Q: You worked for your father’s pharmaceutical marketing company and then went into financial services and then into farming. Tell us about this transition.
A: I moved from Southport to Pawling, New York 10 years ago for a change of scenery. After living in Fairfield County for over 30 years, it was time to live elsewhere but close enough to Manhattan to commute to work. Never in a million years did I think that this move would change my life. I was at a crossroads in my life both professionally and personally so this move was necessary. One day, I returned from work and was watching my neighbor across the street, Charlie Dennis, a cattle farmer, work the land. Still in my work suit, I approached Charlie to introduce myself and asked if I could help him harvest the hay on his property and soon thereafter, I found myself not only assisting Charlie but having my “Aha!” moment.
As a lover of nature, there is so much gratification working on the farm and I persisted in becoming accepted by the farmers in the neighborhood. All I wanted to do was help….so much that I’m sure I was annoying to some of them , but I truly loved it. One day, we hung a bird feeder and noticed that the seeds were germinating quickly and realized that our property was rich soil . The next step was investing in a tractor and tilling the land to start a farm. In 2005, Wingnut Farm was born. Our first crop consisted of zinnias, tomatoes and potatoes.
Q: Did you finally get accepted by the farmers in your neighborhood?
A: Eventually…three years later ! For the first time in a long time, I felt like a belonged to a community—a community where I found my purpose. It is so gratifying to be in tune with nature and truly see my blood, sweat and tears literally come to life on my farm. It’s my passion. To further support other local farmers, Terry Deegan , Leslie Lee and I founded the Pawlings Farmers Market in 2006. There are a lot of people from the city who live in Pawling on the weekends. It was a great opportunity for these residents to shop for fresh, local produce. The Market started with six vendors and now has 22 vendors from fruit and vegetable to honey and flowers.
Q: It’s clear that you are so passionate about what you do. I hear music is your other passion.
A: Music makes me feel good. I taught myself harmonica and eventually formed a band called the Hot Damn Band (www.hotdamnband.com ) in 1997. The band consists of top-notch rhythm and blues artists from the NYC music scene and we played gigs at local venues in Fairfield County…and we are still playing .
Q: It wasn’t your farm that connected you with Barcelona initially but rather your music, no?
A: It sure did. Back in the day, we played at Luna Restaurant every Friday night and that’s when I first met Andy and Sasa and kept in touch over the years. After the farm was up and running, we shared the news with them and Barcelona became our first commercial account. Each year, we provide fingerling potatoes and for the first time this year, sweet corn was provided by partner Wright Dykeman.(www.dykemanfarm.com) In addition to Barcelona, we sell premium horse hay to horse farms in Bedford and Pawling, and have sold vegetables and flowers at the local farmers market.
Q: You’ve got this fabulous property. Do you find the time to entertain?
A: Cooking and entertaining have always been a passion . We eventually remodeled our farmhouse and added a commercial kitchen so we could entertain there.
Q: What’s your signature dish?
A: Medallions of venison with our fingerlings ..both of which are harvested on the farm. Since our porch faces West to a beautiful view, we serve cocktails there first with light hors de oeuvres. We do the latter on purpose because we want our guests to really enjoy their dinner. Taking empty plates to the sink is wonderful!
Q: Steve, thank you so much for sharing your story. We look forward to exploring Pawling and visiting Wingnut Farm.
