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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Marty Harper is a 4th generation farmer in Deep Run, NC. While his family’s roots are in tobacco, Marty and his wife Donna started growing peanuts in 2005. They grow both the Virginia and Runner varieties of peanuts. “Virginias are the great big ones and are cleaner looking. They’re the ones that they sell at the ballpark. The Runners are smaller and are often used in candy and for peanut butter.” According to Marty, humans are not the only peanut-loving species. “Black bears love peanuts! So do wild turkey and all manner of wild life.”

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Donna grew up a farmer’s daughter and is now a farmer’s wife. She works side-by-side with her husband, Marty Harper, on their thousand-plus acres of tobacco, soybeans, corn, grain sorghum, cotton, and peanuts. She also has a background in cosmetology and nursing. “I am a jack-of-all-trades, master of none.” What Donna loves most about peanut farming is that it gets her outside, allowing her to “see all the beautiful things God has made and the miracles he has done.”

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Born to a family of tobacco farmers, Pete Mills grew up in Pleasant Hill, NC. He followed in his parents’ footsteps, but when cuts to tobacco took a toll, Mr. Mills turned to food. He’s been in the restaurant business since 1955, getting his start in a Jacksonville drive-in and cooking for the US Army while part of the National Guard. He now owns Pleasant Hill Grocery and Grill. The Pink Hill establishment has a small grill and seats 22. Their best sellers are roasted chicken and steak subs, and Mr. Mills notes that they sell plenty of peanuts and Pepsi in the small grocery store up front.

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Justise is a sous chef at Chef and the Farmer.  According to Vivian, if Justise wasn’t a chef she would be destined for country music stardom. She takes great pride in her outlandish eye make-up and funky earrings, and her co-workers refer to her as Two-tone – a reference to her ever-evolving hair styles, currently, short, black, and accentuated with a bright streak of pink. 

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Jamie grew up in Seven Springs, North Carolina. According to Jamie, “when I came in for my interview with Ben and he asked me why I wanted to work at Chef and the Farmer, I told him that I had just gotten out of rehab and was looking to start my life again. He immediately responded with ‘you’re hired.’ When I asked him why he hired me, Ben told me it was because I was honest with him. From that moment, I promised that if they took a chance on me, I would give them my all.” Seven years later, this self-proclaimed “rock star without a guitar,” has proven herself to be one of Ben and Vivian’s most loyal employees. She works as a server at Chef and the Farmer and tends the bar at the newly-minted Boiler Room. 

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Susan is the head server and one of the restaurant’s most seasoned members.  After 34 years in the business, she came out of semi-retirement to work for Vivian and Ben - but not before almost a year of reconnaissance, staking out the restaurant and popping in for meals.  When she first heard of the Chef and the Farmer, she thought “Ben and Vivian were crazy to try open that kind of restaurant in downtown Kinston.”  Lucky her them, she soon realized that “they really needed me.” 

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Coming Soon

Biography:

Gladys hails from a clan of Kinstonites and was one of among eight siblings. Canning was just part of feeding them all. She learned the art from her mother and aside from keeping her pantry stocked, her canned provisions have won her many accolades at the county fair. Gladys is a Best in Show, Grand Prize, and Grand Champion winner and has been entering her canned goods since the early 60s. Now at a sprightly 92, she still plants and grows many fruits and vegetables, from apples to zucchini. She will can anything and has no favorites. She even cans collards. 

Biography: