Biography:

Vivian Howard is a farm girl originally from Deep Run, NC who expects the unexpected but occasionally still finds herself surprised. Her smile, laugh, and loving nature are straight from the sweet strawberry patch. Vivian built her culinary career in New York City where she worked with the likes of Wylie Dufresne (wd-50) and Jean George Vongerichten (Spice Market). ‬But don't let the farm girl fool you; when you see that wrinkled brow, and her eyes turn stormy, remember that she expects nothing but the best from her ingredients, her cooking, herself, and everyone around her. Vivian takes great pride in the fact that 70 percent of the foodstuff at Chef and the Farmer is local, but she's even more proud of her twins Theo and Flo.

Biography:

Ben, Vivian’s husband and business partner, is a self-described “North Shore Jew from Chicago, living on a hog farm in North Carolina.” He is a painter who worked in restaurants to supplement his artist’s salary, and met Vivian when they both served at Voyage in New York City. Shortly after meeting Ben, Vivian told her roommate that he was “kind of arrogant” but thought he would make a significant impact on her life. Ben says that it was Vivian’s beauty that initially drew him in, “cause I’m a pretty visual person.” Ben runs the front of the house and has made it his mission to transform his staff into wine experts. 

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Warren, who supplies the restaurant with everything from flowers to sweet potatoes, comes from five generations of farmers. Warren and Vivian share a unique farmer-chef relationship. He gives her the freedom to ask him to plant a specific crop, but Warren can trust that she will remain flexible. “It might not work out with that particular plant. Vivian knows that because she comes from a farming background.” Everyone knows him around town by his bare feet. “There is something about having my feet in the dirt.” When this easy-going, barefoot farmer isn’t tending to his crops, he is likely to be camping and fishing in beautiful Beaufort, NC. 

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Hailing from Institute, NC, Lillie has been helping out on Warren Brothers' farm "since forever.” A woman of all trades, Lillie does everything from picking to taking produce to market. Like her mama, Mary Vaughn, Lillie loves to cook. Her grilled chicken is highly prized, dressed with a closely-guarded, NC-style barbeque sauce. Warren is a regular fixture at her dinner table and has asked often after the recipe. But, he says, “Lillie told me that if she told me the recipe, she’d have to kill me."

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Mary grew up in Institute, NC, not too far from Kinston. She comes from a family of farmers, whose land sits adjacent to Warren Brothers’ farm. Mary also worked at a tobacco factory for over 30 years. She puts up “almost everything that grows in the world, but her favorite vegetable to put up is string beans. Her daughter Lillie says she loves her mother’s chocolate sheet cake most of all - made from scratch, of course!

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Shirlette Ammons, who grew up not far from Kinston in Mt. Olive, is a producer for “A Chef’s Life.” She is also an accomplished musician, published poet and co-founder of SugarQube Records, which she runs with her twin sister, Shorlette. Her down-home resonance prompted National Book Award-winning poet Nikky Finney to write, “never the imitator, always originating new words for old feelings, [Shirlette] pulls grace and high notes from old watering holes and bait fields.” Check out Shirlette’s music and musings at www.shirletteammons.com

Biography:

August 2015 will mark one year that Holley Pearce has served as Chef Vivian’s personal ‘coordinator of chaos.’  Hailing from a little town called Amory Mississippi, the universe plopped Holley at the end of the bar at Chef and the Farmer where she sat drinking dirty martinis and eating grits until one evening, after learning of Vivian’s book deal, she offered her services as personal assistant. Holley began working the next day as a part of the ACL team, which includes a bunch of badass women and a few good men.

Biography:

Kim is the pastry chef at Chef and the Farmer and has been with the restaurant since its inception.  If you’re hoping to sate her sweet tooth, look no further than the rice krispy treat.  There is nothing Kim loves more than the taste of toasty, marshmallowy goodness.  

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Lesley grew up in Elizabeth City, N.C. and has worked in the hospitality industry since the age of 16. She was working in Greenville, N.C. when she applied to work at Chef & the Farmer on a whim after becoming a fan of the show. She’s spent three years in the kitchen and serves as one of the restaurant’s sous chefs. Her co-worker, Casey Atwater says, “Lesley is resilient, resourceful, knowledgeable, and fast when it comes to cooking. She is a good teammate. She was one of my favorite co-pilots on the food truck. She came equipped with snacks and Diet Cokes.”

Biography:

Over the past year (2016), John May has perfected a dance called, “the chef shuffle.” John spent two years cultivating his skills as Vivian’s sous chef at Chef and the Farmer. At the same time, his slight humor and warm smile won over many viewers of the show. After leaving the kitchen at C&F, he landed at The Boot in Durham before settling in at Piedmont where he currently holds the position of Executive Chef. John’s creativity shines at Piedmont where he’s decided to only feature ingredients grown in North Carolina’s Piedmont region. Durham’s not too far from Kinston, so, if we’re lucky, John will make the occasional cameo in future episodes of the show.

Biography:

Casey gave up a 15-year career as a commercial banker to join Vivian and the crew at Chef and the Farmer as a line cook. Casey says the most satisfying part of making the move nearly a year ago is “working with such a notable and talented chef and being part of a team who pride themselves on bringing people joy. I love learning how to make new foods and becoming a better cook. I love getting to travel and being in the heat of the moment with my team.” Casey now serves as culinary assistant at VHQ and will hit the road with Vivian as she embarks on her first book tour.  

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Beth is a familiar face among the Chef & the Farmer crew. She started nine years ago as a bartender and then waiter before becoming the restaurant’s manager in 2012. She now is the director of retail operations, overseeing the sauces, rubs and t-shirts sold at the restaurant and Vivian's online shop. Her favorite job: picking slogans out of Vivian’s cookbook for t-shirts, like “Long Live The Butterbean,” and “Rutabagas are Sexy.”

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John Currin Howard is a successful farmer and father of four daughters. He gets things done and can sum up a complicated situation in one line. In recent years, John Currin, as he is known by his community, has made it his MO to be the best grandparent on the planet. 

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Scarlett is, as her first name suggests, a southern belle through and through. A farmer's daughter, Scarlett became a farmer's wife and school teacher. With the birth of her first daughter, she retired from teaching school only to become a full-time advice giver. She too is an excellent grandparent and next-door neighbor.

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