Peachy the Magazine October/November 2013 | Page 44
The Fall Harvest Feast
inspired his love of food. She also rooted
him in the honest preparation of it. Once
in college and having to fend for himself, he began experimenting with his
own style of cooking. While at school,
he met his wife Pam, and together they
became quite renowned for their little
dinner gatherings, long before the Food
Network came along and made cooking
cool. Bruce simply enjoyed his time in
the kitchen. It was a release, a way to
decompress, and to connect creatively
with something he loved.
However, food was put on the back
burner for a time as he finished school
and spent the next 14 years in the
world of finance. Despite success, he
was deeply unfulfilled. In 2001, he was
done. He had to make a life change.
Living in Florida at this point, he
opened Chives, his first restaurant.
It didn’t start out farm to table, but
Bruce had a natural curiosity about
where his food was coming from and
who was growing it. In 2007, he began
visiting local farms and buying from
them directly. “It just made sense,” he
says. “Why would I buy something
shipped in from 1,000 miles away?”
He opened several more restaurants in
Florida, before ultimately deciding to
move back to his roots. It was in Texas
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that Bruce became doubly committed
to his local food mission. He notice
that while there were several high-end
restaurants serving regionally sourced
food, there was nothing casual. He
didn’t like that people had to dress
up and go out to eat a good meal.
This dissatisfaction is what inspired
FM Provisions.
Bruce set out to connect to the farmers
around Dallas, looking for the farms
that would give him “full disclosure.”
He was surprised by how eager and
willing they were to invite him out
to see the dirt, the seeds, the crops,
and how they were being cared for.
Bruce also connected with a local
rancher who was committed to taking
the time to do things the healthy and
ethical way. Everything free range
and grass fed. He was finally set to
launch his vision.