RALEIGH, N.C. — Mandolin is a restaurant that’s literally rooted in the Oak City. Sean Fowler, chef and owner of Mandolin, is from Raleigh, and some of the produce featured on the menu is grown just 10 minutes down the road from his restaurant.

Sean Fowler is a Raleigh native and owns the restaurant Mandolin

During the summer, about 25% of the produce used at Mandolin is grown in Fowler’s backyard

Fowler is currently working on an orchard area where he can grow things like blueberries, figs, plums and pears

“There's a reason nobody is doing this. It's not the easiest way to cook. It's probably not the easiest way to make money,” Fowler said.

Farming is risky, but so is owning a restaurant, and Fowler does both.

“It was really my wife's idea. She was like, ‘You know how to grow stuff. You know how to garden. Why don't we start planting some of the food that we are serving?’ It made a lot of sense. We started off pretty modest, and each year it's grown and grown and now it's a pretty significant enterprise,” Fowler said.“It was really my wife's idea. She was like, ‘You know how to grow stuff. You know how to garden. Why don't we start planting some of the food that we are serving?’ It made a lot of sense. We started off pretty modest, and each year it's grown and grown and now it's a pretty significant enterprise,” Fowler said.

Fowler has been growing food for his restaurant since 2013.

“I think initially we thought we were going to choose what we wanted to cook with, and then that's what we are going to grow out here. Then eventually we figured out that we kind of just needed to grow what we grew well and then find out how to cook around that,” Fowler said.

During the summer, about 25% of the produce used at Mandolin is grown in Fowler’s backyard.

“Hopefully, here in a couple weeks, we will have a bunch of ripe blackberries, and they will be putting those on our dessert menu somewhere probably in the form of a blackberry crumble. What we have left over we'll freeze and use for preserves or jams,” Fowler said.

“’Farm to table’ is an adjective I don't necessarily love because it's kind of watered down. It doesn't mean a lot. But if I think any place in the city can call themselves ‘farm to table’ I think we can,” Fowler said.

Fowler says there’s a huge difference in how food tastes when ingredients are fresh and local. The secret to Mandolin’s brunch is also found back at the farm.

“We probably get between 250 to 300 eggs a week. For omelettes and over easy and all that stuff on Sundays, we use exclusively the eggs coming from out here,” Fowler said.

Relying on your own backyard and Mother Nature for food is hard work, but it’s also rewarding.

“Even my staff, I think they take pride in the fact they are seeing an ingredient go from a seed to a plant to a plate to a customer. It's a really cool circle of life experience,” Fowler said.

The farming operation for Mandolin grows every year. Fowler is currently working on an orchard area where he can grow things like blueberries, figs, plums and pears.