Atlanta civic leader to launch urban farm and restaurant

CONTENT SOURCED FROM ATLANTABUSINESSCHRONICLE

An Atlanta civic leader is going back to his roots.

Chuck Meadows, former executive director of the Atlanta Beltline Partnership, is launching his own farm and restaurant that will honor his great, great uncle, who was an accomplished Georgia farmer.

Meadows is opening Jim Adams Farm & Table in Bolton Village, a development in Atlanta’s emerging Upper Westside.

And just nine miles from the restaurant, Meadows will open Jim Adams Farm in the Pittsburgh neighborhood. It will come to the Annie E. Casey Foundation site along the future Atlanta Beltline Southside Trail, a long-planned redevelopment that’s now kicking off (read more here).

Meadows is seeking organic certification for the farm.

Produce from the farm will be served and sold at the restaurant, including vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers.

The restaurant will also feature raised beds, a beehive and mushroom farm. It will also sell small-batch goods and floral bouquets. Its menu will include fresh soups, salads and sandwiches.

“The US is shipping its food from 25 percent farther away than it did 20 years ago according to the Worldwatch Institute, an independent environmental research organization. Food now travels between 1,500 and 2,500 miles from farm to plate – losing nutritional value and flavor along the way,” says a news release.

A Feb. 21 ribbon cutting is set for Jim Adams Farm & Table. A “first harvest” celebration is set for the farm this spring.

Meadows is an Atlanta native who attended Morehouse College and Harvard University. He’s also held top public policy and civic roles with the city of Atlanta, Governor’s Office and the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Atlanta Business Chronicle named Meadows to its "40 Under 40" class in 2014.

His new endeavor Jim Adams LLC honors his relative Jim Adams, who farmed about 100 acres of land in Greene County, Ga. Jim’s grandson, Willie Adams, still grows food on the land today and will be a lead advisor for Jim Adams Farm.

“The seed for Jim Adams Farms was planted when Chuck took his young daughters to visit the land Jim Adams used to farm … During that visit, Chuck noticed that Willie was growing vegetables and herbs in raised beds on the concrete foundations where large commercial chicken houses used to stand. The question arose almost instantly: If Willie was growing fresh produce on concrete in Greene County, Georgia, could we not grow produce on concrete in Atlanta, where there was a growing demand for healthy, local food?” says the release.

Rashid Nuri is also providing support for the farm through his community development non-profit Truly Living Well. And Invest Atlanta will help build out the farm through its Business Improvement Loan Fund, according to Meadows.

Want to learn more about how urban agriculture is bringing fresh food and other benefits to Atlanta, and cities all across the globe? Come join us at the AgLanta Conference on March 27-28, at the iconic Georgia Railroad Freight Depot in Downtown Atlanta.