By Joely Edwards
Set far back down a long rock road, specifically located at 8250 Irene Lane in Neosho, Missouri, sits a lovely homestead called Falcon Lake Farm.
A homestead, a venue, a farm-to-table dining extravaganza, an event center, an artisan market and more, Falcon Lake Farm serves as host to heartfelt activities that put God at the center. The goal of sisters and owners Lisa Berberian and Diane Dewitt is to bring their community together for good times, to get to know one another and to support and uplift each other.
There is something very special about Falcon Lake Farm. Be it the beauty of the venue, the distance from the city or the frolicking farm animals, there is just something special about the place.
The venue itself is surrounded by nature, fields and trees with breathtaking sunsets you have to see to believe.
Falcon Lake Farm regularly hosts farm-to-table dining events that are loved by repeat attendees such as Karol Mayer. “It reminds me of some of the events that happen in Italy at wineries or agribusinesses. It is really well done,” she says.
From the exquisite decor to the multiple gourmet food options, all served family-style at a long, well-appointed table, these meals are a sight to behold. Lisa frequently visits with diners and tells stories about her family dinners and discusses the menu items and recipes handed down to her.
Lisa and Diane ensure they serve as many items as they can from local farms and they team with area vendors often. They have partnered with Evans Family Market in Neosho, Purple Chin Condiments, Bright Owl Bakery, and Farmstead Market and Kitchen. The sisters also source items from the Amish community
Chef JR from Purple Chin Condiments collaborated with the Falcon Lake Farm cookery for the first dining event hosted at Falcon Lake Farm. For the second, Nikki from Farmstead Market and Kitchen joined forces with Lisa to create a fantastic meal, showcasing her skills as both a chef and a talented decorator. Fauna and Nick from Bright Owl Bakehouse were involved in both events. Falcon Lake Farm welcomes any chef who would like to participate in this style of cooking to reach out and keep making people happy through food.
Lisa and Diane raise their own cattle, which is their focus on the farm, and they have chickens for eggs. They have also discovered a lot of mullein and elderberry on their land and will make tinctures this coming season.
A regular visitor to the farm, Dominique Lubow, says, “Lisa and Diane are very compassionate, down-to-earth people with hearts of gold. They manifest goodness and you can’t help return it.”
Yet, this is only one of the many things Falcon Lake Farm does.
Lisa says, “We host artisan markets about once a month, with a short break in winter. We’ll start again in February. We also welcome people to offer classes here. We are getting together with Marilynn from The Pie Place to do a pie-baking class. On Nov. 21, Wellspring Alpaca Acres Farm, one of our regular vendors, will be joining us. They always bring their alpacas for everyone to enjoy, and this time, Penny will teach us how to make a Christmas ornament using alpaca fur.”
Lisa also specializes in catering to small businesses, offering holiday trays that make perfect gifts for their clients. They have even worked with a local realtor who sent meals Falcon Lake Farm put together as thank-you gifts. And they also create party trays filled with delicious Baklava.
What is even more special about Falcon Lake Farm is that they don’t just call it a homestead for the sake of marketing. It truly is a homestead lived in and run by a large part of the family.
After living in Florida for over 30 years and driven by the impact of COVID with everything shutting down, Diane and her husband, the sisters’ mother Helen and Lisa’s son Mario were the first to move to Missouri in 2020 with Lisa following in 2021.
Lisa says: “Since Diane’s husband, Loren, was originally from Independence, Missouri, it was sort of like a ‘Go West, young man’ moment, except they were not so young anymore.”
Currently, seven family members live on the property, although others often come and go. Each person does their share to contribute to the homestead.
Lisa’s son Mario was a huge part of their start. He jumped in and learned how to do things a kid who grew up in the suburbs did not normally do. He took to driving the tractor with a bush hog on it, learned to build fences, fed livestock and cleaned out chicken coops. He split logs, built fires and shoveled snow. Diane’s son is a rugby player and loves to kite surf, which there isn’t much of around the homestead, so he pitches in with doing the books for the business.
Lisa says through this experience “we’ve come to truly appreciate the hard work and dedication that real farmers and ranchers put into their lives—not just for their families but also the physical demands on their bodies. To us, they are true heroes.” That toll she speaks of is Lisa’s least favorite thing about farm life.
Lisa says her favorite part of being a homesteader is stepping outside and feeling the openness of the land, spending time with the cows, and creating something from nature that enhances their everyday lives. These are the moments that inspire them.
Lisa says when they first moved to the area, they originally wanted to offer a glamping site but that did not work out. Their true desire and intent was to create an atmosphere of family and community. So, they thought, “Why not a venue?” Lisa did the design and was the general contractor from the clearing of the land to the last detail in the commercial kitchen. She currently lives in a part of the venue they call the barndominium.
Plan now to attend a future farm-to-table event at Falcon Lake Farm. As Karol Mayer says, “I have traveled extensively and have been to many events similar to this. Falcon Lake Farm is one of the best I have been to. When you like food and you like wine, and you find a place like this in our area, you just simply have to love it! It really is a production and the food is extraordinary!”
Find out more about Falcon Lake Farm and upcoming events at www.falconlakefarm.com or find them on Facebook at Falcon Lake Farm.
“We place God at the center of everything we do. We are dedicated to creating a beautiful space where people can make lasting memories, and we’re committed to going above and beyond to make that happen.” – Lisa Berberian, co-owner, Falcon Lake Farm