As I make my way down to the garden, I am whisked away by my favorite sound on the farm. The train. I imagine myself running along side as it slows over the bridge just the other side of the north forty. Maybe I’ll jump on and ride all the way to California. The whistle blows long and loud and I stop for a moment, lost in my dream of wild adventure on the rail.

I’m brought back to reality by one of the first fall breezes of the year. It seems to carry with it a sadness, that summer is over and it’s time to go back to school. But this late August morning I’m still on the farm and I’ve been sent by my Grannie to gather radishes for lunch. I’ve got my bucket and I’m on a mission. I’ve also got my appetite and I know that I’m going to be sampling. I jump over the irrigation ditch to get to the garden and find myself in a whole lot of mud. I guess Papa watered this morning. Oh well, my little cowboy boots are almost always dirty anyway. I might have to take off my pants before Grannie will let me in the house though. I drudge down one of the farrows in search of the radishes but not before remembering my idea to dip the bucket into the ditch and grab some water so I can clean off some of those radishes and have a snack. I just happened to bring along a saltshaker, ha!

By the time I reach the rows of radish, I’m up to my knees in mud. Might as well just plop down in it and enjoy the moment. Radishes grow in the ground so when you grab the greens and pull them out, they still have a lot of dirt clinging to them. That’s where the water comes in. I dip the whole bunch down into the bucket and wipe the remaining dirt off with my hands. I reach into my pocket and pull out my pocketknife, open the blade and slice into the biggest radish in the bunch. I sprinkle on a little salt and pop it in my mouth. Ah….so crunchy and spicy, just what I was looking for. I sit there in that soggy field and munch on radishes, enjoying the sun and the breeze and thinking I’m the luckiest five-year-old boy in the whole wide world.

Finally, I pour out the water and fill the bucket with bunches of bright red and white radishes that Grannie will clean and trim and set out on the table in a small wooden bowl. As I make my way back to the house, I never dream that life won’t be like this forever. One of the beautiful things about being a kid: You never know that life is always bringing change and that sometimes it’s not what you have always wanted. But today is a great day because I’m on the farm, the weather is perfect, my boots are covered in mud and I’m not gonna get in trouble for it at all. Life is good.

                                                                    ∞

Much has changed since those simple days on the farm. But after all these years, I’m still that honest little boy with a pocketknife in my pocket and the desire to be in the dirt. My life has been quite the adventure indeed. When I went to college I discovered my big operatic voice and used it to perform in dozens of operas, musicals and recitals. After graduation, instead of going on to graduate school like I had planned, I decided to move back to my hometown and go to work with my dad as a real estate appraiser. A few years later that itch to perform became overpowering and I sold everything I had and moved to New York City to pursue my dream of performing. It was there that I got my first restaurant job. I have joked that I moved to NY to become an actor, and became a bartender. Little did I know that those years tending bar, waiting tables, and learning knife work would be the start to my life’s passion. After a few years of city life, I moved back to New Mexico and started a non-profit theatre company, even bought an old movie theatre with hopes of turning it into a professional theatre. Didn’t work out. I got back in the appraisal business and did that for a few more years, until my desire to get back into restaurants became all consuming. 

Over the years I became an avid foodie and budding chefling, following celebrity chefs like Emeril, Mario Batali and Bobby Flay, and teaching myself classic techniques from watching their shows on Food Network. I discovered that my passion for food and farming was the most important thing in my life. I spent most of my free time watching cooking shows, wandering around the farmer’s markets, grubbing around in the garden and trying out new recipes. I even took all the culinary classes I could find locally. Then finally, in 2015, my business partner, Camille, and I launched our beloved Radish & Rye. 

With this blog I will talk about everything I’ve learned, along with stories I remember about growing up on my Grandparent’s farm. I’ll share recipes and talk about great meals. Will probably tell you about bourbon too, another passion I’ve acquired along the way. We live in the day of fast food and extreme convenience. The majority of the fresh foods in the local grocery store travel many hundreds of miles to get to us. But there are still local farmers out there working hard to bring us fresh eggs, responsibly raised beef and organic fruits and vegetables. Support those folks when you can by shopping at your local farmer’s markets and co-ops. Believe me, you can taste the difference.