In this episode, we journey from soil to plate with Nate Sloan, the visionary owner and executive chef of Bloom Restaurant and Wine Bar in Roanoke, Virginia.  Nate speaks with Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt about his journey from his roots in farming in Franklin County, Virginia to being a restaurateur committed to farm-to-table production. Nate has worked in restaurants across the country and understands the importance of flavor and ingredient quality. Nate sees the deep connections between food, soil health, eating well, and being in community; and he shares that we all can make choices to support our local foodshed.

Tune in wherever you get your podcasts. 

Nate Sloan has been named to the 40 under 40 list by the Roanoke and has received multiple awards as a chef and restaurant owner. Learn more about Bloom Restaurant & Wine Bar at bloomrke.com. 

To learn about the Virginia Soil Health Coalition and join the Coalition's quarterly meetings, please visit https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/. Recent 4 The Soil blog posts resources can be accessed at https://www.4thesoil.org/. For questions about soil and water conservation practices, call or visit a USDA Service Center, or a Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District office. 

As always, we encourage you to join the 4 The Soil movement and do your part to build soil health on your farm, in your garden, or community. Yes, we can all be 4 The Soil.

4 the Soil: A Conversation is made possible with funding support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and The Agua Fund. Other partners include the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; Virginia Cooperative Extension; Virginia State University; Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation; and partners of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition.

Disclaimer: Views expressed on this podcast are those of each individual guest.

To download a copy of this, or any other show, visit the website 4thesoil.org. Music used during today’s program is courtesy of the Flip Charts. All rights reserved. 4 the Soil: A Conversation is produced by On the Farm Radio in collaboration with Virginia Tech. The host and co-hosts are Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt.