farmer’s markets in Oxford, Anniston and
Jacksonville.
talking gourmet to go recently, and let him
try the food.
The farm grew from six acres to eight to
meet popular demand, taking on their
“PondeRosie’s Farm” moniker, in honor of
grandma Rosie. The family made some
unusual choices that kept public interest
high (growing purple green beans is a
highlight) and started forming relationships
with other vendors and local restaurants.
“I give him the pudding, and he says, ‘Tell
her to come talk to us,’” said Hardy.
Chef Katrina Watson, then working in the
Cheaha Brewing Company kitchen, regularly
bought produce from PondeRosie for
herself and the brewery. She’d previously
discussed her idea for a “gourmet to go”
restaurant with the couple, though the
Hardys weren’t interested in running an
eatery. Watson eventually approached
the two formally; not with a business
proposition, but a bowl of banana pudding.
“She goes home, prepares a meal for us
without me saying I want her to, makes
this banana pudding and tells me, ‘I have
something ready, come meet me and pick
it up,’” recalled Hardy. The dinner came with
roasted turkey breast parmesan, roasted
asparagus, salad and the banana pudding.
Stacey told Rick that Watson had been
24
In only a few months, the restaurant went
from concept to reality. The family handled
construction themselves, remodeling
the inside of a Golden Springs shopping
center location that sat empty for years.
The completed interior is spacious, with a
comfortable gray and white color scheme
for the floor and walls, a big dining area,
glass cases around the register where bread
and products from area vendors will be
sold and an area cordoned off for racks of
vegetables from local farmers.
Most every ingredient at Rosie’s comes from
local producers, from vegetables and bread
to meats and honey, with special care on
managing food costs coming from Hardy,
who sorted out the prices of individual
components in all the dishes to understand
where food costs would come from, and
how that translates to the consumer.
“Being that careful with it, you can still
provide quality ingredients and foods
without it being astronomical,” said Lowery
Combs.
April 2016
INSIGHT