Carissa grew up in the Sonoran Desert in Tucson, Arizona. After studying Sociology and Spanish in college, she worked in teaching, gardening, and community organizing. She has always enjoyed working with plants, and has experimented in gardening in a wide range of climates, from growing potatoes under Alaska's midnight sun, to lettuce in Arizona's mild winters. Carissa really got serious about growing food while working at a nonprofit in Portland, Oregon called Village Gardens. There she facilitated community gardens in public housing neighborhoods, working with gardeners of diverse ages, ethnicities, languages, and physical abilities. She led children’s garden clubs and cooking classes, and helped start a community-run laying hen cooperative to provide organic eggs for the neighborhood. She gained valuable experience managing the seeding and plant start programs for the gardens. No matter her actual job, Carissa has always wanted to make a positive impact on her community through her work. 
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Nathan's life has revolved around food since he chose the restaurant for his eighth birthday dinner because it served escargot! Born and raised in Northern Michigan, he attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York, and then embarked on a life chasing adventure in the mountains. He pursued chef work in Colorado and Utah, including at Robert Redford's Sundance Resort, made authentic Mexican food alongside Oaxacan women in Portland, Oregon, and cooked wild-caught salmon and halibut at a wilderness lodge in Alaska (where he and Carissa would eventually meet!).
Nathan's cooking is ingredient driven, inspired by what is fresh and available at a particular place or season. As he became increasingly interested in the quality of the ingredients he was cooking with, and where those ingredients came from, he decided to switch gears to farming. He then spent two years apprenticing at organic vegetable farms in Oregon. While he is no longer cooking professionally, Nathan still loves to prepare meals for family and friends, using our farm's fresh vegetables and delicious meat. 
Our mutual interest in healthy food and communities, environmental issues, and a love of working outdoors led us to start our own farm. We moved back to Michigan to be close to family, and in the hopes of growing fresh healthy food for our community. After a few years honing our farming skills in Nathan's hometown of Kalkaska, we purchased our farm in Honor and began growing here in 2017. Revitalizing the long-neglected soil on this old farmstead is an ongoing project, but we feel privileged to steward our beautiful hillside property. When we're not busy working on the farm, we enjoy hiking, biking and skiing our way through the Northern Michigan countryside. |