A Sweetheart Meal

When I was a teenager, there was a well-known, quaint local farm restaurant that provided the sweetest romantic dinners. It wasn’t candlelight, and certainly not wine (remember I said teenager), or a live serenade that made it romantic. It was set on a small farm. Driving up to the house, you were immersed in open pasture, green grass, or crops dancing in the breeze. There was an inviting front porch with rocking chairs for relaxing while waiting for your table to be ready. Nicholson’s Farmhouse Restaurant was not an open restaurant floorplan, but an 1828 home with small tables set in each room. It was intimate setting for close friends to share a well cooked meal and meaningful conversation.

The signature dish at Nicholson’s Farmhouse was their “Sweetheart Steaks”. They were two steaks connected in the shape of a heart, meant to be shared by a couple. Every Valentine’s Day, the restaurant was bursting at the seams with sweethearts and sweetheart steaks. Delicious and sentimental, the sweetheart steak created a feeling of togetherness.

Nicholson’s Farmhouse closed in 2006. Many people in North Florida and South Georgia have fond memories of great food and intimate friends around those old tables. In my family, many of our best conversations happen around a table with fresh, comforting foods. Somehow, tantalizing flavors allow us to relax and enjoy being together in more meaningful ways. Conversation flows, smiles broaden, and people linger around well prepared treats.


Looking forward to Valentine’s Day, I’m wondering how to recreate the sweetheart steaks with our mouth-watering Glendower Farms Iberian pork. Plating two pork chops or cubed steaks in a heart shape? Molding some ground chorizo burger into a heart before cooking? Glendower Farms pork prepared well can transform any old table into an intimate setting for thoughtful, meaningful, togetherness. Whether you spend Valentine’s Day with friends, your entire family, or one-on-one with your sweetheart, consider including some Glendower Farms Iberian pork to add a special thoughtfulness to your celebration.