A Natural Bond

Another highlight was the food, which Erin called spectacular. “Dinner one night was a delicious porchetta, slow-roasted for hours to perfection, served with farm-roasted carrots and two delicious homemade pastas using farm ingredients. The executive chef prepared the meal for us in our cottage. All of us gathered around the island in the kitchen, listening to music, tasting local wines and enjoying a beautifully presented charcuterie with cured meats from the farm. While we were wrapping up dinner, the Beach Plum team built a fire in the pit in the backyard complete with blankets and all the fixings for s’mores. Unbelievable!”

Tammy Sarracino, founder and director of TherAbilities, a pediatric therapy company based in Harrisburg, PA, enjoyed a four-day retreat at the farm in June of 2024.

“We were looking for a special retreat venue to celebrate our 25th anniversary that was within a three-to-five-hour drive from our location in Central Pennsylvania,” says Tammy. “It was important to celebrate our anniversary in a setting that provided rest, relaxation, team socialization and personal enrichment.” But there was a strategic component, too. “We also gathered to engage in strategic planning for the company’s next three-to-five years.”

Mission accomplished? “Absolutely!  It was a beautiful and enriching experience for all of our team members. We used the golf carts to explore the farm and the local area, enjoying meals at local restaurants. And we loved the evening gatherings around the firepits, group swims and group yoga.”

The farm cottages were a big hit, too, accommodating Tammy’s 24-strong group. “The cottages were beautiful and the kitchens so well stocked,” she says. “And if we ran out of anything, we could get items from the farm cafe and store, without even needing to run into town.”

The farm cottages were a big hit, too, accommodating Tammy’s 24-strong group. “The cottages were beautiful and the kitchens so well stocked,” she says. “And if we ran out of anything, we could get items from the farm cafe and store, without even needing to run into town.”

Trudy Wilson, Cape Resorts’ Director of Sales and Events, has a large portfolio of event spaces to offer, from the Pridwin on Shelter Island, NY to the Cape May properties, but knows that Beach Plum Farm offers just that little bit extra. “It’s magical on a warm evening with the firepits lit, candles flickering and the sporadic twinkle from a firefly. Our corporate guests will often end their visit with a night like this.”

One of Trudy’s highlights was the visit in May 2022 from the Young Presidents’ Organization. “This group of chief executives brought their families to Cape May for a weekend. They had a carnival on the lawn at Congress Hall on Friday for the kids and spent Saturday at Beach Plum Farm doing egg-and-spoon and sack races, feeding the chickens, painting birdhouses, scavenger hunts and s’mores by the fire.”

Trudy says the COVID-induced switch to remote working has made rural retreats like the farm more enticing for corporate groups. “Because a lot of teams now work remotely, this is an opportunity to bring them together to connect in person. They love to get the teams to connect by participating in activities like lawn games, scavenger hunts, yoga, and mixology. We also get a lot of requests for women’s retreats at the farm, where they will do things like flower-arranging, pickling vegetables, candle-making, and forest meditation.

Trudy’s personal favorite farm event is the Cottage Cookoff: Each cottage holds a mystery basket of ingredients and recipes for each group to prepare. Participants begin with wine and an appetizer at one cottage, progress to a second cottage for the main course, and finish at a third cottage with dessert, firepits, cocktails—and the final elimination. “It’s a blast,” says Trudy. “People absolutely love it.”

Another undoubted highlight of the Beach Plum experience is a signature farm-to-table dinner. Whether a corporate group has spent the day in strategy meetings or burned off some calories on a beach walk, rounding off the day in such a tranquil, beautiful setting while enjoying produce harvested from the surrounding fields isn’t an experience quickly forgotten.

One of Trudy’s clients, who has an “insanely busy life in Manhattan”, recently wrote an email to her saying, ‘The minute I step on the farm, my shoulders go down and I immediately relax. The earthy smells, the color and the aroma of lavender, the chickens clucking around my feet. And the fact that there is a saltwater pool to enjoy in a quiet area means I don’t even need to jump on the golf cart and head to the beach. You can totally switch off right next to your cottage. Honestly, just being completely immersed in nature is amazing.”

Amazing, and addictive. Erin Tracy says her Hudson Insurance group will be back. “We went for a conference but experienced a retreat that rendered us closer, more relaxed and feeling like a team. We cannot wait to return!”