MAY 6, 2010 ISSUE
Introducing Hob Nob Farm Café
Michael and Nova Nelson Bring Locally Grown Food to Forefront of Restaurant
For more than 10 years, Mike and Nova Nelson have been operating both a farm and a restaurant. And though the names of the restaurants have changed over the years at their location in downtown Boone from Angelica’s to Tupelo’s and now to the Hob Nob Farm Café, their mission of providing locally grown produce to their restaurants has been a constant. But over those 10 years or so that they have been both farming and cooking, their ultimate goal of supplying their restaurant with only locally grown produce has been elusive—until now.
Last week, Tupelo’s, the bustling cafe that specialized in providing a variety of unique recipes that closely resembled the traditional meals found in countries from Chile to India, changed its name to Hob Nob Farm Cafe. The name change was done to reflect the Nelsons’ goal of incorporating more of the produce, fruits and spices grown on their farm, Hob Nob Farm. While the menu will remain largely the same, the progression toward incorporating more of their own, self-produced ingredients, has been furthered. In addition to utilizing produce from their own farm, Hob Nob Farm Café is also taking advantage of the newly formed New River Organic Growers Association to get all of the produce, spices and meats they use in the restaurant from right here in Western North Carolina.
“Through New River Organic Growers we’ve been able to link up with 30 farmers,” Nova Nelson said in a recent phone interview. “Recently, New River got a refrigerated truck and they are now able to distribute food from all of the local organic farms. It’s great to be able to link up with their network and get to support a number of different farms without having to go through each farm individually.”
By getting the produce they use in their restaurant from local organic farms, the Nelsons are able to minimize fuel consumption during the food distribution system and provide food that is fresher and healthier.
“One of the most blessed things about where we live is that we can grow just about all of the major produce you can buy in the grocery store, aside from the tropical things, but pretty much everything that is shipped all the way from California grows really well here,” Nova said. “Buying local gives you a fresher, healthier product that takes less resources to get it here and, in addition, a lot of the beauty of these mountains and what brings so many people here is the farming culture and the Appalachian beauty, the rolling meadows and the pastures and buying produce from local farmers is a good way to support that.
“Since tobacco has been eradicated from this area it has left a big void that needs to be filled for a lot of local farmers who have helped to make this area what it is,” Nova continued. “By bringing in local produce at this time when tobacco is being cut out, it’s a great way to provide these farmers with a demand for what they can grow. Our restaurant goes through hundreds of pounds of produce a week, and we believe that it is very important, as well as very possible and very logical, to get as much food as possible from this area because so much of the food we eat can be grown right here.”
The Nelsons believe that by getting their produce locally they can help reduce their carbon footprint and limit their impact on the environment, while at the same time providing their customers with organic, chemical-free foods. From the beginning of their restaurant career in Boone, when Angelica’s was “more of an herb shop than a restaurant,” they have always tried to prepare their foods simply, but with great care. “We don’t use any processed foods, everything we do is made from scratch,” Nelson said. “Back when we first started Angelica’s, as well as now, we just had the feeling that food was the very beginning of health, not only for the body, but for the environment as well. A lot of really huge changes can come in the way that we eat and the way we distribute our food and we feel like having a restaurant is a wonderful way to reach a lot of people in a very simple way that people can relate to through food and making them feel good while also healing their bodies and the earth.”
As of late, the Nelsons are very excited about the prospects of Hob Nob Farm Café and believe that the new name will reflect on their renewed pledge to provide the freshest fruits and vegetables they can to their patrons. “We’re coming out with our menu tomorrow and it just feels very fulfilling for us after all these years of doing it to begin to finish out our vision of offering local foods. It just feels like a great way for us to come full circle.”
And what a circle it has been.
“We literally opened Angelica’s with a crock pot and a hot plate from Wal-Mart,” Nova recalled. “We had no stove, no oven, we just had a one page menu with like eight things on it,” she said with a laugh. “Overtime, we would add on a couple more things and read people’s response to it. People were really positive about the things Michael was creating so he kept experimenting and he began doing his own curries and sauces and he just seemed to really have a natural ability for it, a natural knack.”
For Nova, the greatest joy she receives at her restaurant is seeing people’s faces and knowing that she is making people happy by providing them with good food. “It feels really good to show people that food can be delicious and healthy,” Nova said with a laugh. “And it can make a big difference in the way you feel.”
Hob Nob Farm Café, located at 506 West King Street in Boone, is open from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, serving brunch from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and lunch and dinner from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. For more information, call 828-262-5000 or click to www.hobnobfarmcafe.com.
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