Know your Food Know your Farmer

Great food begins with knowing where it comes from. At Artisan Heritage Sourdough, we believe the people who grow and raise our food matter just as much as the ingredients themselves. Join us as we visit local farms, meet the people behind our food, and share the stories that connecting farmer, baker and table.

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KNOW YOUR FARMER

Meet the local farmers, growers and producers whose hard work brings real food to our communities

KNOW YOUR FOOD

Discover where your food comes from, how it is grown and raised, and why thoughtful ingredients matter.

KNOW YOUR BAKER

See how those ingredients make their way into the breads and foods we create at Artisan Heritage Sourdough - with intention, tradition and respect for the people behind them.

KNOW YOUR FARMER. KNOW YOUR FOOD.

Pauly-Wog Farm

Where good food, hard work, perseverance and hospitality come together.

[HERO PHOTO — Kelvin & Linda together]

I went to Pauly-Wog Farm looking for locally grown ingredients.

I left thinking about the people.

As the owner of Artisan Heritage Sourdough, I spend a great deal of time thinking about ingredients—where they come from, how they're grown and, increasingly, who grows them.

Our philosophy has always been When Ingredients Matter.

But the more local farmers and producers I meet, the more I believe something else:

When ingredients matter, the people behind them matter too.

That is what brought me to Pauly-Wog Farm and to its owners, Kelvin and Linda.

And what I found was so much more than ingredients.

[PHOTO — Me at Pauly-Wog with my farm purchases]

My visit to Pauly-Wog Farm—and yes, I came home with quite a haul!

From Mild to Wild 🌶️

[PHOTO — The three peppers]

Let's start with the peppers.

Pauly-Wog grows an impressive assortment—from beautifully mild varieties to peppers for people considerably braver than I am!

They also grow wonderful seasonal produce, including okra, tomatoes, eggplant, spaghetti squash and more. The farm offers meats, and when the flowers are in season, visitors can even enjoy U-Pick flowers.

I certainly didn't leave empty-handed.

I came home with jalapeño peppers, spaghetti squash, meats, Linda's homemade doggie treats and pickled okra made from Kelvin's personal recipe.

And that okra deserves special mention.

It was SO good.

There's something different about opening a jar of pickled okra when you've just stood on the farm where it was grown and met the man whose personal recipe is inside that jar.

I know where my food came from.

Even better, I know the people behind it.

That's the whole idea behind Know Your Farmer. Know Your Food.

[PHOTO PAIR — Produce / farm-store produce display]

What Stayed With Me Was the Welcome

What I remember most about my visit wasn't something I brought home.

It was how Kelvin and Linda treated me.

They didn't simply point me toward the farm store and send me on my way. They gave me their time.

They showed me their property. They talked with me about what they grow and raise. They shared what they have built and welcomed me into their world for a little while.

I've had the opportunity to meet many growers and producers over the years, and I've learned not to take that kind of hospitality for granted.

Their kindness was genuine.

And once I learned more about their story, what they have created together became even more remarkable.

A Story of Perseverance — and Partnership

[PHOTO — Kelvin standing at Pauly-Wog Farm]

Several years ago, Kelvin was involved in a devastating motorcycle accident caused by another driver who left the scene.

His injuries were catastrophic, and he was left paraplegic.

What followed was an extraordinary road back.

But Kelvin's recovery isn't a story he tells as his alone.

Linda was beside him.

Through the difficult days, rehabilitation and the enormous challenge of rebuilding a life after such a devastating injury, she remained by his side.

Kelvin made it clear to me that he would not have recovered as he did without Linda.

Today, Kelvin walks the land that he and Linda have worked so hard to build.

When you know what it took for him to be standing there—and understand something about the woman who stood beside him while he fought his way back—you look at that farm a little differently.

Pauly-Wog Farm is certainly a story of perseverance. But it is also a story of partnership.

And Then There's Linda

[PHOTO — Linda / garden / produce, if you have a good one]

It would be impossible to tell you about Pauly-Wog without telling you more about Linda.

She is an extraordinarily hard worker.

Linda generously spent time with me, but I noticed something during my visit: while we talked, the farm never stopped being a farm.

There were chores to tend to, plants that needed attention and work that had to be done.

Linda made sure it got done.

Spend a little time with her and you quickly discover how knowledgeable she is about farming and growing food.

She talked with me about their vegetables and the importance of caring for the soil itself.

Composting is an important part of what they do, returning organic matter to the earth and continually working to enrich the soil that produces their food.

That may not be the glamorous part of farming.

But perhaps that's exactly the point.

Good food begins long before the harvest. It begins with good soil—and someone willing to do the work to care for it.

Linda understands that.

And her talents don't stop in the garden.

Making Room for Other Dreamers

[PHOTO GROUP — Artisan shelves, artwork, handmade items, vanilla and G-Bee's honey]

Something else about Pauly-Wog really spoke to me.

Their farm store isn't only about their farm.

Kelvin and Linda make room for other local farmers, food producers and artisans.

As I looked around, I found local honey, handmade vanilla extract, artwork, whimsical handcrafted creations, apothecary products and other locally made goods.

For small farmers, makers and artisans, simply finding a place where people can discover what they've created can be difficult.

Sometimes what a small producer needs is for someone to say:

“There's room for you here.”

Kelvin and Linda have done exactly that.

And sitting right there on their shelves was G-Bee's Sweet Honey—another local producer whose story I'll be sharing soon.

Community isn't simply something Pauly-Wog talks about.

You can see it on the shelves.

And Bella Got Something, Too 🐾

[PHOTO — Bella investigating Linda's doggie treats]

Linda also makes homemade doggie treats.

Naturally, a bag came home with me.

And judging from Bella's immediate inspection of the package, apparently Know Your Farmer. Know Your Food. applies to Pyradors too. 😂

You Can Even Stay Awhile

[PHOTO GROUP — 3–4 of your best accommodation photographs]

Then Linda took me through Pauly-Wog's three overnight accommodations.

I was genuinely impressed.

They're beautifully appointed, but there is something about them you wouldn't necessarily know simply by looking at the photographs:

Kelvin built much of what I was looking at.

His craftsmanship is evident throughout the spaces.

And then there is Linda's wonderful eye for design.

Warm woodwork, comfortable furnishings, inviting bedrooms, beautiful bathrooms and thoughtful details come together in spaces that feel far beyond what you might expect from simple farm accommodations.

This is another place where you see how their individual talents complement one another.

Kelvin's craftsmanship. Linda's eye for beauty and detail.

Together, they have created something truly extraordinary.

[PHOTO — Strong interior showing Kelvin's woodwork/craftsmanship]

And once again, I found myself returning to that same word:

Hospitality.

Whether they're welcoming someone into their farm store, sharing what they're growing, providing another artisan a place on their shelves or preparing a beautiful space for an overnight guest, Kelvin and Linda seem to understand something that can't be manufactured.

People remember how you make them feel.

I certainly did.

Two Remarkable People

[PHOTO — Kelvin & Linda OR a farm image]

During my visit, Kelvin shared another story with me—the story of how he and Linda first met.

It is a very sweet story.

And I'm not going to tell it.

That story belongs to them.

But perhaps hearing it helped me understand a little more about the partnership I was seeing in front of me.

I saw two remarkably hardworking people.

I saw Linda's knowledge of the land, her commitment to caring for the soil and the food they grow, her work ethic, creativity and wonderful sense of style.

I saw Kelvin's determination, ingenuity and craftsmanship, and the pride he takes in what they have built.

I saw two people who have faced circumstances that could have changed the course of their lives—and who continued building a life together.

And I experienced their kindness firsthand.

I Came for the Food.

I Left Grateful for the People.

It's easy to walk into a grocery store and pick up a pepper, tomato or jar of something without ever knowing its story.

We don't know who planted it.

Who watched the weather.

Who tended the soil.

Who harvested it.

Who perfected the recipe.

Or whose livelihood we're helping sustain when we buy it.

Buying locally gives us an opportunity to put those pieces back together.

My visit to Pauly-Wog reminded me that knowing your farmer isn't simply about knowing where your food comes from.

It's about knowing the people.

I arrived looking for ingredients.

I left with wonderful food, treats for Bella, tremendous respect for what Kelvin and Linda have built—and genuine gratitude for the kindness they showed me.

But most of all:

I walked away knowing I had just met an exceptionally talented, hardworking and kind couple.

And perhaps that's the greatest gift of knowing your farmer.

You discover the people behind your food.

[FINAL LARGE PHOTO — Kelvin & Linda together]