Tucked within the historic grounds of Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, Orkestai Farm isn’t visible from the main roads. As you drive past the manicured gardens and grand paths of this former Gold Coast estate, the pavement gives way to gravel and you soon find venturing off the beaten track. And that’s exactly the point.

Before you even reach the farm itself, the pace begins to shift. You feel it in the quiet hum of the trees, the slower roll of your tires, the sense that you’ve left the usual chaos behind. And when you park and begin walking toward the small but vibrant one-acre farm, what you feel is something even rarer: a sense of calm and connection. 

This is Orkestai Farm, a regenerative, community-powered space rooted in inclusion and intention. It sits on land long known for its fertile ground and rich growing history (the name “Planting Fields” reflects the land’s long-standing agricultural richness) and is both a working farm and a living expression of what’s possible when people and land grow together at a pace that honors both.

One of the people drawn into this rhythm is Maria Maragos, an Old Westbury parent and volunteer who teaches early childhood classes on the farm. Like many, she first came to Orkestai as a visitor but quickly felt something familiar and deeply nourishing in the environment. 

Maria first discovered Orkestai Farm through a shared connection at the Waldorf School of Garden City, where her daughter attended nursery school alongside the daughter of Orkestai founders Alethea Vasilas and Joshua Marcus. After a few visits to the farm—including attending the annual Harvest Moon fundraiser—she was struck by just how special the place was and felt drawn to become part of its community.

“I’ve always loved volunteering,” Maria says. “And I was looking for more ways to spend time outdoors and connect with nature.” Orkestai offered both, along with something deeper: a sense of belonging, purpose, and presence. “What drew me in was not just the environment, but also the way the community works together, completing meaningful tasks side by side.”

An integral component of Orkestai Farm is the Organic Growers Course, a hands-on program where people of all abilities work together to care for the land, learn farming skills, and connect with nature. Participants help grow vegetables, care for animals, and take part in creative farm activities like cooking, music, and art. The course is designed to move at a thoughtful, welcoming pace and creates a strong sense of community, purpose, and belonging. Everyone is valued, and everyone has something to contribute.

When Alethea learned Maria was training as a Waldorf Parent and Child teacher, she invited her to bring that experience to the farm. Today, Maria leads a Parent and Child Organic Growers class for toddlers and their caregivers that strives to create meaningful contact points between families and its Organic Growers. Each class offers gentle seasonal activities, time outdoors, and space to enjoy the present moment together. It’s a peaceful and enriching way to play, have fun, and spend meaningful time together while connecting with others in a natural setting.

“Orkestai’s mission resonates deeply with the nature of young children. Kids naturally live in the moment, which makes them curious, attentive, and loving. They don’t like to be rushed—they crave undivided attention and want to feel they belong and can contribute. I think these are some of the values that Alethea and Josh have worked hard to cultivate on the farm alongside the wonderful community they have attracted.”

Maria’s presence on the farm reflects what Orkestai is all about: people from all walks of life coming together with open hands and open hearts, contributing what they can and growing something beautiful in return. It reminds us that the most meaningful change often happens close to home and that sometimes, the richest things we cultivate are not just in the soil, but in each other.

“For me, the life of being a parent can be incredibly busy. While technology offers so much convenience, it can sometimes pull us away from meaningful connection. Orkestai Farm brings people together in a way that feels real, grounding, and necessary. There’s joy in purposeful work, in shared effort, and in being part of something larger than yourself.”

At the heart of Orkestai is a philosophy called Expressive Agriculture, a way of farming that recognizes not just the health of the land, but also the creativity, individuality, and sensory experience of the people who tend it. The concept was shaped by founder Alethea Vasilas through her travels in West Africa, where entire villages came together to farm alongside dancers, drummers, and cooks. The physical labor was guided by rhythm and community, a far cry from the solitary work she had known in traditional American farming.

Later, while working with a neurodiverse young woman who had her own rocking rhythm in the field, Alethea saw again how movement, expression, and shared purpose could become a kind of duet. That insight became the seed for Orkestai Farm. Alongside co-founders Joshua Marcus and Erin Staub, Alethea brought the vision to life by creating a farm where people of all abilities can come together to work with the land, learn from one another, and grow as a community.

Everything at Orkestai is done by hand. The farm doesn’t use tractors or machinery. Instead, it prioritizes human-scale methods that build soil health and reduce disturbance. It’s a regenerative farm, meaning it’s focused on restoring the land year after year. There’s no tilling, no synthetic inputs. Instead, compost and organic matter are used to enrich the soil. Plants are rotated to avoid depletion. Everything is done with attention and care, by hand, in ways that minimize disturbance and honor biodiversity.

This approach also makes the farm uniquely inclusive. The work is movement-based, sensory-rich, and often rhythmic, which supports people with a range of neurodiverse needs. But the benefits are universal. Everyone who spends time on the land experiences the calm, the grounding, and the joy that comes from meaningful work done in community.

"We believe biodiversity and neurodiversity go hand in hand," Alethea says. "We need all kinds of people and what they bring to society. Many of the reasons neurodiverse individuals thrive on the farm are the same reasons anyone thrives. We all do better when we feel a sense of belonging."

With just one acre of land, the team feeds dozens of families, restaurants, and food-insecure neighbors. Through a partnership with NOSH Delivers (a food pantry & weekly delivery program serving North Shore communities), a portion of the farm’s produce is set aside each week to be delivered to those in need. With rising grocery costs and growing demand, this part of the farm’s mission has become even more vital.

To learn more about the incredible work being done at Orkestai, please visit their website at www.orkestaifarm.org and plan some time to Visit the Farm (see sidebar).