From One Generation to the Next
Some things worth doing are passed down. The belief that you can change the world by feeding people differently is one of them. For me, that story started long before Grass Roots.
My dad has been my partner in adventure, the person who gave me a push when I needed one, and the safe place I could always return to when life felt too hard, too scary, or too overwhelming. He's shown me the power of routine, persistence, and finding joy in the everyday. And somehow, he's always managed to be proud of me, even when I choose to do things that seem a little crazy, like starting Falling Sky Farm and later helping build Grass Roots.
What I've come to appreciate most in recent years, though, is watching him navigate the moments that can't simply be pushed through. The moments that require acceptance, adaptation, and a quiet kind of strength that doesn't ask for recognition.
Cody and Dad on horseback this summer.
When you're a person who has always relied on your physical strength and life hands you something you simply cannot muscle past, the challenge isn't the circumstance itself. It's how you choose to respond. That's a harder lesson to teach than any other, and he's teaching it every day. I see it, and I'm grateful for it.
He's also a lifelong learner in the truest sense of the phrase. He recently finished a 500-page history of the Silk Road and immediately started thinking about how those stories could shape what his grandkids are learning. Trade routes, food, culture, connection, he sees how it's all woven together.
And then there's Cody.
Watching him become a father has been one of the greatest joys of my life. He brings the same enthusiasm, commitment, and curiosity to parenting that he brings to everything he cares about. He nurtures, encourages, teaches, and adventures right alongside our kids. I truly can't imagine this journey without him.
One of the things I admire most is his willingness to learn whatever he needs to learn for the task in front of him. Whether that's teaching himself to weld so he can build a safer corral, taking a videography course to better tell our story, or continually growing as a leader so he can serve our team with kindness, thoughtfulness, and effectiveness.
Being a leader isn't always easy. Sometimes I know he'd rather disappear into a project, weld a gate, or spend the day cooking something incredible. But he continues to show up, doing the work of becoming the best version of himself for the people who depend on him. That's a lesson our kids see every day. It's one our team sees. And it's one I continue to learn from, too.
Thank you, Cody. Today and every day.
I hope today includes good food, meaningful conversations, and memories of the people who've played a fatherly role in your life. That's really what we're here for. To help create meals and moments worth gathering around.
And if you'd like to share one of your own stories with me, about fathers, great food, or both, I'd love to hear it.
Happy Father's Day.
Your Farmer,
Andrea