When Steve Nygren intentionally built homes right alongside a working organic farm, traditional developers thought he was out of his mind. But over the years the benefits of embedding agriculture within Serenbe have become clear.

That’s why Steve was so eager to speak with his guest today, Matthew Raiford. Matthew is a James Beard Award semifinalist, chef, farmer, and sixth-generation steward of Gilliard Farms, land that has been in his family since 1874. His 2021 cookbook, Bress ’N’ Nyam: Gullah Geechee Recipes from a Sixth-Generation Farmer, combines more than 100 recipes with stories of the land, food, family, and culture that shaped him. Today, he’s carrying that legacy forward while thinking creatively about the future of local food economies.

Steve and Matthew talk about what we’ve lost as agriculture has become increasingly industrialized and disconnected from our communities, and what we might regain by bringing food production back into our neighborhoods, schools, public spaces, and even our kitchens.

Show Notes:

• About Matthew Raiford
• Gilliard Farms
• Bress ’N’ Nyam: Gullah Geechee Recipes from a Sixth-Generation Farmer by Matthew Raiford
• Serenbe Farms
• Serenbe Events
• Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where You Live with Radical Common Sense by Steve Nygren

Are You Ready For Radical Common Sense? Visionary placemaker Steve Nygren chronicles the rise of Serenbe, a pioneering model of biophilic living outside Atlanta, and charts a path for others wishing to challenge the status quo, embrace optimism, and reinvent their communities…and themselves.

Order the book today.

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