31ediblechicago.com
by Anthony Todd
T. J. Callahan has turned the original Farmhouse restaurant into
an expanding force in Chicagos local food scene. One successful
farm-to-table restaurant in River North led to another, larger
outpost in Evanston. A third spot, Farmbar, is opening this fall.
All of them share a erce commitment to local food, sourced from
within the four states that Farmhouse considers its local zone:
Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan. Callahan also owns a
farm that supplies the restaurant and Farmhouse grows its own
greens and herbs in a rooftop garden. But Callahan didnt grow up a
farmer, a wide-eyed idealist or an activist against industrial
agriculture. He grew up in the restaurant industry and his
conversion to local food came late in life. But hes denitely made
up for lost time. I wasnt a farm kid, but I grew up around farms in
New England, Callahan remembers. I once found a cow in my garage!
While he might not have been a young farmer working the elds, he
did start in the restaurant industry at age 14, working at a
country club as a dishwasher. That was the beginning of a career
that would last a lifetime. Ive really never had a job that wasnt
in the restaurant business. Ive been everything you can in this
business. Dishwasher, line cook, host, waiter, manager Callahan
moved from job to job before moving to Chicago, where he got into
restaurant consulting. He eventually got an MBA from the University
of Chicago and spent years working on large restaurant chains that
are the exact opposite of Farmhouse. He would be brought in to
manage a failing group of 90 fast-casual steakhouses, or turn
around a group of 17 Irish pubs. All of the food came in frozen and
was microwaved or friednothing like what we
The Lake Effect
T. J. CALLAHAN THINKS BIG AND THINKS LOCAL
do now. But deep down, he always wanted to open his own place.
Along with his partner, Ferdia Doherty, whom he met during that
stint managing Irish pubs, Callahan decided to open a craft beer
spot. Farmhouse was never supposed to be a haven for local foodit
was originally supposed to be all about the beer. We thought wed
basically be the Maproom with good food, with beer geeks three deep
at the bar, Callahan remembers. Farmhouse opened in River North in
2011. About three months in, we looked at ourselves, and our guests
had explained to us what Farmhouse really was: It was a
farm-to-table restaurant with a great beer program, not a beer bar
with food, says Callahan. So, we decided to go with that! We
doubled down on the food and we continue to. Farmhouse has
developed into a modern gastropub, a place where diners can get a
great burger, a plate of delicious fried cheese curds (an
ever-popular staple) and a perfect salad made with greens picked
about 40 feet away. They have amassed a huge beer list, a
comprehensive local spirits collection and antique Beerador
refrigerators that dominate the bar at both the Chicago and
Evanston locations. Callahan arrived at the conclusion that local
food was the choice for him because the more he learned, the more
he realized that the way food was sourced in the restaurant world
didnt make sense to him. When you start doing research about these
things, you start realizing how bizarre the supply chain that gets
the food to us actually is. He recalls a recent moment on his farm,
which is in the heart of Michigan apple country, seeing a wooden
apple crate being used for scrap wood. The apple crate formerly
contained Fuji apples shipped from
32 edible CHICAGO | SUMMER 2015
New Zealand. How bizarre is that? Theres something viscerally
wrong with that. Out with the faraway fruit, the frozen and the
microwaved; in with the fresh and local.
Food with integrity always had a compelling hold on my
imagination. Thats one of the reasons Farmhouse has such a deep
commitment to local sourcing. While they arent 100% local (at one
point last winter, they had bought out the entire local supply of
Brussels sprouts and rather than taking them off the menu when
those ran out, they sourced them from elsewhere), the meat and sh
are just about always local and 100% hormone- and
antibiotic-free.
As it is for many farmers, the organic label is less important
to Callahan. I want it to be sustainable, but weve been to these
farms, weve seen the cows and chickens and how theyre raised,
explains Callahan. I can get organic product that was grown three
weeks ago in the Central Valley of California, or I can get
something raised locally and sustainably, but picked three days
ago. The fresher, local option is usually whats on the table at
Farmhouse.
Callahan has fully embraced the local food lifestyle. He owns
Brown Dog Farm in
is working on turning it into a source for the restaurant. Hes
not a full-time farmer and he isnt interested in labor-intensive
endeavors like cattle or pigs. Weve got great farmers in Chicago
who are much better at growing arugula than I will ever be, laughs
Callahan. But I want to do things that have an emotional tie to
Farmhouse.
For him, thats mostly heirloom
fruitshe has more than 100 apple trees and hundreds of berry
bushes and vines. Hes also developed a love for traditionally
crafted cider, working with local farmers growing cider apples to
make his own varieties just for Farmhouse. Farmbar, the latest
addition to the group, will be more like that original concept of a
craft beer bar that happens to serve good food. The food is
important, but will be simple, made from scratch, bar food, burgers
and sandwiches. No $37 ribeyes. But the ethos will be the same.
Callahan also hopes to expand the concept to other areasand the
local integrity will move with them. We hope to be opening more
Farmhouses and Farmbars, all with a local focus that becomes part
of the neighborhood where they operate, part of the cultural fabric
of the community, explains Callahan. If I put a Farmhouse in
Indianapolis, its just a different set of states and brewers and
farmers. But thats OK, well gure it out. One by one hes adding to
his roster of restaurants. Rather than rebuilding businesses for
clients, this time hes growing his own business with a steady
supply of local and sustainable food. ec
Anthony Todd is a Chicago-based food and drink writer and
editorChicago Sun-Times, Time Out Chicago, Plate Magazine and
Serious Eats, to name a few. In his spare time, when hes not
eating, gardening, writing or mixing drinks, he moonlights as an
attorney.
Food with
integrity
always had
a compelling
hold on my
imagination.
T. J. Callahan
southwestern Wisconsin and
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