From farm to table, and back to farm

Last year Ray Taylor found the property that will complete his dream by creating a farm that supplies his Fonthill restaurant, which in turn will support the farm in his efforts to educate people about food chains.  ~ Luke Edwards photo

By Luke Edwards

A project by Ray Taylor is taking the idea of “farm to table” to an entirely new level.

Taylor, a well known chef with an impressive culinary CV that includes stops at several prestigious restaurants before he opened his own upscale farm to table restaurant in Fonthill called Root and Bone several years ago, has taken on a new challenge in an effort to provide a true farm to table experience. After a decade-long search, six months ago he found the property of his dreams. A former dairy operation only eight minutes from the restaurant, the farm will complete a circle Taylor has been looking to close for a long time..

“We want people to come and feel - to experience - the process,” Taylor said as he showed off the property.

And while there has been a transformation to the Effingham Road property, Taylor’s maintained its, pardon the pun, the farm’s roots.

“This is a working class farm,” he said, as he walked behind the barn, and through a small garden patch with beans, kale, zucchini and heirloom tomatoes. Two aging horses - enjoying their retirement on Taylor’s farm after a working career elsewhere - stand in the shade in a pen behind the garden.

Taylor’s idea is multifaceted. To start, the farm will provide for the restaurant, and the restaurant will help fund the farm. Root and Bone restaurant’s menu will reflect what’s in season on his farm.

When the raspberry bushes in the forest at the back of the property begin producing, expect plenty of raspberry items on the menu. When his chickens lay eggs, Taylor will take them to the restaurant and get cracking.

But the farm will also be an educational tool. With intimate private events, visitors can tour the farm, learn what goes into growing food, and then head over the short eight-minute drive to the restaurant for a meal utilizing the very farm they just toured.

Taylor said it will fill a desire many people have.

“People want to know where their food comes from, they want to see it,” he said.

Those tours will begin in an old swing beam barn Taylor’s refurbished. Dating back to 1836, it still feels like a barn - an old rack lifter sits inside - but has a modern twist.

Next to the barn is a market stand, where Taylor will sell excess produce, or honey from his beehives, along with items like loaves of sourdough to the public.

He’s looking to bring more animals to the property as well, including goats and a donkey. And a pond next to the barbecue space will one day be where he farms trout.

With trails behind the property that stretch throughout a large forested area, Taylor said visitors can spend hours touring. And he’ll be foraging the forest for wild berries, mushrooms and other treats.

The farm has 30 acres total, and plenty of spots provide picturesque views. He rents a portion out to a local farmer who’s growing wheat. The view from the back of the property overlooking the wheat field with the barn in the background could have been an inspiration for Van Gogh.

Getting the farm ready hasn’t been easy, especially when he’s still running the restaurant. His father was a farmer, but much of the process has been new to Taylor. And he’s still learning as he goes. For instance, last month he was stumped as to why his heirloom tomato plants weren’t quite as strong as he’d like.

As Taylor continues to work on the property, he’s held a couple small private events. He expects to open the market stand this month.

He encourages those interested to follow along on the Root and Bone Farm journey on Instagram at the handle, @rootandboneca. 