- [David] "A Fork in the Road" was brought to you by... (gentle upbeat music) - [Announcer] From produce to people, the best things are grown and raised in Georgia.

Even in tough times, we come together, work hard, and grow strong.

When you purchase Georgia-grown products, you support farmers, families, and this proud state we call home.

Together we will keep Georgia growing.

(relaxing music) ♪ Picture perfect ♪ ♪ Hang the picture on the wall ♪ ♪ I see you shine from afar ♪ ♪ Yeah to me you are the star ♪ ♪ All right baby ♪ ♪ Feels good feels right ♪ ♪ Take the feeling pass it on ♪ ♪ Just pass it on ♪ ♪ Na na na na na na ♪ - The fascinating and ever-changing world of agriculture.

Let's hit the road here in Georgia and meet the farmers, producers, makers, and bakers who keep us all fed and keep us coming back for more, straight ahead at the fork in the road.

(person vocalizing) (strong upbeat music) ♪ I came from the mud ♪ ♪ There's dirt on my hands ♪ ♪ Strong like a tree ♪ ♪ There's roots where I stand ♪ - [David] Georgia farmers, artisans, merchants, and producers.

We depend on these men and women every day of our lives through the choices we make and the food we consume.

Their strategy and approach is always shifting, but the end game remains the same, results.

(strong upbeat music continues) (gentle music) This week, we spend time with a couple of Georgia's premier chefs and more specifically, CheFarmers and CheFishermen.

We also followed the relationships that are forged in the culinary world between the chef and those who provide the food and the drinks.

(person vocalizing) (strong upbeat music) We begin this episode down in Brunswick at a centennial family farm run by a husband and wife team who delight in sharing the traditions of their past through food and fellowship.

(gentle music) When you're down on this old farm, time seems to slow down.

A gentle wind passes through these ancient oaks and Spanish moss naturally paints a perfect setting for the feast that ensues only a few hours from this moment.

The pig that's smoking in the pit has been roasting slowly over the past day and this chefarming couple have been watching the main course closely, along with several other traditional side dishes that are important to them and their overall mission.

(gentle music continues) - The schoolhouse was built in 1907.

From 1907 to 1955, was the only place for people of color to go to school at.

All this bridge system and highway system we have, that didn't start until like the 30s and 40s.

So, once you were out here, this was it.

- [David] CheFarmer Matthew Raiford is a seventh generation descendant of the freshwater Gullah Geechie of Coastal Georgia.

His 50-acre centennial farm, known as Gilliard Farms, was purchased by his great-great-great grandfather Jupiter Gilliard in 1874 and seems to remain in good hands.

- And my sister's dedication to Gilliard farms and making sure that we try to stay in some kind of like strong trajectory around farming and don't just opt out has definitely been a huge piece for me.

Her name's Althea Raiford Billingsley, and so my biggest thing here recently that actually Tia and Althea came up with was I would always say this saying, which is an indigenous people's proverb, that a person does not plant a tree for themself.

They plant it for their children's children's children, and so we're doing those things now to ensure that our children's children's children are able to partake of the food that's here.

(gentle music) My wife, when we got married a year and a half ago, I really was kinda on a downside of trying to figure out what was gonna be next and when Tia physically got to the farm as a real piece, she put her talons, so to speak, into the soil that's here and was like, "Hey, here's where the future could lie for us."

- What it means to me in farming and sharing this land is it gives me a connection with deeper purpose.

I'm a great grandchild of the Great Migration.

So, for the last three generations of my family, we've been very migratory.

Coming here and marrying Matthew and being a part of this farm and the history and the connection to family and ancestry and future generations that are going to steward this land as we have, as well, has given me a deeper sense of purpose, sense of community, and a deeper sense of family.

- Tia and I, when we got married, we decided to take all of our businesses and things that we were working on and put it into one big piece and use Gilliard Farms as a center.

Tia was doing a turmeric face mask, a turmeric lip scrub, and then you were making a tea.

- I was also making a tea.

- And I had just started growing turmeric and it just so happened that when we got together, I was like, "What if I grow all the turmeric that you need for what you're making?"

That has now turned into Strong Roots 9, which is our omni wellness brand.

That's the next level of what we're getting ready to do here.

(gentle rock music) - [David] Their focus here at Gilliard Farms is on growing fresh and healthy produce, using sustainable and environmentally friendly methods.

Among these crops, you'll find many heirloom vegetables, fruits and herbs like this wild arugula that just sprouted one day by surprise.

(upbeat music) - [Matthew] So, this is it right here.

- [Tia] I mean, you could smell it.

- [Matthew] Oh, this thing smells so good.

- [David] Oh, wow.

- Yeah.

- [Tia] Yeah.

- So, this right here is the original sugar cane press that my great-great-grandfather gave my great-grandfather as a wedding present.

To talk about the history behind it, these grinders came out of Savannah, Georgia.

They were marked.

Here you go.

Stop right there.

So, if you can see right here, K-E-H-O-E. - [David] Kehoe.

- Kehoe's.

- [David] Yeah, the Kehoe.

- Yeah.

Kehoe's Iron Works made these.

Our grinder on our farm goes all the way back to the 1800s, late 1800s.

That cast iron bowl, from what I understand, also came from them.

(upbeat folk music) - [David] The event that has this couple so busy today is known as a pig pickin', a southern tradition coming these days at tailgates, family reunions, and other large gatherings.

The Raifords have recruited friends to help pull this off, because a bus full of folks are traveling from the White Whale Craft Ales in Savannah to arrive at Gilliard Farm for this inspirational and unique feast.

(upbeat folk music continues) (people cheering) - Welcome to Gilliard Farms.

The land's been in my family since 1874.

Tia and I are the sixth generation to be on this land, to plant, harvest, and eat from a crop off of this land.

One of the hogs we're getting ready to have tonight is one of our Kunekune hogs that we've been raising for about 2 1/2 years.

(upbeat folk music continues) - [David] Marietta's own Treehorn Cider has set up under the lights to add to the festivities.

Their local cider also plays a key role in flavoring the main course.

(upbeat folk music continues) - [Matthew] So, the Treehorn Cider is going over it that has a jalapeno and habaneros over it.

So, we did that with pineapples.

- [David] Simple Man Distillery, founded by Justin Douglas, who is a friend of the Raifords, runs a true farm-to-glass distillery in Metro Atlanta, adding flavor profiles that are grown in Georgia, including ingredients from this very farm.

Justin has come on board to the pig pickin' to share these Georgia-grown spirits and add another locally grown flair into the mix.

- It's one of the oldest Black-owned farms in the Southeast.

- That's awesome.

(several people talking at once) - The flavors that are grown here, as well as the heart, I think it's one of a kind.

- Thank you.

- Cheers.

- Cheers.

- Thank you.

- [David] So, the spirits were flowing and the food was about ready to serve, but first, it was important for these chefs to walk the farm with their guests, so they could garner a deeper understanding of why they were gathering here and the importance of operating a farm like this with the methods they use.

(upbeat country music) - Let's go for a quick tour.

We're gonna talk a little bit about what we do here.

- [David] Sunset, the air got cool.

Chef Matthew put the final touches of Treehorn on the pig until it was time to unveil the masterpiece.

The people gathered around the main course with cell phones lighting the way, as Tia did the honors.

Stomachs full, as the cider and Georgia-grown distilled spirits continued to flow.

The fire became the hotspot in more ways than one and soon after, the buses began to reload for departure.

(gentle country music) Of course, a farmer, and especially, a cheFarmer's work is never fully done.

Daylight only means it's time to rekindle the fire and continue the practice of sustainability.

Virtually, nothing goes to waste here and the Raifords hope this message resonates beyond the boundaries of their farm.

- If someone told me in 2010 that I would be standing here in front of you right now, I'd have been like.

Yeah, dude.

I'm the executive chef at the House of Representatives.

I'm not getting ready to be back home farming.

I was on the chef trajectory piece.

It was never about farming, it was about procurement and where we get things from, but us personally farming, that wasn't something that either one of us thought.

Everything happens for a reason.

Like, we wouldn't be here if I had not moved here 12 years ago.

To even think about let me try this.

Let me go back to what not only my family has done, but I've done as a child and I wouldn't wanna do with anybody else.

(person vocalizing) (strong upbeat music) - [David] From the coast to the mountains of Demorest in Rabun County, where a farming family is raising a herd of American Wagyu and catching the eye of Georgia's top chefs.

(gentle music) These special cattle have quite a home.

Nestled in these rolling hills of Rabun County, Georgia, they are raised with care by a tight-knit family who know them quite well.

The American Wagyu reside on over 200 acres here in Demorest, Georgia and just over the border in Otto, North Carolina, the Russell family is completing their dairy and creamery operation.

- Well, we started originally as dairy farmers and in about 2011, we got started in the beef business.

When our oldest son, Colin, graduated from college and came back home, he realized that we needed to diversify a little bit.

We are blessed that our kids have gifts in different areas.

We have one son who is very much into farming.

We have one that likes processing.

We have one that likes marketing and sales.

Being able to tap into all those gifts that our kids and their spouse have makes it a blessing to be able to do agriculture in a way that involves your family.

(gentle country music) - [David] Well, let's start with the name, Providence Farmstead.

How did it come about?

- As we moved from California back to Georgia, where C.A.

's from, we felt like we were reorienting our compass and we felt like the compass and the idea of God providing a way forward for us has to do with providence.

- Where we are in Northeast Georgia is certainly a special place.

The beauty, the opportunities that exist here are pretty unique.

We brought our kids back enough where they enjoyed the area and if we want ag to continue in our family, the next generation really needs to have a say in where and what that looks like.

We all ended up landing here and it is just, it's awesome.

(upbeat country music) - [David] Son and daughter duo, McCalister and Colin, brought me to the cattle ranch in Demorest to meet the stars of the show.

- So, this is our Georgia Farm, 200 acres where we do a variety of different things, including raising our Wagyu beef cattle, growing corn silage, and growing hay that we feed to the steers.

They get to live here on the top of these hills, nice green pastures for 'em, and now, they're getting to see the fall colors.

So, whatever that counts being color blind, but they get to enjoy it.

(upbeat country music continues) So, there's Japanese Wagyu, which is what they call full blood Wagyu, and then there's American Wagyu, which can be a F1 cross between Wagyu and a different American breed of cattle.

So, what we do is we breed Jersey dairy cows with full blood Wagyu genetics.

They cross and we have what we call F1s for American Wagyu.

(upbeat country music continues) So, if you look at the Wagyu here, you're gonna see that they're a little bit tighter ribbed, smaller animals, not so big puffy like a typical beef cattle you'd see.

The reason that is because the Wagyu are a lot smaller breed naturally.

So, these guys are not gonna be as big or as round as a typical Angus beef cattle would be, but the quality of the meat's still there.

(gentle music) - [David] It's not just the filets that you have here.

You're trying to use as much of this cattle as possible.

- Yes, the great thing about Wagyu is every steak and cut of meat is something that you can make use of.

It is so tender and well-marbled throughout the entire animal.

When we talk to our butchers, they've never seen a top round that has marbling in it.

We're trying to pull as much as we can off of these cattle, because it's valuable.

That's why we like to partner with chefs that are looking to do something different in their kitchen, besides just serve their center cuts, because there's only a small percentage of center cuts on a carcass and there's a lot more to be made useful.

- [David] Of course, one American Wagyu star here seemed to shine a little brighter than the rest.

Boasting the playful personality of a Labrador retriever, Big Wilson is in this herd for the long haul.

No one is really sure of his role around here, but he does bring entertainment.

I guess you usually don't name him, but this one's Wilson.

- Yes, this is Wilson, our Wagyu.

He is one of the most docile animals we have on the farm here.

He's good if you ever wanna come by and pet him.

He's always up for a good pet.

He's pretty good.

He got me good this morning.

He headbutted me real good.

- [David] You're kinda egging him on.

- Oh, yeah.

(David laughs) - [David] Just saying.

So, that's your buddy.

- Don't act like you don't know what you're doing.

You're in all sorts of photos.

You don't understand our relationship.

See, look at that.

He's all right.

- [David] So, you find different personalities in these.

- Oh, for sure.

Those red ones are crazy.

They're antagonizers.

(deep hip hop music) (gentle upbeat music) - [David] But aside from the playful antics of Wilson, the rest of the herd live well and it's important for the Russells for this herd to only have one bad day and a short one at that, because the processing facility they run is only a short drive away.

Long days of stress can alter the quality of the meat, so this convenience is a good one for more reasons than one.

- Right now, this is what they call a dry age.

This is where the carcasses hang for 10 to 14 days before getting cut and this is something that small processing facilities have the unique opportunity to do, 'cause most beef that gets processed in the U.S. gets slaughtered and cut in within 24 hours.

We get two weeks to hang, which adds extra tenderness to the meat and flavor, as well.

Our beef that is hanging right here, we retail it at different retail locations in Northeast Georgia and North Carolina and we also retail here at our processing facility, Rabun Gap, Georgia, right off 441 off Kellys Creek Road.

(gentle music) One thing I like to mention, too, it's a humbling experience being on the producer side where you have dedicated so much of your time and energy to raising these animals.

For us, it's really important that the sacrifice they're making matters and that's why whenever I am taking up the role of selling our beef, I wanna make sure I do a good job, because I wanna honor the animal that my family has helped raise and make use of the whole animals.

(upbeat music) This is my office.

Since we're trying to make use of the whole animal, it's hard to sell all parts at once.

So, here is where I keep all the back stock until I have 45 pounds of flank steak that a chef would like to run for a special at the restaurant.

We also have other cuts that we don't typically sell a lot of, like our hearts, that we will eventually be selling, but we just keep 'em here until we can find the right outlet for 'em.

- [David] Let's look at some of these ones you like, like the flank steak.

Tell me what we're looking for here.

- So, this is my favorite steak.

This is a flat iron.

It comes from the chuck, which is the front part of this carcass and it is a big roast that has a tendon that runs through the center that makes it really chewy, but our butchers are able to filet that tendon out and make two really gorgeous steaks with really beautiful marbling and it cuts like with a butter knife.

It's actually the second most tender cut on the carcass behind the tenderloin, but it's got great flavor, it's delicious.

So, I'm putting that for you to go home with.

- [David] All right.

(McCalister laughs) - So, here, we have a rib eye and what we're looking for is what we call intermuscular fat, and that is the distribution of fat throughout and we really appreciate the fact that it's nice and fine and thin.

Well, we got some good skirt steaks.

Those are super yummy for fajitas.

We get an outside and inside skirt.

This is the outside skirt.

The outside skirt is wider and a little more red.

The inside skirt's thinner and a little darker in coloration, and then this is the flank steak, also very yummy.

- [David] Oh, that's perfect.

- So, this is the osso buco roast.

It's basically the shank on the carcass and it's got the bone and the bone marrow that cooks in that makes it really nice and tasty roast, as well.

- [David] Building strong partnerships and local ones, at that, are important to the Russells.

In fact, this juicy burger meat can be found right up the road at the historic Lake Rabun Hotel, one of many local options on the restaurant menu.

Every member of this family plays a vital role in keeping this ambitious meat and dairy operation in order.

The Russells aim to do it right, do it well, and most importantly, do it together.

(gentle music) (person vocalizing) (strong upbeat music) From Demorest, we journey down to St. Simons Island to meet an award-winning chef who has taken a liking to this American Wagyu from Providence Farmstead.

(upbeat music) Chef Dave Snyder has always believed in the importance of buying local with a mission of supporting his community, but also a mission of getting the freshest ingredients possible.

Chef Dave runs a trio of great restaurants on this island, along with a catering business.

So, to say it simply, he's a busy man.

However, he still has time to take me fishing from time to time and take trips to discover new items for his creative menus.

So, when I told him about Providence Farmstead and exactly what the Russells were building, he took it upon himself to journey to the mountains, not only to meet Big Wilson, but to see what this buzz with the American Wagyu was all about.

(upbeat music continues) - Got the cuts of meat.

What do you feel like eating first?

Should we just do all of it?

- I mean, I have an appetite.

- Okay, so here's the rib eye.

Pretty liberal with salt and pepper.

We use only kosher salt.

I got some pepper.

Heck, we'll just do all of it then, if that's what you wanna do.

- Yeah, okay.

All right.

- Now, something that I like to do before I'm cooking our steaks, I like to pull the steaks out and get 'em up to a room temperature before we put 'em on the grill or on the oven.

They cook a little bit more evenly when they're at room temp, rather than coming from cold.

I get that secret from my mom.

We use the olive oil and I'm partial to the guys over in Lakeland with this stuff.

- Yeah, yeah.

Georgia Olive Farms.

- [Dave] I want the flank on the grill.

- All right.

- Let's do that, and again, I'm just putting some salt and pepper on a super hot grill, and then let's do the Denver steak.

What I wanna do in the pan is we're gonna use some aromatics.

So, I've got some garlic, some onion, oregano, and thyme.

I want that pan smoking hot like that, right?

- Yes, sir.

Yeah.

- And that's gonna give us that nice great crust with the natural sugars caramelizing, (upbeat music) and then we got some ground beef.

Now, do you prefer one big patty or are you the kinda person that likes two thinner patties?

- I'm gonna go with chef preference.

I like the double burger.

It gives us more space to get caramelization on the outside and for me, it's that little bit of crunch and that caramelization on the outside, that crust, and of course, if you've got two patties, you've got four sides to put crust and get that flavor, versus only two.

We'll saute those, as well.

Put a little salt and pepper and these very thin, so they won't take long to cook, but we're gonna get that flavor of that char on both sides and for me, that's just for me, a great burger, (meat sizzling) and you're buying quality beef.

So, from a safety standpoint, I'm okay with cooking it to medium rare or medium.

- Yeah.

We know our farmers, we know where it came from, we know how the cows are.

- And then, that's actually the whole point about buying local.

You know that there's safety involved, you know that you don't have to worry about it and this is my favorite spot right here on the grill.

I love the flavor of the char and the smell.

Much like we were doing in the saute pan.

- [David] Yeah.

- When it's on the grill, you can go ahead and add some flavor.

We're gonna put a little butter on top.

We can put a little thyme on there, as well, like we did in the saute pan.

- And that's a way to just add, again, another layer of flavor.

(upbeat music continues) - [David] Oh, there's the flank.

- [Dave] There it is.

- I don't know why I was eyeing that one first.

- [Dave] I don't know.

Just 'cause you like it.

- [David] Boom.

- What do you think?

- Instant flavor.

- Isn't that amazing?

I've got a little bit of flat iron right now.

Texture's amazing.

Flavor's amazing.

It's just salt, pepper, and a little bit butter.

I just brought out a smoked arugula pesto.

- Okay.

- Something simple like that, I think, really goes a long way with a simple great cut of meat.

You don't need to disguise it with a bunch of different things.

So, you'll get the pepperiness of the arugula, you get a little spice of the garlic with the fatty steak.

It should kinda... - With the oil?

- [Dave] Yeah.

- Oh my gosh.

The strip just melts in your mouth.

- [Dave] Ah.

- Have you tried that?

- No, but I'm gonna do it right now.

- That one.

- Oh, yeah.

- That one just disappears.

- Wow.

- Yes.

- Yeah.

- Yes.

- It's all that marble in there.

That's amazing.

- What seemed like a simple American Wagyu burger has now become more interesting.

- A little bit more of a meal.

I mean, yeah.

Absolutely.

- All right.

- So, we decided to pair it up with a beer actually made in Brunswick, Silver Bluff.

Great, great story about bringing some business and life back to downtown Brunswick with their brewery, and then the lettuce is actually all sold local.

It's Five Oaks Farm, which is actually owned by a baseball legend of sorts around here, Adam Wainwright.

- Oh, absolutely.

- He's actually, he's from here.

- He's on the wrong team, but you know.

- Ah, yeah, you have to ask him about that.

- Okay.

All right.

Fair enough.

Can't wait.

All right.

All right.

Well, maybe I'll pour the beer first.

- All right.

(can cracks) - Just build that anticipation.

- Gotta like that sound, right?

- That sounded great, didn't it?

- It did.

- Man.

- [Dave] That is my favorite.

- [David] Won a silver medal back in 2020, I think.

- [Dave] Okay.

- Read that on the can.

- Oh, okay.

Well, again, you gotta get your information somewhere.

(upbeat rock music) So, the texture difference with that great grind.

It's just gotta be great.

- That is unbelievable.

Oh my gosh.

- Salt and pepper, that was it.

It's just a really great product.

Yeah.

- And the meat is so soft.

- Yeah, they do a great job up at that farm.

No, and it's great, because they're doing everything from start to finish.

They're obviously raising the cattle, they're butchering their own cattle, and processing it.

They're actually even hauling it themselves.

From start to finish, they are able to make sure that there's quality at every single step and that's where you just get the difference of a great product.

I'm so glad you made the introduction and what a great story that you're bringing to everybody.

So, thank you for doing that for everybody.

- Oh, thank you.

Y'all are doing all the work.

I just connected the dots.

I thought this might be a good relationship and I'm so glad I did, 'cause it's paying off for me.

- I should've made two, David.

(upbeat country music) - [David] So, from building community with a fellowship feast held by CheFarmers at a historic centennial farm to a mountains-to-coast connection, bringing high quality cuts from Rabun County to the Golden Isles, we've witnessed the wonderful things that can happen when local talents work together and truly believe in a common goal.

I'm David Zelski.

See you at the next fork in the road.

(upbeat country music continues) "A Fork in the Road" was brought to you by... (gentle upbeat music) - [Announcer] From produce to people, the best things are grown and raised in Georgia.

Even in tough times, we come together, work hard, and grow strong.

When you purchase Georgia grown products, you support farmers, families, and this proud state we call home.

Together, we will keep Georgia growing.

♪ Picture perfect ♪ ♪ Hang the picture on the wall ♪ ♪ I see you shine from afar ♪ ♪ Yeah to me you are the star ♪ ♪ All right baby ♪ ♪ Feels good feels right ♪ ♪ Take the feeling pass it on ♪ ♪ Just pass it on ♪ ♪ Na na na na na na ♪