Located in nearby Parrish, Gamble Creek Farms is known for its unique strains of organic produce. Not only do we grow delicious and totally unique Florida-friendly fruits and vegetables to feature on the menus at Chiles Hospitality restaurants, we also sell products out of the farm market five days a week. A huge advocate for local farming and sustainability, we’re proud to partner with other local farms in the area to promote their items in the restaurants and farm market, too.
Our Environmental Impact
Gamble Creek Farms is at the heart of many of Chiles Hospitality’s environmental initiatives. Compost from the restaurants is taken to the farm to be converted to nutrient rich soil, which then helps grow the delicious produce that’s then returned to the restaurant kitchens. Closing the food loop through our sustainable farming methods, promoting other like-minded local farms in our market, and nurturing our bond with the surrounding community are all crucial to our mission.
Will Manson has been Executive Chef of the Beach House since 1999, moving over to General Manager of Gamble Creek Farms in 2022.
He received his first classical training from Chef Jean Pierre Knaggs, owner of the popular Bijou Cafe in downtown Sarasota. Will was given the opportunity to attend the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY.
His experience in boutique restaurants combined with the discipline of large restaurant companies like the Outback Steakhouse Corporation and Darden along with the immense responsibility of serving thousands of guests at a time through the Orange County Convention Center makes Will in a word - "seasoned".
As a young artist deeply interested in the natural world and travel, Zack found himself in South India where he got his first taste of ecological farming.
These South Indian farmers built complex food-laden ecosystems out of what they had locally. This experience inspired him to dive fully into the world of agroecology. Zack has spent the last 10 years studying permaculture design with a specific interest in Agroforestry, Korean natural farming, and syntropic farming systems.
His journey with Chiles Hospitality began with the installation of multiple self-sustaining gardens at our restaurant, Sandbar Seafood & Spirits, for the culinary team. Unique varieties of herbs, spices, vegetables, fruits, and flowers being grown with organic practices and permaculture principles have become a staple for all three restaurant locations.
Since designing and installing countless ecological food systems for individuals, commercial clients, restaurant owners, chefs, and integrative physicians, some of Zack’s current goals at Gamble Creek Farms are to build cohesive plant relationships. This will in turn decrease pest pressure and disease, bring permaculture perspective, ramp up native plant species, the transition from using traditional organic fertilizers to onsite blended and fermented bio-available fertilizers, increase farm profitability, and expose people to really unique heirloom varieties of food. There is potential to discover forgeable culinary items in Florida and he is excited to bring unique flavors to the palettes of our patrons. It's all about the food!
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