The Farm Fresh Fast process all starts with a short and simple 20 mile drive to Piedmont, SC. This is where you discover a world of sustainable farming at Providence Farm.
Quickly after exiting your car, you encounter everything from free range pigs, cows and chickens. All contained, but roaming free across several acres of land. This is where each animal is grass fed and individually cared for.
Recently we were lucky enough to be invited to join the owner of Farm Fresh Fast Jonathan Willis to tour and first hand experience where the health restaurant’s food actually comes from.
Here’s what we learned from Jonathan on the creation of the restaurant, partnering with the owners of Providence Farm, Donald & Colleen Snow and of course sustainable farming.
360: How did the idea of Farm Fresh Fast come to life?
Jonathan of Farm Fresh Fast: Well we already had our meal prep company ELEV8 Next Level Nutrition going, but then decided we wanted to take it a step further. We began sourcing more and more local ingredients from our Upstate farmers. That being said it’s always hard to relay all the information we have about our meals and the passion for sustainable farming without a brick and mortar. We then decided to create a full service farm-to-table fast food restaurant complete with our pickup window, while still incorporating the meal prep idea.
360: How did the relationship with Providence Farm become established? Why is it such a perfect fit?
Jonathan: We had been looking for what we felt was the perfect heritage pork cross for us, the Red Wattle and Tamworth, however to no avail. At one point we thought we would have to get some land and begin raising both breeds ourself. After Saturday Farmer’s Market, both Donald and Colleen walked in for lunch. We began talking at the register and immediately we both fed off of each other’s passion for sustainable farming. This relationship has now grown to where FFF has purchased a registered Red Wattle boar to mate with Providence Farm’s Tamworth sows to create their own breeding program. We also will be purchasing registered Red Wattle sows in a conservation effort to get the endangered Red Wattle population up.
360: What are the most important components that your farm-to-table food brings to the Greenville Community?
Jonathan: Education. Educating the consumers on why it’s important to know where their food is coming from and WHY we source from the people that we source from. Why it is important that we support our local farming community. Why we believe that the next phase of food including major retailers and providers will be a more locally sourced base. People might not want to go out and “pet their food” like we do, however they do like knowing that the people preparing their food are that close to the source.
360: Thank you, Jonathan! We had a great time exploring Providence Farm with you and look forward to hearing and tasting what you’ll come up with next.
Outside from bringing the freshest (and fastest) farm to table in the Upstate, they also provide meal prep, ready-to-go meals and have an open late (midnight) pickup window for your daily healthy eating needs. For more info on Farm Fresh Fast, Jonathan and the entire process, please head to eatfarmfreshfast.com. You also follow along daily on Instagram and Facebook.
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