Today we’d like to introduce you to Rasul Welch. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Colin Brown grew up in Cleveland Heights and started working his way up through kitchens while simultaneously co-running the Coventry Kids Art and Media with his best friend Anthony Reasor, eventually running and promoting events through the Cleveland area and the Midwest, such as concerts, art exhibits, and various events. He began to take his cooking career more seriously, becoming the sous chef of the Greenhouse Tavern, and running their butchery program, for ten years. He met Rasul Welch here through the latter’s work in food photography.
After his work at the Greenhouse Tavern, Colin moved out to Medina County to start a small farm, attending local farmer’s markets throughout the region. It was at one of these markets that he again ran into Russ, striking up a friendship that sparked the beginning of their working relationship. Both catered intimate farm-to-table dinners at their friends’ farms under the name Farmer’s Feast. While they imagined opening a restaurant together, the circumstances never quite arose for that to happen.
Colin and Russ didn’t the chance to open up their restaurant concept until they were contacted by their mutual friend Mike Schoen in the spring of 2021. Mike Schoen was working with Brian Bencheck at the BottleHouse in Lakewood, running a kitchen out of the shared space called Eugene’s. It was wildly successful, and Brian wanted to expand dining to the Cleveland Heights BottleHouse, but Mike couldn’t feasibly run two restaurants on different sides of town. Mike was already familiar with Russ’s cooking experience and recommended him for the job. Russ contacted Colin in turn, knowing he needed Colin’s expertise in opening and managing restaurants.
During this time, Anthony Reasor had moved out to LA to focus on producing music events and parties. Colin was still managing his farm full time and knew the restaurant would have to be promoted aggressively, especially to entice newcomers to support the business after the pandemic. He reached out to Anthony, who told him his parties were slowing down and looking for a new opportunity,
This was how Farmer’s Feast came together: Colin was managing operations, Russ became the face and focused on creative work and recipes, and Anthony focused on media management.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The pandemic was one of the biggest struggles to face when opening the restaurant. Because people were heavily wary and discouraged from eating out, the restaurant industry as a whole struggled to adapt to the ever-changing situation. In the spring of 2021, with the debut of Farmer’s Feast, the memory of the pandemic was still fresh for many, so the challenge was to encourage people to come out of their homes, to feel safe and comfortable dining out again.
For Colin, the main challenges arose with managing and running his farm Gifted Grass full-time while also managing the restaurant.
Additional issues that arise and are always being revisited and re-evaluated are managing the skillsets and the varied experiences of everyone on the team and figuring out best where everyone fits and can work to their strengths. Communication is a huge component of this and develops and moves forward as Farmer’s Feast continues to grow, both in its outreach to the community and through the team.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We are the finest window-service/gas-station-themed/farm-to-table restaurant at a brewery in Cleveland. We are known for putting a creative spin on international and familiar comfort foods.
Rasul Welch is well-traveled and has a passion for preserving seasonal vegetables. Colin Brown is a regenerative farmer and “nose-to-tail” butcher. These styles of cooking have led to a menu that is fun and creative but also approachable. Colin’s meticulous farming methods yield animal products with incredible quality, the flavors of which are teased out by Rasul’s impeccable palette.
Rasul and Colin are gregarious and fun-loving but equally dedicated to their crafts. They have built a family of diverse and passionate industry professionals.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
When Rasul was transitioning into a career as a chef, Colin moved from being a chef to farming and helped Rasul learn the ropes. A few of the many others who provided mentorship and support to Rasul were Stefan Was of Porco Lounge and Tiki Room, Chefs Michael Schoen of Eugene’s Kitchen, Adam Boswick, Brian Okin, Jim Blevens, Vishu Nath, and Karen Gorman of Crumb & Spigot.
Colin’s most influential and supportive mentor in his career as a chef and farmer was Jeffrey Reusser of Royal Fare Farms. Inspiring the name for Farmer’s Feast, Jeffrey has been there every step of the way with Colin, a true father figure in his life. Jason Tipton of Tea Tree Farms was the first to show Colin how to raise pasture-based livestock, providing everything he needed to start off as a livestock farmer after he spent 2 years on Jason’s farm. Tom Keller of Keller Meats was also a strong advocate for Colin in agriculture and farming over time.
The team of the former Greenhouse Tavern, a past winner of the James Beard Award for best kitchen in the Great Lakes region, were instrumental in informing and perfecting Colin’s butchery repertoire and in learning all the ins and outs of running a serious kitchen. Foremost were chefs Jonathan Sawyer and Brian Goodman, and Jonathan Seeholzer, also co-owners of the Greenhouse, as well as chef Matt Danko (who has since moved on to become a 3-star Michelin chef in Chicago).
Another chef who provided mentorship and support outside of The Greenhouse Tavern was Daniel Cassano, the first person to give Colin the position of kitchen manager.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/farmersfeast
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmersfeast/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FarmersFeastCle/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@farmersfeast
Image Credits
Anthony Reasor Jr.
