Edible Rhody Spring 2011 : Page 6

From the Earth By Genie M C Pherson Trevor Photos by Stephan Brigidi Farmer Steve Ramos Green Thumbs Up to Rhody’s Pioneer Personal Gardener Little did I realize when I first met farmer Steve Ramos four years ago that he had been feeding me for almost 20 years. Through the various restaurants and grocers that he has supplied over the years, I’ve unwit-tingly feasted on his vegetables and greens from both the gleaming, wide-rimmed dinner plates of some of Rhode Island’s most talented chefs and the everyday crockery right in my own kitchen. Now that we’re in the salad days of local dining disclosure it’s eas-ier to find Steve’s name on a menu—but it won’t tell you that he’s been a quiet partner to local chefs for over two decades. What has developed in that time is more like a mutual adoration society than a supply-and-demand sales arrangement. Talking to both camps, it’s hard to tell who is more appreciative of the relationship, Steve or the cadre of chefs who swear by his produce. Listening to Steve converse about chefs he works with, there is an earnest recognition of the talent manifested in their craft. “The chefs are like magicians. I could never imagine some of the things they can do with ‘product’ I bring to them. Take the lowly cucumber—I was in the back of a kitchen one afternoon while the chef was turning my lemon Above: Steve Ramos at the entrance to his greenhouse. Opposite, top: Farm in spring. Bottom, left: Asparagus. Bottom, right: Black plastic sheeting warms the spring soil and keeps the weeds down during summer. 6 spring 2011 EDIBLERHODY.COM

From the Earth

Genie McPherson Trevor

Farmer Steve Ramos Green Thumbs Up to Rhody's Pioneer Personal Gardener Photos by Stephan Brigidi Little did I realize when I first met farmer Steve Ramos four years ago that he had been feeding me for almost 20 years. Through the various restaurants and grocers that he has supplied over the years, I've unwittingly feasted on his vegetables and greens from both the gleaming, wide-rimmed dinner plates of some of Rhode Island's most talented chefs and the everyday crockery right in my own kitchen. Now that we're in the salad days of local dining disclosure it's easier to find Steve's name on a menu–but it won't tell you that he's been a quiet partner to local chefs for over two decades. What has developed in that time is more like a mutual adoration society than a supply-anddemand sales arrangement. Talking to both camps, it's hard to tell who is more appreciative of the relationship, Steve or the cadre of chefs who swear by his produce. Listening to Steve converse about chefs he works with, there is an earnest recognition of the talent manifested in their craft. "The chefs are like magicians. I could never imagine some of the things they can do with 'product' I bring to them. Take the lowly cucumber–I was in the back of a kitchen one afternoon while the chef was turning my lemon Above: Steve Ramos at the entrance to his greenhouse. Opposite, top: Farm in spring. Bottom, left: Asparagus. Bottom, right: Black plastic sheeting warms the spring soil and keeps the weeds down during summer. cucumbers into a sorbet. It had a beautiful, unusual color and it was just so delicious, so flavorful–like the essence of the cucumber–I couldn't believe how good it was," he recalled. Likewise, listening to the chefs talk about Steve's product, as they all call it, invariably they mention the "unbelievable quality" or "the remarkable variety in what he grows," and especially that "Steve takes a tremendous amount of care with each and every bunch or bundle he delivers– more than any grower I've ever worked with." Bruce Tillinghast, chef/owner of New Rivers in Providence, has been working with Steve consistently since 1990, longer than any other local chef. "Steve showed up at our back door with samples of his beautiful herbs when we first opened. They were so clearly fresher, pungent and even cleaner than anything I could get [especially then], I started working with him that day. Over the years Beau [Vestal] and I have worked with Steve on many projects, growing things for the restaurant that aren't mainstream. Though he's extended his growing season dramatically in recent years, I'm always thrilled in the springtime when Steve calls to tell me the chives are up." With a view from a hilltop that rolls down eastward over an expanse of Mount Hope Bay, Steve is happily contented working alone in the tranquil surrounds of his two-acre plot in Bristol. His leased land is nestled within 600 acres of preserved woodland and feels far from the urban hubbub he surfaces to navigate each week on delivery day. In springtime at Steve's farm, clumps of bushy green chives dot the landscape and rows of cold-hardy greens pop up through black plastic sheeting that warms the soil and keeps the weeds down. The low-lying hoop houses that protect against colder temps are uncovered by day and as the season warms, they are left open. He's got red frilly mustard, leeks, tat soi, red bok choy, mizuna and asparagus, to name a few. One larger greenhouse set right over the soil is full of arugula, mustard greens, curly heads of lettuce and a few test products he's trying out for next year. Between the two-acre plot and an additional heated greenhouse in his own backyard, Steve supplies, on average, 10 restaurants between Newport, Bristol and Providence. A diligent farmer and about as unpretentious as they come, Steve grows up to 100 different varieties of herbs, greens, vegetables, edible flowers and fruit each year. Each spring he plants almost 35 varieties of heirloom tomatoes alone, and the list goes on. He has been growing everything organically since he got into farming back in the '70s. "It was the time of back-to-the-land movement and I got into gardening [with a few friends]. I'd never grown a thing before that but I just loved the process … and the outcome," Steve explained. He began his journey into farming by selling his garden's overflow at a food coop on Thayer Street in Providence that he managed for a time after graduating from Roger Williams University. It was then that he met Rob Yaffe, owner of the Garden Grille and the Wildflour Vegan Bakery & Juice Bar in Pawtucket. "We were all so young back then," Steve laughed, putting a hand towards his graying ponytail. As Steve's own garden grew, he began selling produce to Rob's natural foods market on Wickenden Street, the Golden Sheath. (Most likely the spot where I first encountered Steve's organic produce.) Bread & Circus (now Whole Foods) and Eastside Marketplace came next as wholesale customers and Steve slowly started selling to chefs. They included Jaime D'Olivieira, John Elkhay and Jules Ramos, among others, the list evolving with the ebb and flow of the restaurant biz. These days he focuses his farming energy on the chefs (though he sells occasionally to the Green Grocer in Middletown). For freshness Steve only picks early or late in the day, washes and hand-packs each custom order and drives them to the back doors of his restaurant clients. "You never want to come in when the chefs are too busy–that's a no-no. I come when we also have a chance talk about the product, what I'm expecting for next week. Working together–it's an ongoing process," says Steve. With each seed he plants, Steve seems to have a chef in mind. "I've got micro greens and arugula for Ben at La Laiterie and mâche for Bruce and Beau at New Rivers. For Champe at Persimmon in Bristol, I've got celery in the micro stage and Bull's Blood [an heirloom beet green]. They all seem to like sorrel. I've got wheatgrass for Rob's juice bar, micro basil and chervil for Jon and Andy down at Castle Hill." Jon Cambra, executive chef of Castle Hill Inn, a Bristol native and an avid gardener, ventures that the salt air off the Kickemuit River and Mount Hope Bay must add something to the flavor of Steve's produce. He started working with Steve a few years ago at the insistence of his sous-chef Andy McWilliams, another Bristol resident. (Aside from Persimmon, Steve's produce shows up on other home turf menus too, including DeWolf Tavern, The Beehive Café, Roberto's and Café Le Central.) "Steve's passion for growing is incredible," says Jon. "He's very humble about his talents, but he also takes a lot of pride in his work. Being a relatively small-scale farmer, he's able to produce amazing quality. A while back he started bringing us these tiny Mexican cucumbers– they are the coolest little things–great for pickling or salads. And his micro greens? … They are absolutely gorgeous." Through this snapshot of the local, sustainable movement manifested through the tight-knit circle, it's hard not to appreciate the fellowship– and the labor. Steve's outlook on his livelihood seems to speak for the chefs as well: "For me it's an interesting way to make a living. It's challenging every single day … and of course you need to use your brain and your body too. But in the end, it's a lot of fun." eR Genie McPherson Trevor is a writer who lives and cooks with her family in Providence. Read her story on chef Bruce Tillinghast in Edible, A Celebration of Local Foods (Wiley, 2010) available wherever books are sold. "I'm always thrilled in the springtime when Steve calls to tell me the chives are up

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