Stephen Beaumier, Ecopia Farms

“We Are All Craftsman and Artists In Some Way, Shape or Form.” Stephen Beaumierculinary Director, Ecopia Farms

At 14 years old, Stephen got his first job at a New Hampshire restaurant, but that’s not quite when he set his eyes on becoming a chef.

“I started off as a dishwasher in a little Jewish deli. A friend of mine was already working there. It didn’t pay much, it was six dollars an hour, but that’s how it all started.”

He then worked his way up throughout the years, and landed at one of San Francisco’s premier restaurants, Quince.

“I’ve had no formal training at all. The whole idea of, ‘You need to go to culinary school to be great,’ yes is true, if you’re of a certain age. Since I started when I was young, it was easy for me to get formal training in a non-formal environment...but I had a lot of practical learning. A lot of burning myself, cutting myself, getting yelled at, getting things thrown at me.”

But after working 17 hour days, he felt burnt out and was ready to try something new.

Enter Ecopia Farms, the 100% certified organic indoor farm, which grows vertically and is focused on hyper-sustainability. They use 95% less water and 97% less land than traditional farms, and grow a variety of greens used by many of the top Bay Area restaurants. It was a mission and purpose he could believe in, and an organization he says he “just wanted to be part of.”

Stephen helps Ecopia with strategy, with a focus on what to grow and when to grow it. He’s helped double the company’s customer base, and it helps that he has in insider’s perspective on what chef’s will want.

“We, as chefs, are all craftsman and artists in some way, shape or form. We have a style and you can try and guess what [products] they’re going to use.”

Asked what his favorite part of the job is, and he quips, “It usually starts with, ‘What is it going to be today?’ What should I be doing for R&D for growing the chef business. We also have challenges— we’re growing in doors—the people who work on the floor who actually grow everything and harvest, they work incredibly hard. So, it’s fun to look at how the product is growing, and see how we can make it better. There’s never a dull moment.”