Thinking Inside the Box

The coronavirus has had a devastating impact on our community and the hospitality and culinary industries are some that have been hit the hardest.

But necessity breeds innovation, especially in the case of Culinary Institute of Charleston alum Jamie Simpson.

Simpson is the Executive Chef Liaison at The Culinary Vegetable Institute at The Chef’s Garden, where he and his staff have had to completely change their business model in order to create revenue and minimize losses.

“Just three weeks ago we were shipping produce to more than 1,000 restaurants in 14 countries and educating world-class chefs about unusual vegetables and cooking applications,” says Simpson. “We transitioned, almost overnight, to home delivery.”

The Chef’s Garden is the leading grower of artisanal produce in the nation and a place where innovative farming, the development of new products and the fostering of important relationships with chefs throughout the world were built on traditional farming methods. The Culinary Vegetable Institute is a world-class educational, research and event facility where forward-thinking chefs from around the globe come to learn about vegetables from the center’s devoted team of chefs and growers.

Simpson is originally from Summerville and when he started classes at the Culinary Institute of Charleston at Trident Technical College back in 2009, he wasn’t quite sure which direction his studies would take him.

But he credits the college with giving him a well-rounded education.

“Trident Tech and CIC helped tremendously in my career; not just with cooking, but communication skills, computer-related classes and psychology” says Simpson

He spent his first five years in the culinary world at Belmond Charleston Place, where he gained experience in every facet of hotel dining and was fortunate to be able to travel the world seeking insight into food, art, psychology and how they intersect. He has worked alongside chefs in Peru, Iceland, England, France, Mexico and all over North America.

Everywhere Simpson went, he noticed these beautiful heirloom vegetables that came from an obscure farm in rural Ohio. When he finally met Farmer Lee Jones at a Charleston Wine + Food event, he asked him if he could come do an internship at the Chef’s Garden.

“I was intrigued, and I wanted to try something different," Simpson says, "So, Farmer Lee put me up in his basement for two weeks. I pulled carrots by day, cooked at night and fell in love with the place.”

Up until the current crisis, The Culinary Vegetable Institute kitchen had been hosting hundreds of guest chefs a year, using the more than 600 variety of vegetables, and working with restaurants, hotel groups and global foodservice companies.

“It doesn’t matter if you are a world-class chef or just getting started, everyone has the same level of exposure to these types of ingredients. So educating them is very rewarding,” says Simpson.

But the ability to adapt to changing markets is key in any business and Simpson and his team quickly recognized the need to make a switch from restaurant supply to home delivery. They worked with Drugless Doctors of America, scientists, farmers and chefs to create six home-delivery box choices. Choices that will appeal to consumers right now. The Immunity Booster box, which is full of a variety of vitamins and minerals to keep your immune system strong, can help to ward off infection and illness.

They are working on other solutions as well, such as online learning modules to continue to bring the educational piece to their customers. They are also supplying other educators with home delivery for their faculty and students to be able to teach and learn at home without going out to the store.

Simpson says, “Our goal has always been to listen carefully to a chef’s needs and deliver the highest quality, most nutritionally dense and flavorful fresh vegetables, microgreens, herbs and more. That hasn’t changed at all.”

Learn moreabout the Culinary Institute of Charleston at Trident Technical College.

Learn more about The Chef’s Garden and their home delivery options.