Jim Hayward

“Cooking the food you love and loving the food you cook” is more than Jim Hayward’s motto – it’s a way of life. Jim’s passion for food nurtures 400 varieties of heirloom and exotic fruit and vegetables on a 5-acre plot. Farming is Jim’s third career, but a background in classic French cuisine and banking only contributes to his success. A graduate of the California Culinary Academy, Jim worked as a chef in California where farm-to table food sourcing is commonplace. He delights in reintroducing old varieties no longer in use, along with the rare and obscure. Bulgarian carrot chili peppers, jelly melons, Mandoria cucumbers, bull’s blood beets and Russian blue potatoes are names that roll off the tongue and onto the fork – and Jim gladly shares how to cook each one! Jim welcomes visitors at Haystrom Farm, where you can pick your own produce or just “watch us grow.”