The rolling hills, fields, woods, and watercourses that make up much of what is today the Schiff Nature Preserve once provided a picturesque and tranquil setting for the Brookrace estate, a property dating back to 1912 when Richard Henry Williams Sr. and his wife, Sarah Welford Peters, started buying land in Mendham Township and Mendham Borough. By 1920, the properties acquired by the Williams family had grown to 600 acres, generally bordered on the south along Pleasant Valley Road and on the west by Union Schoolhouse Road, the North Branch of the Raritan River, and Roxiticus Road.

The estate's large manor house, with its distinctive exterior of pink, quarry-faced granite that was excavated on site, is a charming mix of Colonial Revival and French Eclectic architecture. It was built in two sections, in 1914-15 and 1919-20, as the elegant country residence of the Williamses' son and daughter-in-law, Richard Henry Williams Jr. and Julia Lorillard Edgar, and their three children.

In 1932, a little more than one year after Richard Williams Jr.'s death, the bulk of the estate- some 480 acres - was sold by his widow to the Boy Scouts of America. The balance of the land was conveyed to one of the Williamses' daughters.

Transformed by the Scouts into the Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation, the core of the Brookrace estate served as the Scouts' National Training Center for 47 years before being sold to AT&T in 1979. Public opposition to AT&T's plans to develop the property as a management training and conference facility prompted the company to sell the property to the Trust for Public Land in 1984. In the years since, much of the former Brookrace estate has become part of the Schiff Nature Preserve, while other parts have been developed into the Brookrace neighborhood.

Born in Brent, England in 1976, David C. Felton knew at a young age that a passion for food and cooking would be his calling. As a young child, David was always in the kitchen helping out with whatever he could, even if for a few short seconds.

After graduating from Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Culinary Arts, David began an apprenticeship of his own design. He set out to journey around the country to live, work and most importantly, eat in as many diverse settings as he could. This culinary expedition led him through an impressive 48 out of the 50 US states. An early stop was in Kansas City, Missouri, where he worked under Chefs Michael Smith and Debbie Gold at the American Restaurant. They later recruited David as Chef de Cuisine to help them launch 40 Sardines a finalist for the James Beard Award Best New Restaurant. It was here that he was also honored as one of "America's Top Ten Sous Chefs" in a nationwide competition, sponsored by Bertolli Olive Oil.

Not satisfied with this career path, David came to New York City and connected with famed Manhattan chef Gary Robins. David joined Gary to help oversee the opening of the kitchen of The Biltmore Room which received a 3-star rating from The New York Times. However, David found himself searching for more and left The Biltmore Room to accept a teaching position at a small culinary school, The Natural Gourmet Institute of Health and Culinary Arts. While at The Institute, David re-discovered his zest for using local and sustainable food sources.

After working at The Institute for a few years, David realized he missed the long hours and crazy pace of kitchen life. He became Executive Chef of Blue in Surf City, New Jersey, which was named "Best of the Shore" by Philadelphia Magazine. David then became the Executive Chef of The Pluckemin Inn in Bedminster, NJ where he was finally at liberty to put his stamp on the food he creates.

Next David was the opening Executive Chef of Ninety Acres @ Natirar in Peapack-Gladstone NJ, this time a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant with the James Beard Awards. He ran the farm, restaurant & mansion catering for ten years, the majority of those under the auspice of being one of the top 25 restaurants in New Jersey. Also, during this time, he was giving the award of Food & Wine Magazine People's Best New Chef for the New York metro area.

The next chapter in David life led him to Landmark Hospitality as the Executive Chef of The Hudson House, an event space, restaurant and soon to be rooftop bar all located on the water's edge in Jersey City.

David has recently left Landmark and Hudson House to enjoy time with his family. Sweet dreams are made of this.