Meet PCG Member – Jamie Swofford: From Farm Boy To The Chef’s Farmer

When you think of The Chef’s Farmer, you probably think of high-quality produce and foraged ingredients that chefs in and around North Carolina use. While it’s still a novel concept to some, PCG Professional Member, Jamie Swofford, who is the Chef’s Farmer, was formulating this idea for as long as he can remember, even before he realized it himself.

Swofford grew up in Cleveland County on a 60-acre family farm with his parents and grandparents. His grandfather had the largest single producing egg farm at the time.

“One of my earliest memories is being in the garden, barefoot, digging up potatoes and picking beans. I’m a total farm boy at heart.”

When he left his family’s farm at age 17, he worked in the restaurant industry, eventually working his way up to Sous Chef and Chef de Cuisine, working at some well-known restaurants in his career. He saw food and restaurant fads come and go, where behind-the-scene things, like the most impressive knife set, seemed more important than the food itself.

Despite having spent nearly two decades in kitchens throughout the Southeast and abroad, Swofford still remained most interested in the most local ingredients.

“Most of the restaurants I worked in were more chef-driven, rather than food-forward. I felt the only way I could affect people and change their minds about food was if they walked in our restaurant door, and I realized I had no control over that.”

What Swofford really wanted to do was focus less on the restaurant itself, and more on the food and ingredients. He remembers wondering how long the vegetables had been in the ground before picking, how many hands they had touched, and were pesticides used?

These thoughts were the impetus to Swofford’s next step as The Chef’s Farmer. He realized he had answers to these questions, and he had to be involved in the process himself.

The transition from restaurant kitchens to The Chef’s Farmer

Swofford knew about a similar earth-to-table business out of Ohio called The Chef’s Garden. They sent out pristine ingredients, like colorful mini carrots, microgreens and herbs, and shipped everywhere. But, their price tag was high.

In combining his knowledge of farming and working in the restaurant industry, Swofford knew he could produce something less expensive and more local.

It’s now called The Chef’s Farmer and represents the link between farm products and local chefs.

Swofford grows high-quality produce and boutique ingredients for chefs as well as  delivers foraged ingredients to breweries and cocktail specialists throughout the North Carolina Piedmont.

“I get to grow the weird, crazy ingredients people are scared to grow and cook themselves. That’s my passion.”

Swofford’s work has created a buzz in the Charlotte area and it’s been an inspiration to many in the agriculture industry.

“Jamie has a unique perspective and can see things from both sides, being a chef and a farmer,” adds PCG Pro member, Chris Fletcher. “He has inspired me and has been a great model for marketing yourself.”

Making the most of PCG membership

Being a Professional Member of the Piedmont Culinary Guild has been great for Swofford’s business, too. “I really see the value in the connection and networking,” he adds. “Not only have I found many of my chefs to deliver to within that group, but they’re just a really good group of friends. The PCG has been a key part of how and why Charlotte is becoming more cooperative and growing together.”

Not only has Jamie received value from his PCG membership; he has also added to the value PCG offers to its members and the community. He is an annual instructor at the PCG Food & Beverage Symposium – where his class on shrubs is always the first one to sell out.

He has also participated in just about every other PCG event over the years – from Carved to Farm-to-Fork.

As a result, he has earned the respect and admiration of his peers and the public. This was exemplified last year as Jamie became one of the first two recipients of a $3500 PCG farmers grant – awarded via a public vote.

Growing from the ground, up

Today, Swofford no longer feels that he can only reach and affect customers if they walk into his one restaurant. In fact, with The Chef’s Farmer, his ingredients are now in 25 kitchens.

“Now, I can educate chefs who can then educate their guests about quality, growing techniques and flavors. Everything is flavor first,” he shares.

How does Swofford stay relative and up to date on trends and seasonality? He enjoys using social media to check in on farmers and chefs around the world. By seeing what others are doing (in different growing seasons across the world), he’s able to stay ahead of the curve. When he travels, he also visits other farms to see what new crops other farmers are growing.

Swofford’s ultimate mission comes down to taste. “I don’t grow beautiful things that taste like nothing. I prioritize taste first, visual properties, second.”

He confesses he likes being the guy who brings new products in. If someone else is growing it, it’s not on the top of his list.

Swofford credits his partner, Keia Mastrianni, to much of his growth and success. Mastrianni works closely with Swofford and handles the marketing for Swofford’s artisanal drinking vinegars, Old North Shrub, a separate business idea that took off after collaboration with PCG Member, Jason Alexander, of Free Range Brewing.

“Jamie is passionate about all things food,” Mastrianni adds. “Everything he does is in service to our communities. He is hopelessly intertwined with food and it shows in the work he does.”

“He brings a much needed, grounded representation of what our food and beverage system should strive to be more like,” adds Alexander. “He is about as well-rounded and modeled of a member as the Piedmont Culinary Guild could ever hope for.”

What’s Next

Swofford recently bought a house and 3.5 acres back on his family’s now 150-acre farm. He hasn’t lived on the farm since he was younger, but he’s looking forward to getting back to his roots. He plans to continue to grow vegetables and herbs, and hopes to eventually expand into farmers markets, CSAs and restaurant deliveries, to help reach new cities.

Swofford also hopes to expand upon Old North Shrub, where he blends his culinary expertise with his knowledge of ingredients and flavor.

He knows that with success comes failure. Swofford is not afraid to try new things, a necessary quality in an innovative industry.

“I run the farm like a kitchen and it works,” he says. “Where I’m at currently, 15% of everything I do is brand new, so it’s been a huge learning curve. But, it [the business] has legs. I have systems in place, I know it will work. I’ve had to put a lot out there, but when there is success, it feels amazing.”

You can stay up to date with Jamie at Old North Shrub and check out some of his imaginative creations on Instagram.

Profile written by Sarah Schlichter, MPH, RDN