Chef Ari Rosen cooks by the ethos that great ingredients make great food, and takes care to source his ingredients almost exclusively from local Northern California farms (all within a five mile radius). Here, we profile three farms that supply the fruits, vegetables and pork products to Scopa and Campo Fina — without whom, according to Ari, the restaurants would not exist.
Front Porch Farms
Seeking a return to nature and with a commitment to sustainable farming, Peter and Mimi Buckley discovered and bought Front Porch Farm in 2010 after years spent in the corporate world.
Inspired by not only their desire for freshly milled, nutritious flour but also the beauty of a ripe field, the Buckleys planted acres of heritage grains, including wheat, rye, farro, oats and einkorn. Together with farm manager Johnny Wilson, they also grow a multitude of vegetables, flowers and herbs as well as tend to peach, plum, pear and apple orchards. In 2012, the Buckleys imported the first Cinta Senese pigs into the US from Italy at their sister farm, Acorn Ranch. Prized in Europe for their buttery, complex flavor, Cintas appear on the menu at Scopa in the form of sausages, pork braises and charcuterie.
Read our Q&A with Peter and Johnny of Front Porch Farm.
Bernier Farms
Bernier Farms, a family farm run by Yael, Paul and Zureal Bernier, is a small sustainable farm situated north of Healdsburg, California with two sites: one in Dry Creek Valley and one in Alexander Valley. Known especially for their alliums (particularly garlic: they grow 14 different varieties), Bernier Farms also specializes in fruit (they grow peaches, pears, plums and pomegranates), vegetables (on a recent visit in early summer, rows and rows of tomato plants and zucchini were coming in), and wine grapes (zinfandel, petite sirah and carignan). They recently were certified organic, and employ methods such as dry farming and composting to promote sustainability practices.
Read our Q&A with Zureal Bernier here.
MIX Garden Produce
Mick Kopetsky moved to Healdsburg from Austin, TX in 2003 after a design project in the area led him to fall in love with Sonoma County. He started MIX Garden, a garden design store, followed by MIX Garden Produce, a small farm enterprise comprised of two separate gardens in the Dry Creek and Russian River valleys offering fresh produce and vegetable starts to both chefs and home gardeners alike. MIX Garden Produce is best known for their fresh, seasonal vegetables, like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in summer and brassicas, chicories and radicchios in winter.
Read our Q&As with MIX Garden owner Mick Kopetsky here and farm manager Alex Lapham here.
1 comment
I love this farming, natural , lifestyle… Heaven. Seriously, the black box?…..