FARM restaurant to open in Old Town Bluffton in 2016

The best ideas are grounded in tradition.

In June 2013, stay-at-home Bluffton dad Ryan Williamson decided to return to his roots. Having grown up in Georgia heading shrimp, picking crab and tending to the garden, it was natural -- almost predestined -- for him to follow on a path working with his hands and with food.

"I came from a farmer's background," Williamson said. "Everyone would preserve and rehydrate food."

Thus, Williamson and his wife, Joanne, started Lowcountry Farms -- a five-acre plot of land featuring specialty crops that borders Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, where he and Joanne were married in 2008. Three years later, the couple welcomed triplets Molly Mae, Ella Louise and Johnny Pryce. But one dream remained constant for Williamson.

"I had started the farm with the intent of opening a restaurant in a few years," Williamson said.

Williamson, executive chef Brandon Carter and general manager Josh Heaton are the managing partners of FARM, a restaurant set to open in early 2016 at 1301 May River Road in Calhoun Street Promenade in Old Town Bluffton. FARM is so simply named because, as evidenced by the trio's emphasis on fresh, local and seasonal, the concept is not complicated.

Williamson, Carter and Heaton bring three different areas of expertise to the (probably harvest) table for FARM.

"We're all kind of geeky about what we do," Carter joked.

Williamson will work with regional purveyors, in addition to growing his own crops, to acquire locally sourced seafood, meat, produce and spirits to serve within the two-story, 2,800-square foot restaurant. In turn, Carter will craft dishes, menus and concepts to accommodate what is locally and seasonally available. Heaton's role as front-of-house manager is to carry FARM's vision to its staff of bartenders and servers. His background in mixology will contribute to the beers -- which will also be as local as possible -- and hand-crafted cocktails served in the first-floor restaurant and the rooftop bar, which will also feature small plates and house-cured charcuterie.

Shortly after launching his farm, Williamson provided crops such as radishes and kale to the restaurants at Palmetto Bluff. He befriended the executive chef, Carter, who oversaw Palmetto Bluff's four restaurants. The two would walk the rows of Lowcountry Farms, tasting the vegetables while discussing the next season's planting.

Both Carter and Williamson say they independently dreamed of starting their own restaurants, but it didn't become a shared reality until Williamson called Carter one day to ask if he was interested in being the executive chef at his restaurant, which would feature produce provided from Williamson's own farm, and protein and dairy sourced from other local vendors.

"The most pivotal point was when he sent the layout of the kitchen," Carter said, adding he felt the space was too small. "I gave my feedback and there was no hesitation (to change it). We were like-minded. I realized then that I shouldn't let this slip away."

The basis of the restaurant was like-minded between the partners, too: The menus would center around produce that comes straight out of Lowcountry soil, food cultivated and cared for by their own hands.

"A lot of restaurants are chef-driven," Carter said. "(FARM) is going to be about the collective. Perfection is a journey, not a destination."

When Williamson was helping design the Savannah Bee Company's flagship store on Broughton Street, Heaton was down the street, managing a Starbucks. The two crossed paths frequently, especially after Heaton began working part-time at Savannah Bee, where Williamson eventually become responsible for day-to-day operations.

Heaton's love of the local food scene brought him and his hand-crafted hummus to the Bluffton Farmers Market, where Williamson sold dairy products from Georgia-based Flat Creek Lodge and Sweet Grass Dairy, in addition to Savannah Bee products.

"He was the hummus guy, I was the bee guy," Williamson laughed.

Soon after, Heaton started working on Williamson's farm. The two shared the same passion for local, fresh and seasonal produce -- Heaton grows kiwi, hops, blueberries, figs and hot chilies in his backyard.

The FARM partners aim to instill that understanding of food and crops in their staff. Williamson hopes to encourage all servers to work at Lowcountry Farms, to gain a firsthand knowledge of where the food comes from and to bring that education and conversation back to the dining room.

As a result, "people (will) get to know the vendors," Williamson said. "We want customers to go to the farmers markets" after eating at FARM.

FARM will include as much locally sourced food as the team can acquire, starting with the crops.

"We're confident we can get produce here," Williamson said. "We don't have olive oil here, for instance, but we seek the best quality elsewhere.

"I'm learning what I can and can't grow," he added. "I would like to have four to five staple crops and 10 speciality crops," with other seasonal produce coming from local sources, such as Three Sisters Farm in Bluffton.

Crops are particularly important because all FARM menus begin with local produce.

"We'll start here, then move out," Carter said. "Seasonability of vegetables will drive the menu. That's how the conversation will start."

Customers who like to order the same meal every time they go out to eat might have a hard time initially with FARM's menu, which Carter said will be "constantly evolving," likely changing every week to reflect which crops and foods are in abundance that week.

Williamson and Carter have a hard time classifying FARM, but they are firm about not calling it a farm-to-table restaurant.

"It's rooted in what we can grow here, but we can make foods and dishes from around the world," Carter said.

Follow reporter Ashley Fahey at twitter.com/IPBG_Ashley.

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This story was originally published July 2, 2015 at 4:49 PM with the headline "FARM restaurant to open in Old Town Bluffton in 2016."