From Farm to Fork to You: Heather Hartman Makes Cooking Personal

Story by Julie Craven

Have you ever wanted someone to come into your house and prepare a whole week's worth of healthy meals made with locally sourced ingredients, clean up after themselves and disappear without a trace? (Except for the meals waiting for you in your refrigerator?!)

That's just one of the services Heather Hartman, owner of Farm to Fork, offers among her personal chef services.

“What we do is go into businesses, go into people's homes. We cook for them and work with them to find out what works. Whether it's cooking classes or a meal for a special event or dinner for Tuesday night, the goal is to help find ways to help people eat better,” Heather explained.

The premise of Farm to Fork goes beyond cooking with lots of beans and grains. Broadly, the focus is on knowing where your food comes from with locally sourced ingredients prepared by a personal chef. That philosophy translates right down to the details - all food waste is composted and all packaging, recycled. Everything is served and stored in glass.

Heather spent some time in the restaurant business after culinary school and was a familiar face at the Mill City Farmers Market with her Mill City Cooks demos. Despite the fact she knew the business well, she was surprised when Kristin Hamaker, who founded Farm to Fork 11 years ago, approached her about taking over the business. Heather's first question was why do you want to exit the business?  As it turns out, Kristen was ready to move on to her next chapter, and so was Heather.

I asked Heather what had most surprised her, now that she has one year as a small business owner under her belt. “There’s an ‘ebb and flow’ to being an entrepreneur, a bit of feast or famine, so that took getting used to.” But the questions Heather gets about the local, seasonal produce she uses with her clients are not a surprise. In fact, many are the same questions she got at the Mill City Farmers Market: How do I use it? How do I store store it? How long will it keep in the refrigerator?

We had the chance to enjoy the experience first hand with a brunch hosted by Dave Tinjum and Kim Eslinger for the Mill City Times team. With Chef Heather and her partner, Chef and Sommelier Erik Jon Meyer in the kitchen and at the grill, Dave and Kim could truly enjoy themselves.

The  family-style, buffet menu was indeed something special. A Frittata with greens, (“So many greens I won't even tell you!” Heather giggled), Singing Hills Goat Dairy feta cheese and oyster mushrooms from Cherry Tree House Mushrooms. A Good Greens Salad with Greek style herb dressing and Heritage Breads served with and herb butter and black bean pate. The star of the show was Chef Erik’s Smoked Sunshine Harvest Farm Brisket.

My favorite, and what became the table conversation piece, was a hearty platter of grilled sausages and local vegetables served with an herb pecan pesto. The line up of vegetables included baby bok choy, asparagus and Hakurei turnips (“Be sure to eat the tops from the turnips," Erik suggested. "They can be used much like kale.”) The wine pairing was a sparkling Lake Chalice Cracklin' Savie Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Part of the proceeds from the wine sales of this family-owned vineyard go to support the endangered New Zealand falcon, karearea, pictured on the label.

So Heather, what's it like to be a personal chef? “We make real food. We build real relationships. Every client's menu is different. It makes me smile when I hear parents say their kids are enjoying vegetables they would never eat before.”

Website: http://www.farmtofork.net

Heather Hartman: 612-248-8163, farmtoforkmn@gmail.com

Julie Craven can be reached at julie@millcitymedia.org.

- - - -

Editors note:

Dave and I could not have been more pleased with the food and service provided by Heather and Erik. As I mentioned to Heather afterwards, I'm a bit of a control freak, but from the time they arrived until they headed out the door, I didn't give a thought to anything except spending time with our guests and enjoying the fantastic food. 

Special touches I wasn't expecting: Menu cards, complete cleanup, and Erik even seasoned our grill! Will we do this again? YES!

Kim :D