As a child growing up in Little Rock, Jonah thought nature was a bit mysterious. There was a neighborhood creek, and their Mom had a garden. She grew things, which seemed like another incomprehensible mystery to a child’s mind. What was she doing in that garden? How did things grow? Jonah didn’t know, but it seemed kind of magical back then. Jonah had no idea how much they would love being outside and growing food someday. But being a farmer wasn’t even a thought until they met one.
Jonah volunteered as a counselor at an Episcopalian summer camp in high school. The grounds featured a quarter-acre garden, where they met a farmer named Doug. Jonah’s experience there was inspirational and life-changing. It lit up a new path: the love of nature, growing food, and cooking. Although that path would twist in several directions, the core passions remained. Eventually, it brought Jonah to the CAFF Farm School, where they hope to unite all three in a vision for the future.
But before entering the Farm School, Jonah’s path twists included joining Americorps NCCC, which is a federal service program. Members travel the country to serve in communities. Jonah worked with a farm in Santa Cruz County called Camp Joy and did native restoration work with the Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Department. Professionally, Jonah’s background is in the culinary field. After moving to Fayetteville in 2020, they worked in locally loved restaurants, including the Farmers Table and Arsaga’s. These restaurant positions provided a breadth of experience, and they eventually worked up to Executive Chef for a time. Now they work with Leverett Lounge and other kitchens in the area. Jonah will soon add Conifer to that list. Whether it’s a restaurant, catering, or a pop-up, there is always a passion to present food that nourishes body and soul. “The culinary life has provided me with some fantastic experiences,” Jonah says. These should pair well with the new farming experience to influence future paths.
Jonah shares a fairly typical story among many chefs and professional cooks. After working in the industry for a long time, they burn out creatively and search for new inspiration and experiences. Jonah wanted to avoid that by finding a new experience that inspired him professionally, opening a new level of creativity. That’s where the CAFF Farm School comes into the story. Jonah first heard about the program from a friend who went through it. Before that, they had never known you could go to school to learn how to farm on a small scale. Or with a focus on growing food in an urban environment. It sounded exciting and fun. After spending a long time on the production side, Jonah was eager to experience the supply side. “I think it helps you appreciate it all more. You are working with farmers to purchase from them and customers to deliver a product to them, but don’t fully understand what goes into growing the food. Learning that gives you deep gratitude and appreciation for the many farmers who supply our markets, restaurants, and grocery stores.”
After entering the program, the biggest surprise was the “people part,” as Jonah puts it. “It has been gratifying and rewarding. Sometimes, you have an image that small farmers are isolated and lonely. And then you learn that’s not true. There is a connected community of ferociously passionate farmers. You get a sense of how complicated and integrated farming is. You are constantly meeting people and forming relationships. It’s a reciprocal and supportive relationship, and I love that about it. It’s very similar to being a chef and how much you value the relationship of chef-to-farmer. And now I value the farmer-to-farmer relationships too”.
Having come to farming from a culinary angle, Jonah sees so much opportunity. “It’s not just about how I grow the food, but what I can do with it afterward. It’s very exciting and inspiring!” So what will Jonah do with it? Their “big fantasy dream” is to have a successful organic, diversified vegetable farm with an attached restaurant someday. “It’s being done a bit, but I think it’s still gaining popularity.” Jonah would like to push what’s possible from the backyard and start there. “From a culinary perspective, learning to farm opens up a lot of new paths that I can see for myself. Maybe first developing a farm and a supper club or something. We’re in a part of the world with growing wealth, so things like that are possible. My primary goal is to do interesting things with local food. But for right now, I’m just seeing where this ride is going, thinking about all the unique things I could grow. Then it’s just about how creative I can get with it.”
Jonah says that working in restaurants provided some sense of what farm-to-table could offer, but it’s broader than they even imagined and full of potential. “The products provided by small farms are different; they taste and cook differently. My level of appreciation has increased dramatically. It’s surprising, like seeing what you think is just a big puddle, then discovering it’s a deep pool.”
Jonah feels lucky to be in the CAFF Farm School program, sharing that the staff graciously worked with him on tuition funding. Jonah received an education award from the Eli Segal Education Award, which is federal funding granted to Americorps graduates to assist with the cost of higher education. It falls under the G.I. Bill. CAFF wasn’t G.I. Bill eligible previously, but now is. Jonah advises others: “ If you want to apply but are concerned about how you will cover the program cost, apply anyway. It’s not as big a hurdle as you might think. The tuition is reasonable, and the CAFF team will work with you. Don’t let the financials scare you off. It’s worth it.” The CAFF website features a page with funding option links.
Jonah’s other concern before applying was the need to continue working professionally while in the program. “I work full-time plus, and I wasn’t sure how to manage that and school. Again, CAFF worked with me to make it possible. And I love the program so much that the extra 20 hours a week for farm school feels energizing rather than draining. It doesn’t feel like a typical school with homework. It’s practical hands-on learning.”
Jonah now understands what it takes to grow our food, answering some of those mysteries from childhood. That’s led to a much greater appreciation, and Jonah encourages the community to get behind growers and value them more. “Supporting our local farmers is so important. People always say that, but it is true. It’s a hard industry, and farmers do important work; they deserve our support, especially during trying economic times. We must realize the necessity of a thriving local food system as an important part of our local economy. We all need food grown and prepared right here in our region by farmers and restaurants. I hope more of us are beginning to realize that. We should all eat locally grown food whenever we can. And we need to get outside more. Go to the creek. We need to understand how things grow and are interconnected, and not take it all for granted. Healthy food and nature are important; they make life better.”
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