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-40) 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. 

Biography:

The Howard Family consists of John and Scarlett Howard and their four daughters. Leraine, the oldest, is mother to three daughters: Brittany, Courtney and Whitney. Leraine is a Pilates instructor and runs the popular Queen Street Deli in downtown Kinston. Currie is a pediatrician and lives in Laurinburg, NC. She is mother to three sons: John Mark, Matthew, and Sam. Johna is an attorney and lives in Tampa, Florida. She is mother to Iris and Michael, and reluctant doggy mama to Buddy.

Biography:

Bill Rice hails from Beaufort, NC and owns the Fishtown Seafood Market, a commercial fishing operation that focuses on fresh, local, high-quality seafood. He started it twenty-plus years ago, with a childhood friend. Following the seasons, Bill and Fishtown stock flounder, jumping mullet, hogfish, and trout, offshore fish including mahi mahi, blue fish and other pelagic (migrating) fish, as well as all manner of local clams, crabs, shrimp, and oysters. Aside from providing his goods to Vivian and other locally-focused restaurants via Fishtown, Bill also runs Walking Fish Co-op, a CSF-model that brings fresh seafood to folks all over NC, including the Triangle area. A family man who loves the outdoors, you can find Bill fishing, hunting, and enjoying sporting events with his family on the weekends.     

Biography:

Peter is no stranger to the culinary world, having started his working life as a fishmonger and sous chef. Now, he photographs food rather than prepares it. He’s the fella who took the amazing photo of Vivian diving into her famous tomato sandwich, with all hands on deck and mayonnaise falling like raindrops, for Garden and Gun magazine. Peter grew up in coastal South Carolina, but his camera took him father afield to places like Berlin. But landlocked Germany couldn’t compete with his coastal homeland, and he now calls Charleston home. 

Biography:

Jay Styron grew up on Cedar Island, harvesting oysters as a young lad, and the ocean has been a continued presence throughout his life. Currently the Assistant Director for Marine Operations at University of North Carolina Wilmington, he and his wife started Carolina Mariculture Company as a retirement plan. But Jay and Jennifer became pioneers in the fledgling North Carolina oyster industry, and he touts his oysters as “the best in the state. They are not overly salty, so you can really taste the oyster.” Jay is a hunting and fishing enthusiast and according to his wife, he’s no slouch in the kitchen either.

Biography:

Jennifer Styron, who runs Carolina Mariculture Company with her husband Jay, grew up in Concord, NC near Charlotte. She previously worked for the Smithsonian as a dive safety officer, helping scientists on various maritime projects. She now works for UNC-Wilmington and their Coastal Ocean Monitoring Project, which gathers oceanographic data for both academics and the public. Jay says, “she is a hard working woman. Not many wives would put up with what she does running an oyster harvesting company.”

Biography:

Jason tends bar at the Chef and the Farmer and apparently passed up a job at the local Ruby Tuesdays to work at C&F. He is the resident fashion horse, known for his penchant for bow ties. According to Jason, bow ties are “not only hygienic, but also a Southern style statement". When not at work, Jason drinks bourbon, shoots guns and argues politics – hopefully not all at once.  

Biography: