Chef takes over Springdale Farm before redevelopment
When Springdale Farm owners Glenn and Paula Foore announced earlier this year that they had sold their East Austin farm for development, longtime shoppers, including chefs, lamented the loss of its twice-a-week farm stand. Chef Sonya Cote was facing the loss of her restaurant, too.
Cote, who has worked with local farmers her entire food career, has for the past five years operated her Eden East eatery on the grounds of Springdale Farm, a 5-acre property that started as a landscaping company more than two decades ago and became an urban farm in 2009.
Cote, who also operated Hillside Farmacy, had grown close with the Foores over those years, and when they decided to retire, Cote and her partner, David Barrow, started talking with them about taking over day-to-day operations. PSW Real Estate, the developers that bought the land, won’t start to build on the property for at least a few years, so Cote has signed a two-year commercial lease to continue operating Eden East and keep the farm and farm stand running.
“I’ve always been close to the farmers, and I feel very inspired by growing things,” Cote said. “It makes sense to close the loop. To take on the farm seemed like the next evolution.”
Barrow has been working with the Foores and their longtime staff to learn the ins and outs of keeping the current crops going and planting again for the fall and spring, but Cote said Barrow doesn’t call himself a farmer just yet. She said they are inspired by other chefs who farm, such as Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York, who integrate agriculture and education into the dining experience.
“This place is a community gem,” she said. “We want to bring out as many people as we can to see the space while it’s still here.”
Springdale’s last day under the Foores’ ownership was June