Location: Rome, New York
Chef: Reuben Haag, Hamilton College
“Supporting Ron Wagner and his farm is easy for me,” says Hamilton College Executive Chef Reuben Haag. “He is committed to growing a great product and he works with me to meet my demand.” This direct relationship between grower and chef is significant because when a farmer sells directly to a chef they can end up getting almost 80 cents of every dollar spent versus farmers who sell their produce through a distributor. Conversely, farmers who sell their product through middle-men sometimes earn mere pennies on a dollar.
Ron Wagner is best known for his Sweet Corn. Unfortunately for the students at Hamilton College, corn season in New York state doesn’t coincide with their school year. That hasn’t stopped Reuben from working with Ron to come up with fresh produce to use in his café. “For the past three growing seasons, I’ve worked with Chef Reuben to plan my planting to meet his needs; it has been a very successful partnership for both of us,” Ron said.
“I grow a large variety of fruits and vegetables specialty eggplant, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, collards, and kohlrabi, even orange and purple cauliflower. The students seem to really like my potatoes, in particular; Hamilton buys about 90% of my potato crop,” The potato crop is a good example of how Bon Appétit Management Company helps his business thrive. “Bon Appétit’s purchases for Hamilton accounts for 25% of my farm income; their support has been a tremendous help for my business,” he said.
“I have been farming since graduating high school 10 years ago. I love to grow a quality product and it is very rewarding to have repeat customers, especially customers like Chef Reuben, who keep buying from me in larger and larger amounts. But farming is not an easy business. It takes a lot hard work to keep my head above water. Although I continue to grow, I’ll know more after I make it through another few seasons, and I hope my business will survive.”
