When Chefs are the Farmers

A fascinating turn of events happened in my life; one that I would have never guessed could be possible. I now live on a farm owned by my wife and her family. We moved to the farm about two years ago. My wife's mother is getting up in years and lived by herself and needed our help. Living with your mother-in-law is another story! The point about this is what has happened to us and the direction we are heading with the farm. Our daughter is graduating this weekend from Chatham University in Pittsburgh with a degree in environmental science. As a part of her education she has been using the farm as the template for her tutorial and other parts of her degree. In the last year we have spent a great deal of time understanding words like, permaculture, sustainable (as a chef I am not unfamiliar with the words but putting them to work is the learning curve) and how we might apply those terms to our farm.

What I am finding or rather I should state, how many of my chef friends live on a farm or a hobby farm, I know of at least three. We all are very passionate about food, where food comes from, raising food and gaining an inside knowledge to producing products that chefs will appreciate.

I believe, after spending sometime on our farm, chefs should spend time on a farm and get to know the process of raising food. Understanding things like soil PH or the types of grass beef will consume and what type of grass gives the best outcome. Working in the soil and smelling the dirt to understand what that root vegetable might taste like is an interesting concept! Yet, the later, is very well known when it comes to growing grapes for wine. Talk to any wine maker and they will tell the importance of soil and the flavor of the wine.

I have decided I am going to write about my farming experiences and exploits to share with my fellow chefs and even those who might be interested in reading what a chef has to say about working on the farm. Learning things like how to hook a PTO up or fixing a fence post is not quite the same as sauteing a fresh batch of asparagus or handling a busy dinner rush and yet can be just as exhausting! In the last year I have built a chicken tractor, cold frame and I am currently finishing up a hen house. Right now I call all of this therapy but I have to wonder, will it always be therapy? 

The connection chefs have today with farmers is fast becoming an important part of who we are as chefs and as always will have an impact on the food industry. Across the country chefs are forming partnerships with farmers and learning about the foods that are growing in their backyards. Utilizing these foods to create memorable dishes for their clientele is now a large part of some of the top chefs in the country. My connection with the soil will probably shape my creative thinking for food, but more importantly educate myself and my family on how we can become a part of the future of food and bring the phrase "farm to table to reality!" In the mean time it is time to go finish a hen house, build new garden beds, renew the compost, cut some logs and start the seeds!