By OLIVIA PERREAULT Chefs Melissa Denmark and Jordan Goldsmith wanted to get a little closer to the ingredients they were using, and decided to start their own farm and eventual eatery. Their latest work in progress, Moonrose Farm, is a fresh addition to
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Chefs Melissa Denmark and Jordan Goldsmith wanted to get a little closer to the ingredients they were using, and decided to start their own farm and eventual eatery.
Their latest work in progress, Moonrose Farm, is a fresh addition to the Cranston community, offering chemical-free products and a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program to local residents.
Denmark, originally from Maryland, and Goldsmith, hailing from Massachusetts, moved to Rhode Island to attend Johnson and Wales University. Since then, the duo has spent over a decade in professional kitchens with Denmark working as a pastry chef and Goldsmith as a savory cook. They started working on Goldsmith’s family farm in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, however, the commute to their home in Providence was not ideal, so they looked for something closer to home.
Originally, the land they leased in Cranston was a private estate and horse pasture, which they cleared and converted to a farm. The pair will be the first people to farm on the three-acre land for a couple of decades and will be home to chemical-free fruits, vegetables and flowers.
Goldsmith explained that Moonrose’s flowers aren’t covered in pesticide or insecticide like flowers from a grocery store or florist. She wants to grow flowers that are safe for people to have in their home and for their kids to touch, for their florist friends to use and for the environment. These flowers will also last much longer, even up to two weeks in a vase, Goldsmith said.
The farm, located at 684 Natick Ave., is also offering “DIY farm buckets,” where customers can buy a two-gallon bucket and the farmers will fill it with whichever flowers are looking best that week. Goldsmith said that their customers would be receiving the highest quality flowers because they’re picked by one of the farmers that same day.
The duo invites the community to check out their CSA program, a 25-week season-long membership where customers pick up a weekly share of vegetables. In addition to the share, Denmark said members could purchase add-ons, including a flower share, egg share and an ice cream share. The ice cream share will include a monthly pint of ice cream made with fresh strawberries or a season-inspired recipe made by Denmark.
Since this is their first year on the farm, their biggest goal is to connect with the Cranston community. Denmark said they’re excited to get into the Cranston market and meet a slew of new potential customers. She expects to be on the land for at least five years, and this first year will give them insight on what’s to come, what other vegetables they can grow and what people are looking for.
“I think [Moonrose] will offer a place where people can just come and sort of escape the busyness of downtown Cranston and Providence and sort of enjoy a little piece and quiet outside of their normal daily lives,” Goldsmith said. “We want it to be a place where people can come and visit and also where people can feel closer to the food that they’re feeding their families.”
Although Goldsmith has started working full-time on the farm, Denmark still holds her chef job at Ellie’s and Gracie’s in Providence. She explained that it’s going to take a while before they can both transition into the business, and although the busy lifestyle is hard, she embraces the challenge.
“I wish I could be at the farm more but it’s still so nice because I get a lot of support from the people that I work with that are really excited that we’re doing this and we’re going to be a part of the farming community in Rhode Island,” Denmark said. “Eventually I’ll be working full time [at the farm], and I look forward to that.”
“There’s no secrets on our farm,” Goldsmith said, “everything is very transparent and we just love the Earth and want to take care of it.”
Moonrose’s CSA program begins on June 6, and registration is open on their website. For more information and volunteer opportunities, visit Moonrosefarm.com.
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