nature, Walraven found her passions followed along those lines. “When I was 18, I worked in an amazing local cheese shop called The Bloomy Rind in Hingham. I was exposed to all different kinds of cheese and loved it. Working there really opened me up to new flavors and flavor combinations.” She also found her boss to be a mentor who encouraged her to refine her passion and talent by attending culinary school. “I just found that whatever I did, I always went back to my love of food. My boss there helped me decide to try culinary school and so I attended the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York.”
Following her formal training, Walraven began to work at Mirbeau in Plymouth. It was there that Walraven developed her unique style and confidence in her instinct and skill. “Mirbeau was such a huge part of my life,” says Walraven, “I worked for one of the best chefs ever. He truly cared about us and was reliable -he set a positive tone to the kitchen which can often be a very intense environment. He loved to help people really shine.” Walraven also added to her professional experience in a farm to table setting working at Rye Tavern. Walraven continued to work in the restaurant scene after her daughter was born, but once her son was born, she decided she needed to have more control over her schedule and wanted to have creative license in her work.
Walraven decided private cheffing was the perfect solution. “I love being a private chef,” she says, “I can really do what I want. I can share how I see and feel about food with my clients and create using things I feel passionately about like local and seasonal ingredients. I source premium ingredients that are the best of the best in terms of environmental impact, local sustainability, taste and freshness, and I can also let my Argentinian-Italian roots add a bit of flare to make things really unique.”
Walraven’s culinary adventures are shared frequently on her social media pages and anyone who wanders into that digital space will be left not only in awe of the truly visionary meals she makes, but also the complete, curated experience offered to her clients in terms of serving dishes, floral arrangements, impeccable plating, and ambiance. “I truly believe food is made more delicious and beautiful when served in amazing settings that have been designed with intention.”
Walraven’s themed dinner menus, available on her website, span from her Lilac Dinner (inspired by the lilacs in her Chiltonville neighborhood) with dishes such as lilac & wild blueberry-thyme-glazed duck confit and sweet corn soubise, to her Heirloom Tomato Dinner inspired by the inimitable garden-fresh fruits of the summer with garden fresh heirloom tomatoes with Ricotta Salata & fried garlic and Castelvetrano Olive Focaccia & whipped tomato butter.
Walraven also offers complete menus that can be customized and are often seasonally tuned and using local ingredients. Menus like her “Fall in New England” feature Mabon-toned dishes with Italian flare such as Autumn Panzanella with golden apples, pepitas, baby lettuces, cornbread croutons, shaved cheddar and apple cider vinaigrette with pickled shallots and cranberries. If you are looking for a more ethnically geared menu, there are options like “Masa Tortilla Taco Bar” with authentic dishes like beef picadillo empanadas and Chimichurri aioli, or perhaps a sweeter take with her guava and cheese empanadas with condensed milk. Regardless of what menu or themed dinners you choose from, you can rest assured that Walraven will always highlight the best of what can be found at farmers markets, gardens, local businesses, and high-quality food suppliers.
Walraven’s passions encompass not only making food, but growing and sourcing it. An avid home gardener herself, Walraven has a keen fondness of others who dedicate their lives to growing food and flowers -so much so that she founded a local farmers market. “I started Book Love Farmers Market outside the bookstore, Book Love in the Pinehills, to help local farmers and artisans have a place to be supported and grow. It is meant to empower high-quality, local producers.” One farmer in particular has Walraven’s support. “There is a woman in Plymouth who, despite how hard it is to farm there, has started a regenerative, organic farm. I am so excited for her and I am rather protective over her growing farm. She grows beautiful things and this is what I love to do -to empower people. The farmer’s market is an extension of my food philosophy: local, seasonal, sustainable -environmentally and economically, and grown with intention.”
In addition to private cheffing and running the Book Love Farmers Market, Walraven has found a growing demand to cater private women’s retreats. For her, the catering experience has become one of community through these retreats. “I love catering for these retreats in these beautiful interiors that play off of everything from the colors on the table and the flowers, to the textures of the food and the lighting -it’s a whole vibe where style meets food, but what I really love is that my clients trust me. They work with me to create the menus so that it is a personalized experience that means the most to them and their guests, and in the process, I have found great friends and fellow creative minds that inspire me.”
As for what lies ahead for Walraven? “I am really thinking a lot about education. I have this pull to teach and pass on food knowledge. I would really love to start teaching classes and to gather community to support struggling or newly established entrepreneurs. I remember teaching a class one time to children and my daughter was the only one that knew what parsley was. I am worried about how removed we have become from our food as a society. I am also passionate about making healthy, high-quality food accessible to everyone -especially those facing food insecurity.”
When asked what advice she has for others about supporting the local food scene Walraven says, “Farmers Markets! Please visit them and get to know the farmers and business owners and artisans there. Who makes the honey in your area? Who grew your squash? Have you checked out the local fish shop in your town? It is about more than food, it’s about community and connections and that makes the best food experience.”
If you find yourself in need of a private chef or catering, or are looking for some locally grown produce for that quick summer al fresco meal, or you just need a jolt of creative inspiration in your own meal planning, Chef Walraven is an unfailingly visionary source of enthusiasm, knowledge, creativity, and kindness. “Making food that connects heritage, new ideas, and the gifts of nature and community is who I am -it is what I do.” If you really are what you eat, then perhaps adopting this philosophy is the healthiest diet around.

Chef Jillian Walraven can be reached and more information about her services found at:
chefjillianwalraven.com
Book Love Farmer’s Market:
Every first and third Sunday of the month from 9a.m. – 12p.m.
7 Village Green S., Pinehills, Plymouth.

Stephani Teran
Express staff
On a sunny June day, just before a pending New England heat wave, Tina Palmer of the Historical Commission is outside the Halifax Historical Museum gifting the garden with some water. Palmer spends a great deal of time here, and other locations in Halifax, serving, organizing, caring for, protecting, and promoting all things Halifax.
Inside the beautiful antique building that once served as a one-room schoolhouse and later the town library, an expanse of carefully curated, historical artifacts relevant to and from the town of Halifax, line shelves, display cases, and fill exhibits in the bright, open space. From floor to near ceiling, the museum holds a pleasantly dizzying number of items -all pieces of local history that tell the unique and continuing story of this bucolic, New England town.
Currently, the Halifax Museum and Halifax Historical Society are raising funds to repair and restore the historic JB Baker blacksmith shop in town. The blacksmith shop was founded by Jared Baker in 1894 who served as the towns first fire chief and also as a town selectmen from 1920-1946. His wife, Ella, served as the first woman on the Halifax School Committee from 1911-1914. The blacksmith shop is a unique and important part of Halifax history and will greatly enhance learning and historically geared experiences in Halifax upon completion. Thankfully, the Halifax Historical Museum offers a wealth of local history to view and learn about as well as town-geared products available to purchase to help support the blacksmith shop restoration.
Dr. Howland Holmes gave $100 to the town of Halifax to establish a public library, which amassed a collection of some 3,000 volumes that were kept in the current Town Hall. In 1908, the town appropriated $1,000 to establish a new library location using one of the five Halifax schoolhouses. Palmer explains, “In the deed, it was promised that this building would always serve as a public library and although it is now also a museum, it is a reference library.” The collection of volumes and artifacts also offers countless immersive research and learning opportunities to the public.
Besty Hodge, retired Halifax school teacher and fellow commission member with Palmer, helps to run the museum and assisted in the massive undertaking of sorting through, organizing, cleaning, and arranging the many artifacts. Her knowledge of town history and happenings is second nature as she talks about people in images and what objects were used for. “All of these items have been donated or found by people in Halifax and surrounding areas. We have had so much fun deciding where everything goes and what should be grouped with what,” she says beaming at an extensive World War II display showcasing locals who served in the war.
Parts of Halifax history, that may be lesser known to newcomers, are on display such as the signage for Halifax Garden Co. “Halifax Garden Company was so well known and successful that they shipped roses all over the country,” says Palmer. Another bit of Halifax history that has traversed far beyond town boundaries is the slogan and accompanying symbol of “Kilroy was here”.
The slogan “Kilroy was here” came to be a symbol of what was right about America in World War II. James J. Kilroy was a rate setter for the rivets welded in shipbuilding. In order to stop the practice of some riveters trying to get paid for the work others were doing, he began writing, “Kilroy was here” near the welded areas he was inspecting. “After a while of this,” Palmer explains, “sailors worldwide began to notice this slogan and the drawing Kilroy did each time. They started to use it themselves and graffitied various objects and places all over the world with ‘Kilroy was here’ and the little face looking over the ledge.” Backing up this story, a 1970 Yankee Magazine with an article about Kilroy is displayed below images of the phrase and cartoon donning various machines and buildings.
Endearing tales are unveiled with each object examined or marveled at by the two sage women -their minds living annals of local tales and of the people who molded and made the town what it is today. After pointing out my adoration for a picture of three elderly women dressed in fancy attire -purses in hand and looking to be heading out for a good time, Hodge instantly relayed the importance of the image and those in it. “Only July 4, 1984, Halifax celebrated its 250th anniversary. They dressed up for the occasion and Inez Gassett, the town librarian, had an amazing, elaborate float that was themed ‘Mother Goose’. She dressed as Mother Goose and read to the children as the float went down the street. She was always doing wonderful things. She was a strong woman who knew how to get things done.”
From 19th century, collector Bibles that look more like they were once housed in a gothic European castle rather than being family heirlooms, to a collection of cast iron toy soldiers that would make any child incapable of resisting staging a pretend battle, and from worn baseball mitts and rusted face masks from the first baseball games in the area, to elaborate smoking pipes underneath a display of dapper top hats, the Halifax Museum is layer upon layer of history, stories, learning, and wonder.
“We really love people coming to enjoy the many stories we have here,” says Palmer. “The other day we had a gentleman come and spend a good hour in the corner with the World War II display -reading and taking it all in. There is a real connection to be made to where you live when you know how things came to be and why,” says Hodge. “Getting this museum into shape and organizing and cataloguing -it was a lot of work but we are learning the system and more about how to run things and we are having a great time doing it,” Palmer points out, “We just really hope the community comes out to see what this place holds and to appreciate our town.”
If you and your family are in the market this summer for local learning opportunities and the chance to support the historical restoration of a building that matters to many, do not miss a visit to the Halifax Historical Museum. Every object or image you find there comes with more than historical facts and dates -they come with stories of the people and events that shaped the lives lived in Halifax today. These accounts are now passed on by people who brilliantly blur the lines between past and present to tell the stories of Halifax “yesterdays” as clearly and poignantly as if they happened moments ago. Each tale is a page in the collective story of community -a story that is waiting for your page to be added.

Even on a rainy June day, Kelly MacDonald Weeks, PhD and Executive Director of Soule Homestead is rushing around on the farm teaching, working the land, managing volunteers, arranging upcoming programs, and chatting with the Express Newspaper. MacDonald Weeks is no stranger to multitasking. In addition to being the Executive Director of Soule Homestead, she is a professor at both Bridgewater State University and UMass Boston in American Studies. For more than 25 years, MacDonald Weeks has been tailoring learning and life experiences to students young and old -hoping to teach more than whatever is offered at the surface. Her approach to making Soule an increasingly integral part of the community that honors its past while finding poignance in the future is a testament to that.
“The history of this parcel of land starts long before European colonization with the Nemasket tribe. The land here is very biodiverse with wetlands and vegetation and waterways, so the indigenous people were drawn to settle here,” says MacDonald Weeks. Many projectile points have also been found in the area -indicative of hunting grounds, MacDonald Weeks explains. “One of our community gardeners found her broccoli was being pushed up, and after digging, she found it was being pushed up by a projectile point.”
After the first European settlers arrived in the area, George Soule, an Indentured Servant of the Edward Winslow family and one of the youngest people to sign the Mayflower Compact, joined together with 25 other men in 1662 to buy a large parcel from the Nemasket Indigenous people -a band of the Wampanoag tribe. “Perhaps ‘buy’ isn’t the right word,” says MacDonald Weeks, “It was more of a trade and not a purchase, and George was the equivalent of a bit of a real estate mogul and actually lived in Duxbury and not on this site.”
With one of his sons being a known troublemaker, the parcel of land was eventually left to his son James -the first white colonist to farm the land. “The land also came with cattle inherited from the ‘Cattle Division’ when England broke its indentured contracts and the assets were divided among the colonists,” explains MacDonald Weeks. This variance from communal to privately owned livestock allowed farms and local settlers to create local industry, income, and independence.
33 years after its founding as a non-profit farm and former dairy farm, Soule Homestead has remained an undeveloped, bucolic destination and has become a beloved center for agricultural education and ecological innovation. Upon pledging to the town of Middleborough two things, that a certain percentage of Soule Homestead is leased to local farmers, and that it will continue to be a center to teach the community about agriculture and ecological responsibility, the town leased 120 acres on the Middleborough portion of the land in ten-year contracts to Soule Homestead as a non-profit organization.
“We teach so much more than livestock agriculture,” says MacDonald Weeks, “We teach about gardening, seed saving, composting, biodiversity, beekeeping, environmental stewardship, arts and crafts -I even love to teach kids how to use power tools safely.” Though immensely busy with managing the homestead, MacDonald Weeks gets her hands dirty in the gardens any chance she can. “We grew all our own flowers to harvest the color for a tie-dye project and I try to keep vegetable gardens going all season.”
MacDonald Weeks isn’t the only person working the fertile soils of Soule Homestead. “We have 22 community garden plots,” MacDonald Weeks points out, “There is a waiting list for the option to rent a spot for the season. Some of our community gardeners have been renting out the same plot for years.”
For MacDonald Weeks, the community gardens are also a hub for connection. “It is neat to see the different things everyone is growing as everyone has very different gardening styles and preferences. Community gardeners have shown how generous they are in sharing their seedlings, gardening advice, and harvests. We donate the crops not needed for our families and the farm to local food banks.”
While parcels of Soule Homestead are leased to farmers and these areas are off limits to the public, most of Soule Homestead can be explored freely by visitors. Trails meander through the forested property and a rich population of birds and insects are residents of this protected oasis. “Blake Dinius, the local insect expert, visited and found a rare butterfly here on the property that hadn’t been seen in the area in 100 years.” MacDonald Weeks was recently taken aback when she identified a male and female bald eagle soaring above the woods.
With a vast homestead, gardens, woodland, livestock, educational programs, and year-round events on the farm, you would never guess it is headed by only two full-time employees, a dedicated Board of Directors, and a large body of volunteers. MacDonald explains, “We are kept in motion by our volunteers.” One of the most popular volunteer programs is called “Leaders in Training” -a homestead education and volunteer opportunity for teenagers and young adults. “Most of them are here to earn their community service credits, but they often end up enjoying the hard, engaging work and the way it gets them to talk to each other while learning life skills. Our teens are out there weeding, weed whacking, learning about organic pest and weed control, animal husbandry, and all sorts of things you can’t learn on a screen.”
Soule Homestead offers options for anyone of any age looking for a learning experience. “Right now, we have the Middleborough Public Library displaying a storybook trail along with one of our trails. We also have our children’s summer day programs starting up, and a Firefly Frolic Walk coming up with Blake Dinius because we have an easy time seeing them here due to organic farming methods and little light pollution.” Indoors, Soule Homestead is committed to teaching arts and crafts -particularly disciplines that are nearly forgotten and rarely passed on. MacDonald Weeks explains, “We offer workshops on rug braiding, rug hooking, quilting -anything local experts want to volunteer their time and expertise to teach about. Our workshops help inspire people while preserving the skills our parents and grandparents considered essential.”
In addition to learning, volunteering, working, and exploring at Soule Homestead, there is also opportunity to simply visit and relax while supporting them. “On July 11, we are starting our Concert Series with a favorite musician, Lainey Dionne,” says MacDonald Weeks. Dionne is a GRAMMY®-considered indie pop singer/songwriter from Rhode Island with over 50 nominations and awards for her songwriting including Songwriter of the Year at the New England Music Awards. “Some of her songs were recently featured on ‘Love Is Blind’ and ‘The Kardashians’. We are very excited to have her back at Soule.”
Amidst the exciting line-up of events, workshops, educational programs for children, wildlife, community gardens, working farm plots, nature trails, a mud kitchen for little ones, adorable farm animals, story and craft time for families, and an ever-changing array of learning opportunities, you might forget that Soule Homestead is fueled by community -quite literally, and these incredible offerings can’t exist without public, local support. “Running a historic farm is expensive,” points of MacDonald Weeks, “We do our best to keep costs minimal and to cut back on spending, but as a non-profit we can only secure so much of our finding through grants. We need the community to continue to donate, volunteer, join our membership program, and even if you can’t financially support us, spreading the word is great, too!”
MacDonald Weeks is setting her sights on the future with Soule and planning to find news ways to teach new guests about the true nature of farming -which she sees as an interaction with nature and far more interconnected and intricate than just taking care of animals or plants. “We are always looking to expand our programming. We want to bring back some past programming -especially children’s programs. Schools are undergoing so many cuts in funding and we hope to find a way to support and supplement those cut areas such as assisting in providing field trips for kids to have farm experiences.”
Soule Homestead has seen many seasons as a place of good and plenty as a working farm and resource-rich area -from its first moments serving the Nemasket people with fertile ground and game, to being planted out and used to raise crops and cattle, and now as a community homestead. It would be nearly unthinkable to not add yourself to its historical guest-list -not just as a visitor, patron, or participant, but as a student because as Nemasket Chief, Lance Young said, the land in this area is “a living, breathing resource for the common good.”