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Ian Newell, owner of Celeste Farms and Goatocado
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Celeste Farms is hosting a series of dinners on the property. Newell says his goal is to offer a variety of dining experiences for guests at a range of price points.
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Ashton Carter, resident chef at Celeste Farms, uses this massive grill in cooking the farm’s multicourse meals.
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A barn on the property offers an additional place for guests to gather.
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A 4.3-acre regenerative farm in Varina, Celeste Farms supplies produce for produce delivery service Leafy Lanes, Ellwood Thompson’s and Goatocado.
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Flowers at the farm
A 10-minute drive outside the city in Varina, Ian Newell and his team at Celeste Farms are piecing together what they hope is a bucolic, regenerative refuge. Pass 7-Eleven, hang a quick left off Osborne Turnpike, travel a few car lengths down the driveway, and Toto, we’re not in Richmond anymore.
Sweeping views showcase red- and pink-dotted wildflower meadows buzzing with pollinators, symmetrical rows of leafy produce, a double-decker barn and even a couple of horses. Every organic detail makes the city seem distant, and that’s the goal here.
Owner of the longstanding health-focused food truck turned brick-and-mortar restaurant Goatocado, Newell bought the land, which was previously home to Victory Farms, in 2018. Living in Varina on and off for the past decade, from a houseboat docked near The Lilly Pad to his current digs on the property, Newell says he’s fallen in love with the area, and he hopes that diners will be charmed by its idyllic spell, too.
“Being able to get people out from the city and out here and enjoy the farm for what it is, … one of the benefits of [this place] is the proximity, we’re not out in the boonies,” says Newell, a native of Chester.
Earlier this month, Newell and his crew welcomed guests to the farm for the first time, originally inviting neighbors and then hosting a handful of soft-opening events. Kicking off July 1, a series dubbed The Farmer & the Chef Dinner Experience offers a guided tour of the farm followed by a family-style meal. At the head of the table: a massive Argentinian open-fire grill helmed by chef Ashton Carter.
A certified mushroom forager and farmer with past roles ranging from food truck operator to fine-dining chef, Carter relocated from Blacksburg for the gig. Newell says they originally met at Floyd Yoga Jam several years ago, and when thinking of someone who would be a perfect fit as chef for Celeste Farm, Newell says Carter came to mind right away.
“I saw this farm-to-table food truck, and I was like, ‘OK cool,’ and got some food. Not only was I served quickly, it was some of the best food I’ve ever had,” Newell recalls.
Designed so that it can be picked up and moved with a tractor, the grill can be used as a flat-top or plancha, a smoker, and even a pizza oven. There are plans to add a metal rod across the top so the team can roast a whole pig.
Dinners scheduled for July 1, Aug. 5 and Aug. 15 will present four courses aligned with the season, kicking off with an amuse bouche and cocktail and ending with dessert, all served on dishware made by a potter neighbor. The farm has been sourcing trout from Smoke in Chimneys and pork from Autumn Olive Farms. And though a beautiful setting paired with an al fresco dinner can sell tickets, Newell says the mission behind the concept lies in the preservation of the land and weaving the layers of the food system together.
Driving along Route 5 east of Richmond, it’s not uncommon to spot signs that read, “Not Another Short Pump,” referencing the rapid growth in the once rural area west of the city that is now one of the busiest in the region.
“Not only do I want to make this space beautiful, I love Varina a lot and want to continue to sort of protect it in a way,” Newell says. “While it’s great to try to get people to turn their property over into protected lands, another way is to come up with creative businesses that don’t involve expanding the city out this way. Let’s preserve it for the beauty that it has, but figure out a way to make money off of it in a way that still respects it.”
In addition to the dinners, the regenerative farm is currently providing produce to Ellwood Thompson’s, delivery service Leafy Lanes and RVA Community Fridges and almost all the greens for Goatocado. Beyond the greenhouse, propagation room and recently acquired broiler chickens on the property lies a large compost area where Celeste Farms makes use of weekly food-scrap drop-offs from local compost service NOPE (Natural Organic Process Enterprises). Newell says they are also hoping to raise layer hens, cultivate mushrooms and expand their vermiculture operation.
Driven by passion projects, Newell says that Celeste Farms, now in its early stages, will continue to expand and evolve however its crew sees fit.
“This is to showcase what is possible on 4.3 acres and highlighting everyone’s artistic abilities and skills and knowledge to make a setting like this come to play,” he says. “What we’re doing out here is a bunch of creative minds coming together to hopefully draw people out of the city, and neighbors immediately, and have them see this beautiful space and partake in dinners, but also start the preservation of Varina in a way that resonates with the people around here.”
