On December 31, 2013, I was at the restaurant preparing for our New Year’s Eve dinner, and on a tip from a friend, I learned that a local farm was selling produce and might have salad greens available. We were in our second year as a restaurant and frantic to source local ingredients, which was especially tough given our harsh winters.
That’s how I first met Brad and Tiffany Dilts of Serenity Farm, a 40-acre farm north of Wichita. The Dilts operate a CSA—a subscription service providing weekly bounties of produce from April to December, while also selling wholesale goods to restaurants in Wichita.
As fourth-generation farmers, they are raising their nine children on the farm alongside turkeys, rabbits, sheep, cows, and four dogs—Mila, Teeny, Rusty, and Hazel. Brad chose to leave his engineering job to pursue farming full-time on the land his father originally purchased in 1975. Brad and Tiffany took over the farm, wanting to work with family and instill a strong work ethic in their children.
The Dilts go beyond organic and regenerative farming. They have spent nearly a decade rejuvenating the soil and building infrastructure on their farm to extend their season past fall harvest. And they go beyond for their clients. Brad and Tiffany showed up a few hours before service, delivering greens as promised. It was my first look at the kind of people the Dilts are: always ready to help friends… and frantic chefs.
You can find more about the Dilts farm at serenityfarmcsa.com. Travis Russell is the owner/operator of Public & Brick. You can hear Travis Russell explore Flyover Foods on alternate Fridays on KMUW.
