Replay – Portland is a Movable Side Yard Feast

Infinite Earth Radio – weekly conversations with leaders building smarter, more sustainable, and equitable communities

Topic:

Providing Local Food to the Local Community

Guest & Organization:

Stacey Givens is the farmer/chef/owner of The Side Yard Farm & Kitchen. She grew up in a big fat Greek family and was instilled with DIY values from a very young age. Farming in their backyard, foraging olives with her mom from the nearby hills and learning to brine them with her Yiayia (grandmother). Givens has been in the food industry since the age of 15. Working her way through kitchens up the west coast from LA to SF to Pdx. After landing in Pdx in 2006, she cooked in various kitchens including Lincoln, Southpark, Rocket and Noble Rot. Currently, she is based in the Ne Cully Neighborhood, where her team grows diverse vegetables on a 1 acre plot of land. She sells her harvests to nearby restaurants in what she calls an invaluable “chef-to-chef” produce service. Since then, Givens has established the first ‘urban’ seed to plate catering company and supper club in the Portland area where she uses Side Yard grown goods. She also sources from other urban farms in her hood for goat milk, eggs, honey and fruit. Its urban craft all the way, from the seed to the plate. Making her own cheese, charcuterie, vinegars, pollen, spices and pickles. Her inspiration to get her hands in the dirt sprouted when she was cooking at Rocket (now Noble Rot), which had the first rooftop garden of its kind in Portland. Crafting ‘urban farm to table’ meals led Givens into what she calls her ‘seed to plate’ food philosophy.

Find Stacey on Twitter

The Side Yard is an urban farm, supper club and catering company located in the NE Cully Neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. They have been providing local restaurants with creative organic produce and the community with food, education and opportunity since 2009. The farm is largely operated by volunteers and interns who gain hands on experience with the urban seed to plate movement. The Side Yard offers farm suppers & brunches, private catering, pop-ups, DIY workshops, farm tours and more. Their focus is to provide local food for the local community, from the seeds we sow, animals we raise and to the craftsmanship we embrace. They grow our produce sustainably and ethically, with a creative touch. The farm produces a wide range of seasonal veggies, fruits, seeds and culinary herbage that are harvested within hours of delivery to ensure quality and freshness. They are known for our unique selection of specialty herbs and micro crops.

Resources:

The Side Yard Farm and Kitchen

Local Government Commission