Farmer and chick
by Frank quattrone
The Farmer and the Chickpea, the artisan food haven with the quirky name that’s become Quakertown’s absolutely must-go destination, is the most original eatery I’ve ever covered in this space. I don’t know what to call it. Despite the abundance of individual and family-style meals available for dine-in or takeout, it’s not exactly a restaurant. Even though there are stations galore — from Pot Pie & Soup, to Fruits & Nuts, to Sweets — to satisfy any taste, it’s not a cafeteria or buffet center. With its emphasis on vegetarian, vegan, organic, and mostly gluten-free foods, it’s also not a health-food store, yet I defy you to find healthier eating choices anywhere.
Servers crisscross the bustling, barn-like space bearing wooden boards laden with breakfast foods, quiches, and sweet and savory pies, yet there’s not exactly table service (in the traditional sense of the phrase). Choose whatever you like, the cost tallied by a staffer, receive a letter block, and your order will soon find its way to your table.
On the walls, hand-carved wooden signs bear warm invocations celebrating old-world values like KINDNESS, COMMUNITY, FOOD, FAMILY, and HOME, while framed photos feature farmers, harvests, and fruitful fields. Guests move freely from table to table, admiring others’ food choices, laughing and chatting away, taking photos for their Instagram or Facebook friends.
Nothing matches. According to visionary co-owner Ashley Stratton, the staff made all the tables and chairs themselves from scrap metal and wood, including the novel shovel handles reaching up from many chairs. Already veteran professionals on South Jersey’s farm market circuit, including a wildly successful parking-lot food-delivery service in Somerville (where a much smaller Farmer and The Chickpea now completes its sixth year), Ashley and her business partner Jillian Godfry were drawn to their Quakertown location by its massive space, exposed brick walls, and its promise.
With wide-eyed surprise, Ashley says, “We’ve actually made a former garage hospitable. It was just a shell of a building with big windows. We totally renovated it and made it like an extension of my own kitchen.” Jillian likes to call what they do “The Food Experience.” Ashley — who balks at being called an “artist” or a “chef,” even though she’s clearly a lot of both — learned to cook from a beloved grandmother and has always “cooked big for my whole family.” She says, “I’m just a mother with love in my heart, a laugh on my face, and energy to spare.” Whatever you choose to call it, The Farmer & The Chickpea is definitely a home-style culinary cornucopia.
Why the name? Obviously, farm-fresh comes to mind. The food is simple, traditional, free of preservatives, shopped and cooked the very same day. And chickpeas, so “in” these days, always suggested the Mediterranean to Ashley.
Some cases in point: The classic Chicken Pot Pie, a superb blend of tender chopped chicken with carrots, peas, kernels of corn, and savory seasonings; or (after her own heritage) Ashley’s massive Sicilian style Meatballs, like mini-meatloaves, easily capable of satisfying two hungry people; or the Tuscan Stew, a vegan pot pie blending potatoes, tomatoes, roasted kale, and butterbeans; or the Mini-Quiche made with spinach, tomato, and feta cheese.
Arriving at brunch time, after a comprehensive tour by Jillian — including the various stations; the mouth-watering display cases; the open kitchen, where Ashley works her simple, homespun magic; and The Gathering Barn, where formal and informal community groups have already begun to gather on a regular basis — we sat down in The Greenery Room (the main dining area) and watched a lively new dining experience unfold.
Within minutes, Jillian appeared with our breakfast board filled with fresh grapes, strawberries, and tomatoes, a poppyseed bagel with cream cheese, blueberry oatmeal bran, Greek yogurt parfait topped with granola, muffin cakes, and a honey corn muffin! A typical breakfast board averages about $12. (I’m sure we had much more than the average person could possibly eat.) We also sampled another board featuring pea hummus flavored with Parmesan and fresh rosemary, olive oil-baked potatoes, and arguably the best bacon and sausage we’ve tasted in years!
So many choices, each looking and smelling better than the rest, and all of it enticing, filling, even fun. Jillian says, “Ashley loves everyone to feel full, to enjoy big portions of our artisan food. That simply means she doesn’t use more than five ingredients in any dish, and she prepares them for you exactly as she would in her own home.”
Ashley and Jillian smile constantly, from their eyes as well as their lips. They actually love what they’re doing, happy to share their joy and passion for good food and hospitality. The Farmer and The Chickpea, already luring many guests to its array of home-cooked foods as often as twice a day (!), is an attractive, affordable food experience you can’t afford to miss. Disappointed that we had no room left to try the Chicken Saltimbocca Lasagna, the Lentil Shepherd’s Pie, and especially the Stuffed Eggplant Roltini, Eve and I are already looking forward to our next visit!
The Farmer & The Chickpea is located at 1321 West Broad Street, Quakertown, PA 18951; 267-227-3895; https://farmerandthechickpea.com Open Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m., and Sunday, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Dine-in, takeout. Catering available.
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