How It All Began

Chef Marechal & part of the Greene Family

Greene Family Farm grew out of our desire to grow our own salad greens through the winter.  In the fall of 2009 we planted a cold-hardy French lettuce called mache (or corn salad or lamb’s lettuce).  We planted plenty so we would have plenty, and it grew so well that by December we had far more than we could eat.  We offered some mache to a friend who gladly took some and encouraged us to call her father, Kirk Wilson, who manages the Farmers Fresh Market based in Rutherfordton.  He listed our mache on the Farmers Fresh website, which features an impressive variety of produce, meats, and prepared foods from farms and small businesses throughout Western North Carolina.  Our first customer was Jean-Pierre Marechal, the executive chef for Savannah Red Restaurant at the Charlotte Marriott City Center Hotel.  Suddenly, we were in business!

Since that first sale, Chef Marechal has continued to serve our salad greens, spinach, cherry tomatoes, pecans, herbs, and more.  Recently he featured our thyme in his entry to the 2011 “Best Dish in North Carolina” restaurant contest.  Mr. Marechal is a finalist in the contest, sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Our State Magazine.  The winner will be revealed in November, but diners can sample his menu at the Savannah Red Restaurant through August 8.

Now, thanks to the Farmers Fresh Market and contacts we have made through it, our produce and eggs are being served at other fine establishments in Charlotte, including the Providence Country Club, the Renaissance Charlotte Southpark Hotel, the Ballantyne Hotel and Lodge, the Ritz-Carlton, and the Harvest Moon Grille.

We also have customers in households in Charlotte; in Western North Carolina; in Boiling Springs, North Carolina; and in Greenville, South Carolina.  Some of our customers are moms who want the best for their families, and some are small business owners who want the best for their customers.  

The Farmers Fresh Market handles the deliveries, so we have never met most of our customers.  We would like to meet them someday.  Perhaps they might visit our small farm, as Chef Marechal did recently.  He walked through our garden admiring tomatoes, smelling herbs, and expressing sincere thanks for fresh, tasty, nutritious food.  We thanked him for his encouragement, for being our very first customer, and for supporting local farmers like us.

This is Chef Marechal making a presentation shortly after receiving the American Culinary Federation Achievement of Excellence Award last month.

In an email to farmers of the Farmers Fresh Market, Chef Marechal wrote, "As soon as I started to talk about farmers I could see that the room was riveted.  I told them a lot of great stories, like my favorite queen of the Kudzu, Larry the peach king..., the sharing of blueberries with the deer in the DeerHaven Hills farm, the beautiful garden from the Greene Family Farm..., the Giant tomato from the Hilda Rico Tipton Farms, Charlene's Garden, micro greens, goat cheese ... and much more.

When I finished, I had a standing ovation.

For me it was a quite a memorable moment.

After the presentation many of the chefs came to congratulate me, ask for more information and some even wished they were in my shoes!!!"

The photo in the top left of Chef Marechal's presentation is the one at the top of this post.