Unlike their neighbors, Grant and Kaylinn Buchanan, the chef and farmer behind GB Culinary, don't sell their livestock and produce, at least not directly. Instead, they use their family farm to power their seasonal catering menus for weddings, holiday parties, and other events throughout the Front Range.
The Buchanans have been on their property in Longmont for ten years now and are learning more and more every year—usually the hard way.
"It's definitely always humbling learning to grow food," says Kaylinn, "But also very rewarding."
Kaylinn says she didn't even garden before taking over the farm but was excited at the prospect. Coming from a hospitality and massage therapy background, she applied the same curiosity and care to this new project, watching YouTube videos, doing continuing education at CSU Extension, and learning through trial and error.
Every morning and throughout the day, Kaylinn tends to their garden and herbs. She also feeds their 80-100 chickens, ducks, and three Kune Kune pigs. The Buchanans are also raising two kids on the farm, further emphasizing how their process is full circle and then some.
"Our goal is to use it all," says Grant. "We never truly waste because of the animals."
Everything from the garden goes into black bins to get prepped for the kitchen. Whenever possible, they'll utilize the entire plant, from root to stem. For example, if it's a beet, they use the top of the roots and stems in their red pasta and hummus. The beet stem also becomes a jam, and they'll also create a puree.
All of these different elements create beautiful plates for weddings and other events, sometimes several throughout the course of a busy weekend. After the events, the staff puts all the non-meat scraps in the Delilah bin, affectionately named after their first sow. These scraps then return to the farm for the pigs, chickens, and sometimes the two dogs.
While walking around the property, Kaylinn helps her kids harvest a lemon cucumber or a "cubumber" as their youngest says. The family also points out the signs of damage from a recent hail storm. Even with the destruction, there are signs of new growth, and Kaylinn feels optimistic that the plants will recover for the next big harvest.
There's not a farm in the area that's immune to hail damage, and it's just one of many reminders that their life and their business operate at the whims of Mother Nature. Because the Buchanans practice organic, they also mitigate pests with non-chemical methods—like setting traps for earwigs using soy sauce in olive oil—in addition to the unexpected weather that rolls through the area.
Their process is incredibly flexible and collaborative. Grant writes menus openly, utilizing what they will have available. For example, when they do tastings in January for a September wedding, he creates winter versions of the future dishes for the couple, explaining how the vegetables will change based on the season. In September, there will likely be a lot of squash.
"The menu is the farm," Grant says. "The farm is the menu."
Grant grew up in Atlanta and trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. This Southern influence and French formality certainly impacted his cooking, but it took the farm for him to hone in on his personal method.
"I didn't have my own style before I had a farm," says Grant. "Whatever I've started doing out here, people like, and I like to do it."
He also likes the change of pace from the restaurant lifestyle, reflecting on the early days when he was encouraged to come in and clean the kitchen on his days off. He even admits the incredibly popular FX show "The Bear" is dramatized but also embarrassingly real.
GB Culinary still requires long hours and hard work, especially during the busy season, but now they make time to camp, ski, and enjoy rest. Their pastry chef, Skeeter, helps at the farm when they're away, and in that way, the business has become an extension of their family.
When asked what he wants to eat after an especially busy weekend, Grant doesn't hesitate a beat before responding: cheese dip and a margarita.