Bartender can’t quit his day job
Running Eustis farm that supplies local eateries fulfills dream
Zach Kauffman stands behind the square wooden bar at a highend restaurant in Mount Dora. His gray-blue shirt is buttoned up, reddish hair slicked to the side and beard perfectly trimmed.
A customer gives him a onceover before the two share quips and laughs about Kauffman getting “his ears lowered.”
Little did the diner at 1921 by Norman Van Aken know that the transformation went beyond a haircut.
Just a few hours earlier, Kauffman wore jeans, a green T-shirt that had seen better days and a baseball cap that he regularly pulled off to run his fingers
through his wavy hair.
He was at Zenn Naturals, his Eustis farm, where it was lunchtime for his menagerie of animals. He and wife/farm manager Jennifer Kauffman gave hay and vitamins to the seven goats and cropped microgreens to the 60-plus fowl. They then set up a few lines to help plant their inaugural garlic crop.
The contrast between upscale bartender and local farmer isn’t lost on Kauffman, but he sees similarities, too.
Both require a person to play different roles. At the bar, he is a good friend to some diners, a mixologist to others. At Zenn, he is farmer, electrician, construction worker, veterinarian and plumber.
Upscale, locally focused restaurants helped inspire the Kauffmans, first-generation farmers, to start Zenn Naturals. Zach Kauffman worked as a bartender at Prato in Winter Park before moving to 1921. Jenn Kauffman was a server at The Ravenous Pig.
“Our background in eating is kind of what has helped us to tailor what we do and the types of crops we grow so we can guarantee ourselves that they will sell,” Zach Kauffman said.
They initially dabbled in backyard farming, growing produce in crates at their bungalow near downtown Orlando.
The idea for starting their own farm grew as they learned more about the food industry in contrast to the local food movement.
“We’ve strayed a long way from what food used to be,” Zach Kauffman said. “You don’t get into this to get rich; you get into this for your family.”
In February 2014, the couple decided to move about 40 miles northwest to Eustis, settling in on 5 acres of property along rural State Road 44 in Lake County. The land includes a locally famous Hobbit-like home nestled in a man-made hill.
Zenn Farms produces eggs, edible flowers and a bevy of vegetables. The Kauffmans want a license to sell goat milk and cheese.
Growing edible mature greens (microgreens) for local restaurants soon became their moneymaker. Everything from cilantro to pea shoots make their way to the kitchens of Sanford’s The Smiling Bison; Orlando’s Kabooki Sushi, Orlando Meats and North Quarter Tavern; Winter Park’s Umi Japanese Restaurant and Prato; Maitland’s Luke’s Kitchen and Bar; and, of course, 1921.
Jenn Kauffman first thought she would harvest about 30 trays a week. Now it’s 110 a week.
With their culinary backgrounds, they know what chefs are looking for — and sometimes “plant the seed” for new dishes.
One in particular stands out for Zach Kauffman. Chefs at Prato created a pasta dish, filling raviolis with Zenn Naturals’ eggs and herb ricotta.
“That still holds the bar,” he said.
Working a farm isn’t an idyllic life full of cute farm animals, however. Long days, few vacations and Florida’s crazy weather can take their toll.
Last month, Hurricane Irma destroyed the Kauffman greenhouses, one of which housed about 300 tomato plants. About 400 pepper plants also were wiped out, along with the okra crop. The microgreens that had been moved from a greenhouse died because the farm didn’t have water for three days after the storm.
“It’s hard to get set back a year of work,” Zach Kauffman said.
The couple is fundraising for new greenhouses. A place for their microgreens crop is particularly important as winter nears.
The Kauffmans briefly considered closing the farm, but they don’t want to do anything else.
“I couldn’t live with myself,” Zach Kauffman said of ending the farm. “It isn’t realistic. This is my vision for my forever future.”
“Trying to build something that can be passed along someday,” added Jennifer Kauffman, 33.
They dream of one day opening a nonprofit sector of the farm to host seminars for aspiring farmers, a mobile farmers market for communities in need of fresh produce, and an experience for students.
As the average age of a farmer rises — 58 now, according to the U.S..Department of Agriculture Census of Agriculture — there is a need for younger people to learn to farm, Zach Kauffman said.
It can be hard to explain the long hours and inability to take a vacation to friends and family. Still, the Kauffmans are called “dreamers” by friends.
“We’re treading our own path, and people know this isn’t an easy row to hoe,” he said.