THE PEOPLE ARE THE SECRET INGREDIENT.
We could not do what we are doing without the help of our passionate partners. It takes the dedication of these brilliant masters in their fields to help us create healthy, delicious and local food. Our farm-to-table mission would not be possible without them. There is just something about eating a juicy Heirloom tomato right from the garden, biting into a local pepper, eating organic, local lettuce and getting creative with purple ruffles basil. It’s the way food is meant to be eaten —natural, local and labored with love. So, thank you, our beautiful partners.
Premium Pastured Meats
Owner, Seth Sharpe
Seth and his crew at Premium Pastured Meats are true Ohio farmers. All of their animals are cage-free, free-range and grass-fed and finished. This is the place where our bacon, ground beef, steak, chicken, and sausage comes from. All processed specially for us without the use of nitrates or preservatives. Each month, PPM throws a cookout (complete with live music) on their farm for customers to come and sample products and buy them at wholesale prices.
Check them out on Facebook!
Anthony Petitti Garden Center & Floral Shop
Owner, Cindy Petitti
If you have never met Cindy Petitti, you’re missing out. She is a passionate advocate of clean gardening. She is the Picasso of plants. We contacted Cindy and told her we wanted to start using local lettuce, spinach and basil. And, of course, we knew we wanted to partner with her. It has been a process of trial and error and learning as Cindy has grown with us and catered to our needs (and also dealing with our lovely Ohio winters.), but we love working with Cindy. She supplies us with loads of lettuce blends and basil, as well as other naturally grown items when available.
Visit their website or their Facebook page.
Pegasus Farm
Master Gardener, Rudy Moyer
This was an opportunity that worked out the way all great things do—perfectly unexpected and at the perfect time. We met Rudy Moyer at an event through the Lake Chamber. As he talked excitedly about his kale pesto (Yeah, it’s seriously some good stuff.) and explained to us what he did, we knew the stars had aligned, and we had met someone who was not only a master in his field, but had a true passion for making a difference through his work.
Rudy’s love for his horticulture team is one of those things you just can’t describe. You almost just want to capture it in a photo (and we do this often!) We can taste this local love and hardworking passion in the lettuce, basil, spinach and arugula that Rudy brings to us. We are continuously collaborating with Rudy and his team on different, unique items for our pizzas, salads & bowls.
Do you know how many different kinds of basil there are? (Rudy has 19 different kinds currently growing.) Do you know that arugula just isn’t “arugula”? There are different kinds based on where you live? Have you ever tasted a Mexican Sour Gherkin or seen a tie-dyed tomato, or nibbled on swiss chard straight from the garden, bit into a ghost pepper (Now that will wake you up!). After a morning with Rudy and his team, we felt like we had just traveled the world and took our pallets on a wild ride. Rudy sums it up perfectly—his produce has no sides( No herbicides, fungicides or pesticides!)
You can visit Rudy and his team at Pegasus in Hartville.
Learn more about Pegasus and check out their Facebook page.
Green City Growers Cooperative
During our cold Ohio winters when our local suppliers are unable to supply our lettuce and basil, we use Green City Growers. Green City Growers Cooperative is a 3.25-acre leafy greens, hydroponic greenhouse in the Central neighborhood of Cleveland. It officially opened on February 25, 2013, has 15,000 square feet of packinghouse and office space, and is currently producing Bibb lettuce, green leaf lettuce, gourmet lettuces and basil and tasty herbs. There is no genetically engineered food and no pesticides.
They are ranked as the largest food-production greenhouse in a core urban area in the United States with a social mission to transform lives and neighborhoods by creating jobs and financial assets for residents of underserved neighborhoods.
Check out their website to learn more about this epic greenhouse in our own backyard.
Maize Valley / K & D Farms
Owner, Kay & Donna Vaughan and Family
K & D Farms is the farm associated with Maize Valley. You’ll never meet a more hardworking man than Kay. He’s been putting in long hours, working the farm for most of his life. There is nothing fancy about what K & D Farms does—just good old-fashioned farming—the way mother nature intended it to be. While not certified organic, K & D Farms uses all-natural farming methods. Once a week in the summer, we make a stop out at K & D Farms and pick up green peppers, mild peppers, jalapeños, red longhorn peppers, San Marzano tomatoes, cucumbers, shallots, candied onions, purple potatoes and much more. Our seasonal appetizers, salads and pizza all feature items from K & D Farms. Have you ever tried Kay’s hot pepper butter (Better known as Pappy’s Hot Pepper Butter.) It’s one of those things in life you just don’t want to miss out on. We love supporting this family-owned business and getting creative with seasonal items on our menu.
Visit Maize Valley’s website to see all they offer.
Stutzman Farms
Owner, Monroe Stutzman
We were thrilled when this partnership blossomed. For years we had talked about doing a sprouted ancient grain crust. When we finally perfected the recipe, a friend told us about Monroe Stutzman, owner of Stutzman Farms, a local farm that makes a variety of organic, grain-based products from spelt and corn. We knew we had found the perfect flour for our sprouted ancient grain spelt recipe.
We are continuously building new relationships with local farmers and suppliers. If you believe you could be a part of our mission, we would love to talk! We believe in food that makes life better—that not only tastes good but makes you feel good and is produced with compassion, integrity and love.