The Southern Fork - Dan Weidenbenner: Mill Village Farms (Greenville, SC)

Dan Weidenbenner: Mill Village Farms (Greenville, SC)

07/14/23 • 36 min

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Dan Weidenbenner moved to Greenville, SC in 2007 via Furman University. While there, he fell in love with the region and decided to stay, and then with the help of more than 50 volunteers, launched Mill Village Farms in 2012. The farm is located in the Greater Sullivan Community of Greenville and includes 30 garden beds, a 60-foot greenhouse, a commercial kitchen, and a produce-processing facility, and since 2018 has distributed close to 81,000 boxes of produce and provided 400 individual training opportunities for the neighborhood youth. Dan serves as the executive director of Mill Village Farms and the parent organization, Mill Village Ministries, and he is also a resident of the Greater Sullivan community.

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Ashley Warlick & Teryi Youngblood Musolf: M. Judson Booksellers (Greenville, SC)

Pardon me on this one, but it’s true: we writers love a bookstore. I’ve heard many writers refer to their favorite bookstores or libraries as temples to reading, but one of the South’s most significant spots for cookbook authors, M. Judson Booksellers in Greenville, SC, even kind of feels like a temple, situated dead center in the downtown district in a multi-floor historic building. It’s anything but reverent inside, however. I think revelry is a more apt term, actually, with Ashley Warlick, book buyer and author of four novels, collaborating with Teryi Youngblood Musolf, chef, to bring books to life through the plate with Camilla Kitchen. They take the idea of a book event to a new level with food, wine, and plenty of conversation, and celebrate the love of reading and food that brings people together. Their affection for each other and what they do is evident in this animated conversation, and it’s that creative energy that makes their events a coveted ticket in the city.

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Mary Walsh: Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery (Greenville, SC)

Greenville, SC is not only a food-focused destination, it is a place that celebrates the active life through its parks and most notably, its Swamp Rabbit Trail, a 22-mile walking and biking greenway that connects the city to nearby Travelers Rest, SC. About halfway between the cities, close to mile marker 31 is the Swamp Rabbit Café & Grocery. Mary Walsh, along with her co-founder Jac Oliver, began the business in 2011 to provide easier access to local, responsibly grown and sourced food in the area. Neither of them had entrepreneurial experience or had run a grocery store, but they shared a passion for local farmers and artisans and wanted to connect them with people who had an affinity for quality food. Through the years, they’ve become a powerhouse in the South Carolina food system and have built a brand synonymous with a healthy, active lifestyle. The cafe and grocery is a joyous place filled with bikers stopping off the trail, children playing in the playground, people grocery shopping, tables filling up with a hungry lunch crowd, and fresh breads and pastries coming out of the ovens on the regular.