PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES
My goal is to grow crops year round of the highest quality with regards to flavor, texture, appearance, and vitality. This begins with developing a healthy soil teeming with biology. I accomplish this by growing green manures, adding compost and organic soil amendments, and carefully working the soil. Once crops are harvested, they must be processed delicately but thoroughly. It is essential that they make it to the restaurant in their pristine form.
WHY I'M DIFFERENT
I produce crops for a singular market: restaurants. While there is risk involved in not having another outlet to sell my product, I am able to focus my entire operation on producing vegetables, fruits, herbs and edible flowers that chefs desire, and in many instances, cannot find elsewhere. In growing, harvesting and processing crops, I am always considering that they will end up on a restaurant plate.
THE END RESULT
My constant motivation is to grow something excellent. When a chef opens a crate of produce, I want them to feel exhilarated like one of us might feel when we receive a dish at a restaurant and can tell how delicious it’s going to be even before we taste it. Having close relationships with all the chefs I work with (some of them are my good friends) drives me to keep doing better. I don’t believe perfection is a real or attainable level, but that doesn’t mean I won’t spend the rest of my life trying to get there.
SEE THE FARM
EVAN CHENDER
Evan Chender was a chef before he became a farmer. He earned his BA in Food Culture and Sustainable Agriculture from Vassar College. Evan’s senior thesis was an in-depth analysis of four season farming, which included traditional academic research as well as building and farming low tunnel hoop houses at the Vassar experimental garden. With the desire to build upon the techniques he learned through his thesis, following graduation Evan became a greenhouse manager at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, which supplies the acclaimed restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns.
He subsequently managed a half-acre biodynamic vegetable garden for Agriturismo La Petraia in the hills of the Chianti region of Tuscany, where he was responsible for producing and foraging for all the vegetables used by the chefs in the on-site restaurant. Evan worked as a stagiaire in the kitchen of Noma in Copenhagen before heading back to the States. At the time of his apprenticeship, Noma was voted the top restaurant in the world by the Diners Club® World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy.
Seeking a lifestyle change, Evan relocated to Asheville, NC in May 2012. He spent his first year-and-a-half as the sous chef and head gardener at Well-Bred Bakery & Cafe, before developing an 8,000 square foot micro farm and launching The Culinary Gardener in the fall of 2013. Today, Evan has 1 acre in production on a four-acre piece of property he purchased in the Reems Creek Valley, 10 miles north of downtown Asheville. He and his team grow an extensive variety of vegetables, herbs and edible flowers year round and market exclusively to restaurants in Asheville and Atlanta, GA. With a focus on soil health, variety selection, and meticulous harvest and processing techniques, Evan and his team take pride in producing crops of the highest quality.
GET IN TOUCH
EMPLOYMENT
The Culinary Gardener Farm Hand Position 2023
Are you looking for a way to have a meaningful, tangible impact in the world?
Do you love using both your body and mind to work fast and be part of a kick-ass, efficient team?
Would you love to be part of a farm-business growing incredible produce for local chefs and a 35 share CSA?
Well, here we are!
The Culinary Gardener is a 2 acre diversified vegetable farm located 20 minutes from downtown Asheville, NC. We follow an intensive style of regenerative agriculture that allows us to be incredibly productive on a small scale. Quality is the foundation of the farm and all the work we do is focused on growing the best vegetables we possibly can. We focus on soil health and meticulous harvest and processing techniques to produce crops of the highest quality. We supply produce year round to scores of restaurants in Asheville and the surrounding area, and we have a 6-month CSA from May through October. The farm generates an atmosphere of hard work, collaboration, experimentation and pride for the quality of product we produce. Even though the work is intense, we still love to have fun!
To accomplish this mission, we are building a mighty team of top-notch farmers and would love to have you on board!
Job Description
This full time position begins ASAP and will go until the end of 2023 with the opportunity to stay on for future seasons. Compensation includes a salary, (based on experience) 10 days paid vacation, and vegetables. Housing is not provided. The work week is generally Monday-Friday 8am-5pm with a 30 minute lunch break, but this will vary slightly throughout the season. Expect to work slightly more hours in the spring and summer and fewer hours in the winter. Each employee works one Saturday per month between April and October. Weekend work will include harvesting, mowing, farm clean up, and other small projects. We work in all weather conditions, including rain, snow, wind, high temperature and humidity, bitter cold, and everything in between. We have 4 greenhouses and 8 hoophouses. We work in them and maintain them in all seasons. Applicants that work through the end of the year will get a year-end bonus.
The farm hand position will involve all aspects of growing vegetables from seed to harvest. Tasks include plant propagation, planting, harvest, cultivation, weeding, washing/packing, bed preparation etc. Applicants should be hard working and reliable. Applicants should also be able to work in all weather conditions. We have high expectations of all our employees, and work to give you the resources you need to be a incredible team member!
Requirements
This is a physical, outdoor job that at times can be intense and taxing on the body and mind. You will be active throughout the day, every day. Our intensive style of farming allows us to produce exceptionally high quantities of vegetables per acre, but is also more demanding than other styles of farming. It is important that you are in good physical condition and able to handle pressure well. There is plenty of room for fun and learning, but much of the work is repetitive and must be carried out to a high standard and level of detail.
The ideal candidate has some production farming experience, a passion for growing and enjoying food, has great attention to detail, is good a taking direction well, is able to stay focused throughout the day, and has a positive attitude. Also, the ideal candidate knows how to have fun and be light hearted even when challenges arise.
Compensation $32-34k per year based on experience
To apply please email info@theculinarygardener.com with a cover letter and resume as well as 2 references with contact information. In your cover letter, please refer to specific life and work experiences that demonstrate the above mentioned qualities and traits that make our team members outstanding. Also mention any other tangential skills that might be useful on a farm (building, welding, design, grading/landscaping, etc.)