06/27/2016 - Protea Restaurant; Bruce Cohn of B.R. Cohn Winery

In the much celebrated Yountville, CA, a new kid has arrived in town. Protea is a Latin American inspired casual eatery, where Chef Anita Cartagena creates mouthwatering treats, inspired by her Puerto Rican roots, using local produce.

Then we are delighted to welcome the esteemed Bruce Cohn, of B.R Cohn Winery to talk about his life, wine, olive oil and concert series.  He is joined by the winery General Manager, Debra Eagle.

Anita Cartagena

Executive Chef/ Owner
Protea Restaurant

Protea is a fast casual restaurant with the highest quality and execution standards in the industry.  They prepare many slow roasting, braising, and high level cooking techniques of the worlds various street foods.  On their daily changing menu, you might find items such as empanadas, Tostadas, Cubano Sandwiches, Rice Bowls, and Fish Tacos.  

About Anita:

Born in Cleveland, Anita returned to Puerto Rico with her family at the tender age of 6 months, where she stayed until she was 10. She remembers many a day standing on a stool to help her mother cook Puerto Rican food, developing a fond love of both cooking and the soul of her native cuisine.

Back in Cleveland, she began modeling and acting, but her love of cooking remained, until she finally gave in to it after her (now) husband Dwayne, treated her to a dinner at the French Laundry.  After many dinners like this and poring over the cookbooks he gave her, she enrolled in culinary school and has not looked back.

At Protea, Anita brings her passion for food with soul, marrying a taste of her Puerto Rican roots with local and imported ingredients, and an eclectic wine list that she "manipulates" the food to pair with.

Anita brings experience and drive forged in some of the country’s best restaurants, including most recently Ciccio in downtown Yountville, CA.   But she is particularly suited to take the exacting and strict standards of a Michelin Star quality restaurant and translate it to the more causal, affordable, and back to basics world of hand crafted sandwiches, soups, and salads.

 
 

Bruce Cohn

Founder and Owner

B.R. Cohn

The B.R. Cohn history is rich and is one of the greatest wine stories to be told, a true piece of Americana.

 

 

Winery founder Bruce Cohn was introduced to the music industry at an early age. Prior to moving west from Chicago, Illinois, his father sang Italian Arias and his mother was known to have sung with Frank Sinatra in the Chicago nightclub scene. The family also had a strong business acumen owning and running a successful retail shoe business, named Four Cohns. In 1956, the family relocated to the Bay Area and settled in Sonoma County. Bruce later attended the University of San Mateo. While at school, studying broadcasting and communications, he became intimately involved with the San Francisco music scene, running a music rehearsal studio by day and serving as a television engineer at night. It was a heyday for great music and Bruce was often found alongside younger brother Martin Cohn at the many up and coming San Francisco nightclubs and bars which today are known to have spurred the careers of many rock and roll legends. It was around this time, in 1970, that Bruce met and became the manager of the Doobie Brothers. He helped them climb the charts, catapulting them into Rock and Roll stardom.

Bruce and the Doobie Brothers

Agricultural Retreat

In 1974, to keep some sanity and preserve quality of life, Bruce purchased an old dairy in Glen Ellen which evolved into Olive Hill Estate Vineyard, so-named for the property’s grove of 140-year-old French Picholine olive trees. With drive to cultivate the existing vineyard, Bruce purchased books on viticulture and read them during long periods of traveling with the band. He soon became intensely involved with all aspects of growing grapes, from planting and pruning to grafting and trellising techniques. A decade after taking ownership of the land and having great success selling grapes to other wineries, Bruce founded B.R. Cohn Winery at Olive Hill Estate in 1984

 

The vineyard in 1978

Award Winning Wines & Olive Oils

After selling wine grapes for many years to August Sebastiani and Gundlach Bundschu and seeing the numerous awards the wines with fruit sourced from the Olive Hill Estate were receiving, Bruce took the advice of good friend and mentor Charlie Wagner from Caymus winery and began producing his own wines from the Olive Hill Estate in 1984. Charlie bestowed the greatest honor upon the winery, permitting the use of Caymus’ trademarked “Special Selection” on the best lots from B.R. Cohn Olive Hill Estate. B.R. Cohn Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon as well as the entire portfolio continues to receive amazing reviews and accolades. The B.R. Cohn library wines continue to impress our wine family members as well as the wine community as they compete with the best from Napa to Bordeaux.

In the 1990’s the family embarked on the journey of processing the olives at the Olive Hill Estate, creating California’s first single estate Picholine Olive Oil and B.R. Cohn Olive Oil Company was founded. Today we produce some of the world’s finest Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Giving Back to the Community

Always looking for ways to give back to his community, Bruce brought his two life passions together in 1987 by inaugurating the B.R. Cohn Charity Fall Music Festival. Every year, wine lovers and music fans alike flock to Sonoma Valley to revel in the beautiful wine country while enjoying top music acts. The proceeds from the concert benefit many local children and veteran charities as well larger national charity organizations.

The Sonoma Music Festival, coming up in October, was born from the desire of BCCE to change up its annual fall event formerly held at B.R. Cohn Winery and move it closer to town for a more community event. This year’s beneficiaries include national and local veteran’s organizations including Fisher House and American Legion Post 489, the Redwood Empire Food Bank and others.

     “This is a very important milestone year” exclaimed Bruce Cohn.  “We needed to top last year and we think we have with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and first time BCCE festival performer John Fogerty plus Hall of Famers Steve Miller Band and Dave Mason Saturday and we are going country with superstar Toby Keith and up and comer Andy Velo whom I’m now managing, on Sunday.”

And the Story Continues…

Bruce and his family live in the Sonoma Valley where he continues his lifelong career in the music business

Debra Eagle
General Manager

Over the course of her 20+ year career, Eagle has developed marketing and sales strategies for many of the industry's top wineries.  Most recently, Eagle was General Manager for Hestan Vineyards, an ultra-premium winery in Napa Valley. Prior to Hestan, she was General Manager of Clos Du Val Winery and Director of BOND, the sister property to Harlan Estate. Eagle has also held Marketing Director positions at Sutter Home Winery, Robert Mondavi Winery and Kenwood Vineyards. A native Californian, Eagle has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Mills College, Oakland, California and an MBA from the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley.


 

06/20/2016 - The Washington State Feature - Jamestown Seafood and Wines of Washington

Slow Living Radio pays tribute to Washington State this week and is delighted to welcome on Kurt and Terri Grinnell, owners of Jamestown Seafood who have opened a new oyster farm on Sequim Bay. Here their inspirational story and all about the life of an oyster. We also get the lowdown on their other seafood, the prized Geoduck. Fascinating.

What are oysters without wine?  We invited Heather Bradshow from Washington State Wine to bring us an understanding of this wonderful wine region.

Kurt and Terri Grinnell
Owners
Jamestown Seafood

New Oyster Farm launched Washington

Keeping watch
over the bay

Washington’s oyster selections have a new player on the block.  The farm, owned and operated by Jamestown Seafood, is nestled in the pristine Sequim Bay (pronounced Squim) at the entrance to Puget Sound. The project, a partnership with the Jamestown S’Kallam tribe, is exciting chefs around the nation, bringing a distinctive and exciting new addition to the state’s oyster offerings.

Sequim Bay is unique. Having tides that are replenishing more frequently than most, the water brings a regular dose of fresh clean food for the oysters, allowing faster growth and wonderful flavors.  Also, being the first bay on the sound, there is little urban run-off creating an environment perfect for raising sustainable, clean and delicious seafood.




Kurt and Terri

President and owner, Kurt Grinnell, and his wife, Business Manager and owner, Terri, are no strangers to the world of fishing. Kurt began fishing at the age of 16 in a family business, getting a strong immersion in all aspects of the industry. Also, being a member of Jamestown’s S’Kallam tribe whose history dates back over 10,000 years, and whose survival relied heavily on the local oysters, geoduck clams and other seafood, you could say it was in his blood way before that.  Terri, born and raised in the area, and an accountant by background, welcomed the chance to embrace the industry of her hometown, and get outdoors.  She also loves her role as “official taster”

After school in Kansas, Kurt majored in Psychology at the University of Washington, but the lure of fishing stole him away to Alaska where he trolled for sockeye, halibut, King salmon and crab.  His next fishing career was diving for urchin, abalone and sea cucumber, but not wanting a life diving, he decided to return to Sequim Bay and broker Geoduckclams, native to the Pacific Northwest.  He still farms the clams, most of the unusual molluscs going to the Chinese market where they are highly prized.



The Geoduck clam is buried in the sand, it's long syphon "neck"
sucking in water which it filter for nutrients, then spouts out
the discarded water. The Geoduck can life up to 140 years.

 At the time, the S’Kallam tribe was struggling with their oyster industry, which began in 1991 when the tribe were officially recognized and able to obtain fishing rights for the area.   Seeing they needed help, Kurt saw this as a new opportunity, secured a 12 year lease on the farm and three years ago began his career in oyster farming.

Kurt turns oyster that are Beach Farmed

“The waters were so clean, and food production unsurpassed”, recalls Kurt as he made his decision, feeling there was really a terrific and unique product he could offer the oyster lovers world. 

Kurt and the hatchery manager at Point Whitney
look over some young oysters

Jamestown Seafood Oyster production begins at the company owned hatchery, embracing scientifically regulated and meticulously managed spawning and seed grow out procedures. Maintaining a watchful eye on their oyster beds throughout the maturation process, they enjoy harvests that are commercially viable, sustainable, consistent, and abundant.

The third stage of life for the oyster before being "beached",
the flupsy, where clean fresh water is kept running through
the oysters to keep the best and freshest food supply.

 



Oysters in the flupsy

Kurt and Terri live nearby Port Angeles, where, when they can find some spare time like to enjoy the outdoors, riding their Harleys, camping and skiing. They have two daughters, Jaden who traded in being a star on the National Shotgun team for a life in commercial fishing in Alaska with her husband, and Loni, who holds a Masters in Behavioral Health and works with the state and local tribes.

Currently two varieties of oyster are on the menu at Jamestown Seafood. They are both the local Pacific Oyster, but farmed using two different methods.
 

Sequim Bay Jades - Beach Farmed which means the oysters are grown directly on the sandy floor of Sequim Bay. They are silky smooth, displaying tantalizing mineral notes coupled with unmistakable brine, subtle sweetness and a fresh cucumber finish. They are clean, bright and provoke fond memories of the beach.



A platter of Sequim Bay oysters


Sequim Bay Blue Opals - Tumble farmed, where they are allowed to tumble with the tides in large nets. These little gems have a distinctive, bowl shaped shell. They are plump, juicy and succulent, display a clean ocean flavor accompanied by subtle sweetness and buttery texture. On the finish, there are hints of melon that make this oyster truly memorable and thoroughly enjoyable.

 

Kurt and Geoduck
later making it to Terri's ceviche

See below for Sally's oyster spring roll recipe

     -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Heather Bradshaw

Communications Director

Washington State Wines

  

It was 200 years ago that pioneering explorers Meriweather Lewis and William Clark traversed the amazing terrain of Washington State. The same vistas that captivated them then, remain today, but modern explorers discover something the early visitors never witnessed: Washington State is one of the world’s most dynamic wine regions.

 

 

 

W a s h i n g t o n  S t a t e  i s  d i v e r s e

 There are more than 40 grape varieties cultivated, including Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. And with 13 unique growing regions, Washington State  is a mosaic of landscapes, from evergreen coasts and snow-capped mountains to a vast sagebrush desert where the sun shines 300 days a year. Diversity is a part of the culture and the wine industry ties creative people from different backgrounds and several countries around the world.




Red Willow Vineyard, Yakima Valley AVA.

Photo Credit: Washington State Wine courtesy of Andréa Johnson Photography

 
W a s h i n g t o n  S t a t e  i s  a m b i t i o u s

Home to global giants Microsoft, Starbucks, Costco and Amazon, Washington State is a place of tremendous vision and drive. Their wine industry reflects this. Innovative growers and winemakers broke ground in a vast, wild territory where conventional wisdom said they could not. And they have expanded that work to create America’s second-largest wine region, with more than 50,000 acres (20,234 hectares) of vines and more than 850 wineries.

 

Leonetti/Loess Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley AVA

Photo Credit: Washington State Wine courtesy of Andréa Johnson Photography

 
 

W a s h i n g t o n  S t a t e  i s  g e n u i n e

Washington winemakers and grape growers live and work in small towns  where old homes, beautiful barns and converted mills reflect the American west. They are active in their communities, connected to the land and eager to share their stories. When stopped in a tasting room, the person you see walking in the vineyard, driving a forklift or opening bottles behind the counter is often  the owner or winemaker. And their wines echo this authenticity - rare natural conditions permit cultivation without the common, manipulative practice of vine grafting or intensive use of chemicals. They harvest the purest expression possible for every wine.

Celilo Vineyard, Columbia Gorge AVA

Photo Credit: Washington State Wine courtesy of Andréa Johnson Photography

 

 W a s h i n g t o n  S t a t e  i s  i n t e g r a t e d

Because vineyards and wineries here are often spread across hundreds of miles, grape growers and vintners must work in tandem. From individual vine rows reserved for specific winemakers to fully-fledged joint-ownership projects, the region is one of shared endeavors. And the wines exhibit that spirit of integration, combining the vibrant fruit character expected of American wine with the defined structure typical of the Old World.

 

Photo Alan Benson, Australia - from Fresh and Healthy by Sally James

An unusual way to prepare oysters, the moist plump and briny Jamestown mollusc actually works wonderfully in these mini spring rolls, contrasting with the crisp wrapper and hot sweet dipping sauce.

 OYSTER SPRING ROLLS

 

Makes 20 mini spring rolls

2 tablespoons finely grated ginger

2 tablespoons fresh chopped coriander

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives or green onion

1 teaspoon lime or lemon juice

5 sheets spring roll pastry or 20 won ton wraps

20 freshly shucked oysters

Peanut or canola oil, for brushing

Dipping sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1tablespoon lime or lemon juice
2 teaspoons palm (or regular) sugar
1-2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce, to taste

 Preheat oven to 350°C, 175°F

Whisk the dipping sauce ingredients together in small bowl to dissolve sugar and set aside. 

Combine the ginger, coriander, chives and juice in a small bowl.  Lay out a sheet of spring roll wrap and cut into 4 or lay out a won ton wrap.  (Keep the remainder of the pastry, covered, under a clean damp tea towel while working to prevent drying out.) Place an oyster on the centre of each and top with a little of the ginger mixture.  Brush edges with water and wrap as for a spring roll.  Place, seam side down, on a lightly oiled or lined baking tray and brush lightly with oil.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. 

Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.

 

 

06/13/2016 - Actress and Author Joan Benedict Steiger; Nathan Sheets of Nature's Nates Honey

Slow Living Radio is thrilled to welcome the wonderful actress of stage, film and television, Joan Benedict Steiger,  to tell her fascinating story.  A woman of huge talent, passion, and zest for life, she will inspire you with her tales. Her new book, Brooklyn Baby, is a must read.

Next we hear from the creator of Nature Nate’s Honey Company, Nathan Sheets, dedicated to keeping honey real!

 

JOAN BENEDICT STEIGER

 

 

Biography

Now and as
Poopsie Patata
in 1965

Decades of work on stage, screen, and television and the love of three devoted men sounds like a full life; but in many ways, the story is just beginning for veteran performer Joan Benedict Steiger.  With credits dating back to the original “Candid Camera” on television to her acclaimed solo performance as Leona Helmsley, she has lived the artistic life she first dreamed of as a child in Brooklyn, New York – and the dream shows no signs of ending.

“I always thought when I was little I would be a dancer,” Steiger recalls today.  “I was never really built for ballet, but I was tap dancing in public at age seven when I performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.  I remember the first film I ever saw was with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and as I was leaving the theatre, I wanted to run back in, I knew I had to be a part of that world.”

As the only grandchild in a large family – she had seven uncles – Steiger grew up in her grandfather’s house off Prospect Park, where she describes herself as “Eloise at the Plaza – every one of those rooms was my magic room.”  Encouraged by her mother, young Steiger studied at the Rome Opera Ballet School, and spent time in Paris, soaking up her craft and European culture and learning French and Italian.  Back in America, Steiger continued her theatrical education by studying with legendary acting coaches Robert Lewis and Stella Adler, founders of the Actor’s Studio in New York.  That pursuit of her craft continues today, as she continues to get a charge out of the challenge that each new acting job brings.

“The theatre for me is like being in church,” she says with sincerity.  “When you feel the audience, and feel that communication with other souls, it’s like music.  As a performer, I’m always pursuing that wonderful experience where you are completely alert and clear, and yet transported through your imagination.”

Her list of stage credits include acclaimed productions of contemporary offerings such as “Promises, Promises,” “The Beauty Queen of Leenane,” “Collected Stories” by Donald Margulies, P.J. Barry’s “The Octette Bridge Club,” Horton Foote’s “The Traveling Lady,” and Morris West’s “The World is Made of Glass;” opposite Don Knotts in the comedy “The Mind with the Dirty Man;” classics like “Richard III,” “The Dyubbuk,” and “Dr. Faustus;” and her two solo shows, “Leona” (about notorious “Queen of Mean” Leona Helmsley) and the recent “The Loves of My Life,” based on her own life.  On screen, she also co-starred with Knotts and Tim Conway in the comedy “The Prizefighter.”

 

 

Joan as Dori with Tim Conway and Don Knotts in a publicity photo for The Prize Fighter (1979)

 

Indeed, perhaps Joan Benedict Steiger’s career is all the more remarkable for having endured through three long-term relationships, to what she describes as “three of the greatest guys in the world.”  While marriages between professional actors are often fraught with jealousy and competition, Joan has found lightning in a bottle all three times.  “Both of my husbands, and my lifetime partner Jeremy, were wonderful men who respected me as an actress,” she recalls.  “They all died from different forms of cancer, so my memories are sometimes bittersweet, but with no regrets.”

Rod Steiger and Joan Benedict Steiger on location during the filming of A Month of Sundays

“Strangely, I met all three of these men when I was in New York, just beginning my career while I was still a teenager,” she says.  She was only 19 when she met actor Rod Steiger, who took an instant liking to her when they appeared on the same television show together.  “I was in complete awe of him at the time,” she admits.  “I remember walking out after seeing him in the play ‘Rashomon’ on Broadway, and seeing his face on the marquee across the street for the movie ‘Al Capone.’  I thought, what a life – starring on Broadway and starring in a movie!  Knowing him at that age was like living in a fantasy.”

Though the initial romance with Rod was short-lived, given their respective dedication to pursuing their careers, Joan soon found herself in love with leading stage actor John Myhers.  “He toured in ‘The Sound of Music’ for three years as Captain von Trapp, and I would take time off to travel with him,” she says.  Settling in a home near Sunset Plaza in the Hollywood Hills, their marriage lasted thirty years before Myhers’ passing.  Then, in the late 1990s, Rod and Joan found each other again.  Rod had heard rave reviews of some of Joan’s stage work.  “I got a call from him out of the blue…he’d been at a party where someone had mentioned me, and we got together again after all those years.”

Joan and Rod were nearly inseparable for the final years of his life, becoming creative partners as well as spouses.  “Rod was very impressed with my acting.  Whenever a script would arrive at the house, he’d ask me to read it for my feedback, then he’d say ‘Did you pick out your part yet?’”  They appeared in two films together, “A Month of Sundays” and the telefilm “The Flying Dutchman.”  After a long life marked by tremendous highs and crushing lows – Steiger acknowledged suffering from chronic depression for much of his professional career – the Academy Award winning actor seemed to find new confidence and peace with his newly rediscovered love.  “On one of the films we made, on the last day of shooting, Rod presented me with an Oscar-like statue he had made with my name on it, in front of the entire crew,” Joan remembers.  “With me he said he was another person, and the only time in his life he had such happiness.  He told me I was the only woman who could bring love out of a stone.”

Steiger’s passing in 2002 was a devastating loss, but another friend from long ago was able to fill some of the void.  Actor Jeremy Slate, a veteran of over 80 films and television shows dating back to 1959, was Joan’s partner until his passing in 2006.  “They were all actors, writers, directors, brilliant, funny men,” Joan says of the men who captured her heart. 

 

Joan and Jeremy Slate

 

Throughout her life, Joan Benedict Steiger has worked simultaneously on stage, in film, and on television.  She’s still remembered for a classic bit from the original version of “Candid Camera,” where she played a lost tourist looking for directions from passersby, making sure that her fancy hat – beplumed with a particularly large feather – would distract them at every opportunity.  She was also part of the ensemble of the original “Steve Allen Show,” where she did double duty as the spokesperson for Hazel Bishop cosmetics.  On daytime drama, she had regular and recurring roles on “General Hospital,” “Days of our Lives,” and “Capitol.” Her dozens of series guest appearances include classic series like “Fantasy Island,” “T.J. Hooker,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Kojak” and “Hotel,” with the latter being directed by series star James Brolin. Most recently Joan guested on Fox’s “Dollhouse.” 

Perhaps one of Joan’s most unusual jobs is one where she was asked to “fill in” – in a manner of speaking – for a Hollywood legend.  “I had been bothering the casting director at MGM for a while when he finally told me, ‘I have something for you.’”  MGM was preparing to make the film “Butterfield 8” starring Elizabeth Taylor; the star had been reluctant to cooperate because she was eager to begin work on the epic “Cleopatra.”  MGM wanted to shoot the film in studios in New York and Taylor wanted to remain in Los Angeles.  Joan was asked if she could go to New York to rehearse the film – playing Taylor’s part – with director Daniel Mann and the rest of the cast.  Joan worked for weeks reading Taylor’s lines, and her dedication paid off when she was awarded a small part (a single line) in the film – for which she still earns residuals.

The role won Taylor her only Academy Award, but curiously, their paths would cross again years later through their mutual acquaintance with Rod Steiger.   “When Rod and I were first dating, he went to see Elizabeth about working on a new project,” she says.  “This was a period when she wasn’t feeling well, and Rod was one of the people who really encouraged her to get well and return to public life.  That lead to speculation that Rod and Liz were dating and he was going to be her next husband.  Rod and I were on an airplane to Spain, and he liked to read the tabloids:  when I saw the headline saying Liz and Rod were going to wed, I said, ‘What’s this all about?’  And he smiled at me and said, “Joan, I’m sitting next to YOU!”

 

For now, Joan keeps busy preserving the legacy of her late husband, as well as continuing her stage, film, and television work whenever the right opportunity presents itself.  ‘There’s still so much I can do, I’m still learning after all these years,” she explains.  “I have a regular table at my favorite restaurant in Malibu and it faces the door, because I want to watch everyone walk in, I want to observe the way they use their body, because that’s so much a part of my process as an actress.”  Although she has written her memoirs, Joan still knows that there are more chapters of her life left to live, and many more roles left to play.

 

 

She has also just launched her first book and memoir, Brooklyn Baby.

 

About the book:  Joan Steiger's marriage to Academy Award winning actor Rod Steiger ended on July 9, 2002 when he passed away at a Los Angeles hospital. It wasn't the first time she had lost a man she loved… and it wouldn't be the last. In spite of such trials, Joan has maintained a contagiously upbeat and positive outlook throughout her life. As a star of the stage and screen with countless credits to her name, Joan has worked with nearly every Hollywood icon in the business and counts many of them among her friends. Her fascinating story is filled with some of the highest highs and lowest lows that life can offer. Ultimately, Brooklyn Baby is a fascinating read guaranteed to inspire as well as challenge each of us to follow our dreams.

 

                                                                                        # # #

Joan’s website is located at: www.joanbenedictsteiger.com

 

Nathan Sheets

President, CEO

Nature Nate’s Honey Company

 

 

Since an early age, Nathan exhibited a strong work ethic and unrivaled entrepreneurial spirit. Before entering college, Nathan served in the United States Navy Reserve for six years as a way to fund his college education. While attending Texas State University, Nathan teamed up with his brother to work with their family’s pen and pencil company known as Calladium Corporation. Upon graduation, Nathan moved back to Dallas where he began developing business for a small graphic design company. After two years, Nathan started his own advertising firm, Holmes and Dean, which focused on internal work inside of Calladium Corporation as well as contract work for third party clients. After selling Calladium Corporation, Nathan continued Holmes and Dean for another two years focusing on a wide range of clients.

 

After reaching a high level of success so early in his life, Nathan’s wife Patty suggested they find a hobby to enjoy as a couple. One night while watching television, Nathan was inspired to explore the world of beekeeping when he saw an AT&T commercial with a woman in a bee suit, keeping bees. A quick internet search for local beekeeping companies led Nathan to North Dallas Honey Company, where, much to his wife’s surprise, he purchased a hive to keep in his parents’ backyard. After a year of working internally with North Dallas Honey Company and maintaining a flourishing bee hive at home, Nathan’s love of beekeeping sweetened when he purchased the company to start his own sweet venture in 1997. Soon after, Nathan began to serve with an international church planting ministry, then Global Missions Fellowship, now e3 Partners Ministry, where he served from 1998 until 2010 as the Vice President for Partnership Development. Nathan was also the driving force behind the nationwide “I Am Second” media campaign that highlights stories of hundreds of transformed lives through the grace of Jesus Christ.

 

Nathan Sheets’ infectious, friendly and humble presence serves as an invaluable asset to Nature Nate’s success. Happily consumed by and dedicated to his leadership role at Nature Nate’s, Nathan is now actively focused on developing Nature Nate's Honey and other products throughout the United States. He currently resides in Frisco with his wife, Patty, and their four children: Hudson, Haddon, Sophie and Samuel.