Sow Food brings the farm-to-table concept full circle with the company’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) meals. Chef-owner-farmer Brian Doyle takes the produce grown on his White Squirrel Farm on W. 47th Street and Lorain Avenue and creates ready-to-eat meals for customers during the 16-week growing season.

From June to September, Sow customers get three dinners a week. Each meal serves two adults. The meals are a combination of traditional dishes and Doyle’s special creations. All of the ingredients come from his farm -- where he grows tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce, garlic and pumpkin -- and local meat and dairy farms.

Since last summer, Doyle has secured permanent kitchen space at the Beachland Ballroom. He has increased his regular customer base from 10 in 2011 to a predicted 30 to 50 this year. In addition to himself and partner Maggie Downey, Doyle has increased his seasonal help from two employees to four.

This year, Doyle is looking to hire a farmer to run White Squirrel Farm, do weekly upkeep and maintenance and bring the produce to market. “We really want someone who is willing to put in the time and effort from spring until fall,” he says. “Someone who is willing to work with me and the other chefs.”

Source: Brian Doyle
Writer: Karin Connelly