Tell us your story and your mission for Farmer’s Keep.
Farmer’s Keep: Farmer’s Keep is a healthy, farm to table, fast casual restaurant with a focus on serving fresh, local and organic food that caters to all diets and taste buds. We are allergen free and all of our food is free of gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts and shellfish, but still full of flavor. We aim to provide a satisfying meal to all of our guests, be them in house, take out or delivery. Our mission is a simple one: to make people happy and healthy through food.
Why is eating local important?
Farmer’s Keep: It comes down to traceability. Knowing where your food comes from allows people to control and know what they are truly putting in their bodies. Some local farms and vendors we source from are Life do Grow Farm, Lancaster Farm Fresh CoOp, Urban Creators, Tait Farms, Philly Microgreens, and Cardile Brothers, just to name a few.
How do you determine your menu for the season?
Farmer’s Keep: Our menu actually rotates every two weeks. To do this we constantly keep up on agricultural news to see what is the most in season. We also keep constant contact with our local partners to see what and how much they have available. This allows us to know what we are building our menus around.
What are some current seasonal ingredients you love?
Farmer’s Keep: Right now we have kale, potatoes, beers, mixed greens, mushrooms, fresh herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, green beans and onions — all from farms within the city limits. We also have many products from farms just outside the city in surrounding neighborhoods.
What’s on tap for fall? What do you foresee being on your menu?
Farmer’s Keep: Come fall we expect to focus on heartier, more root style vegetables — things like carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, turnips, cabbages, fall squashes. Our proteins will also take on a heavier/deeper feel. We will offer more fall-influenced flavors on heartier cuts of meat, like brisket and short rib.
What is your best dish for delivery?
Farmer’s Keep: Our brisket is always a hit. It is slow cooked for 16 hours until fall-apart fork tender. We use chicken thigh for our chicken, which creates a juicier bite and also has the benefit of holding better for delivery and not drying out.
