Millwright’s in Simsbury to open its own farm
Chef eager for control, ‘from seed to the table’
Tyler Anderson, chef at Millwright’s in Simsbury, is taking the concept of farm-to-table to the next level: He is getting ready to start his own farm.
“I’ve wanted this to be a part of Millwright’s since I opened it 8 ½ years ago, to have a farm working along with it,” Anderson said Friday. “That was a part of the reason I took Millwrights’ location. People thought I was kind of crazy opening a huge restaurant in Simsbury. But I love the building, and I loved its proximity to farmland.”
On Thursday, Anderson posted a help-wanted notice for a farmer on his Facebook page: “Our new farm project is a 15-acre boutique farm that will
primarily provide food for our award-winning restaurant. The farm will also host weddings and other events, so will need to be visually attractive as well as functional.”
Anderson said not many restaurants nationwide grow their own food, but he visited a few that inspired him, including Oyster Club in Mystic. “Those guys bought an old family farm about three years ago. It’s amazingly beautiful,” he said.
Anderson admitted that a big factor is a desire for control. “It gives you this advantage that you can take exactly what you need from seed to the table. Chefs are kind of controlling,” he said. “This is controlling, but in a healthy way.”
He would not reveal the location of his planned farm. He said it will use 7 alternating acres each growing season. He does not expect great yield for the first two years or so, as he and the farmer figure out what works and what doesn’t.
“We’ll have 3 ½ acres dedicated to things we know will work, tomatoes, squash, different lettuces. Another 3 ½ acres will be for experimentation,” he said. “Depending on where you are in Connecticut, different things grow with more or less success. We have to see what grows well on our land.”
He also hopes for livestock. “I would like to have chickens and a couple of dairy cows if Simsbury lets me,” he said.
The farmer will do some canning, jarring and preserving, Anderson said. “The premise of Millwright’s is based on using New England techniques and New England ingredients,” he said.
The position would be “more than full time,” Anderson said, and probably would be 10 months out of the year, with a break in the winter. Anderson said he wants to put in some time at the farm himself and to recruit volunteers from Hands On Hartford and possibly other community organizations.
“It would be nice to work with kids who may not have ever had the opportunity to see how the food process works, how it is grown, cooked, served,” he said.
Anderson understands that along with the advantages of having fresh produce grown specifically for Millwright’s, the plan has one disadvantage. “It’s never going to be a major profit center for us. It’s a labor of love. Our goal is to break even,” he said. “What it really is about is to have something for the community and to better our restaurant.”
Farmer applicants should be able to start work in April and are expected to have at least five years’ farm work experience, an understanding of New England farming techniques and the ability to create a farm from scratch. The salary is up for negotiation, Anderson said. To apply, email tyler@ millwrightsrestaurant.com.