Graham Grew up in Iowa but moved to Arkansas with his family while in high school. As a teen, he started working in restaurants and eventually attended culinary school. His culinary resume is impressive, featuring some of the most renowned and lauded restaurants in Northwest Arkansas, including the Preacher’s Son, Conifer, and Heirloom at the 1907. The NWA food scene is noted as being one of the top up-and-coming in the nation, with some local restaurants and chefs nominated for James Beard Awards in recent years. Many of these feature locally grown produce in their creations, and Graham notes that a couple utilize farm managers to grow exclusively for their menus. This aspect of our vibrant and burgeoning farm-to-table culinary scene fueled his desire to attend the CAFF Farm School. After completing the program, he plans to use his culinary background and focus on growing for local chefs.
Graham says it’s more common in other countries for highly rated farm-to-table restaurants to have actual farms on or near their properties that grow exclusively for them and to employ a farm manager or contract with a “Head Farmer.” This concept has made its way to the U.S. and now to Arkansas, along with highly rated restaurants and rising star chefs. The relationship between the farmer and the chef is becoming more important as people increasingly care about where their food comes from and how it’s grown.
In addition to the local food scene, Graham was inspired by a stint working at the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter. “Those kids need fresh produce to eat for their health, and it can be challenging to obtain enough when budgets are tight.” He recounts that sometimes overstock vegetable and fruit donations had to travel and weren’t always the freshest when they didn’t arrive from a nearby source. “It was my first time seeing first-hand the disparity in food that others experience, and it is humbling. I saw how excited everyone got when a local farm would donate something fresh and incredible.”
The shelter’s Community Engagement Director, Kate Lunsford, elaborates on the situation, saying, “Children come to the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter from all across the state after suffering abuse, neglect, trafficking, and other adverse childhood experiences. Food insecurity is included in the neglect of many of our kids. Also, child obesity rates are increasing across the state, and children in foster care are especially vulnerable. During their stay at NWACS, we lay the foundation for better eating habits and physical well-being later in life. A huge part of that goal includes offering fresh produce as part of their daily meals. However, as a non-profit, our budget constraints don’t always allow us to have fresh produce available.” She adds that donations of fresh fruits and vegetables are always welcome. A list of the organization’s current needs can be found at NWACS.org or contact them for more information.
While Graham was growing up in Iowa, he frequently worked detasseling corn. It’s a typical summer job for many kids raised in the “corn belt” of America. Other than that, he had no farm experience. He had only seen those large commercial corn farms. He laughs that his vision of farmers was stereotypical, like the famous Grant Wood painting “American Gothic.” That didn’t appeal to him, so he never considered farming an option. That is until he encountered small specialty crop farms growing for local chefs in the restaurants he worked at. In those, he discovered a different type of vibrant and appealing to him, composed of all kinds of people. He also saw the community side of agriculture and was surprised by how supportive they were of each other. They seemed to care for one another and their common goals. ”The restaurant industry can be pretty competitive at times. So many careers out there are. I thought farming would be, too. It’s refreshing that it isn’t. There is a camaraderie, and that surprised me,” he observes.
Another surprise for Graham was how much he enjoys driving a tractor, “I didn’t expect that,” he says. “I thought he would hate it, but I love it.” He also enjoys being outside most days and around so much fresh food. Physical labor is a positive aspect as well. “So far, the only thing I dislike about farming is the smell of fish emulsion,” he says, laughing.
Looking into the future, Graham is excited about the independence farming offers. He’s always worked for someone else and would like to be his own boss, deciding what to grow. His goal is a diversified fruit and vegetable farm emphasizing chef relationships. He’d like to work with them to expose people to new flavors, “blowing their minds,” he says, with exciting varieties that aren’t commonly grown. He is interested in designing urban farms and indoor horticulture like hydroponic lettuce and tomatoes. He thinks there is room for pioneering in that area, noting that space, water, and energy have become more precious as our cities sprawl. “We should all grow food. We need to develop better systems for growing in cities. We need to feed as many people as possible, as efficiently as possible,” says Graham. He hopes to see more urban farming initiatives.
Applications are open now for CAFF Farm School 2025. See the program details and costs at LearnToFarm.org.
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