Shi Fellow gets hands in the dirt and better understanding of farm-to-table

One thing that has surprised Erin Faulkner ’28 about her Shi Institute internship at Topsoil Restaurant in Travelers Rest is just how much you can learn by growing your own food.

Faulkner, who is double majoring in anthropology and biology, started her work with Topsoil in June and has been working with the restaurant’s owners, culinary team and garden manager to create a tangible model for sustainability in restaurants.

Erin Faulkner ’28 works with Chris Miller, owner of Horseshoe Farm and garden manager at Topsoil in Travelers Rest, as part of her fellowship at the Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.

Faulkner and Topsoil’s sustainability and garden manager Chris Miller have been working on creating a dashboard that allows the garden team to track planting and harvesting schedules along with water usage and sun exposure to measure plant outcomes while also allowing the kitchen team to keep up with what is ready when.

On a recent Wednesday, Faulkner walked the Topsoil garden with Miller showing off a Fairytale eggplant.

“They are so cute,” she said pointing to the flecked purple orb dangling from a stem.

A self-confessed non-eggplant eater, Faulkner is considering a change of heart toward this particular nightshade.

“I might have to try it,” she said with a smile.

Faulkner has tried a lot of new things since starting her 10-week fellowship in June. Working in a finer-dining kitchen, for one, has been interesting. But the chance to see how the way a restaurant food system works has been truly illuminating.

While Topsoil has been a partner of the Shi Institute for three years, this is the first year the Michelin-recommended restaurant has had a Shi Fellow. Faulkner’s work is helping the restaurant move towards its zero-waste goal and ultimately towards fostering a more sustainable community.

Wendy Lynam, owner of Topsoil, plans to use the documentation tools Faulkner is helping create to present to the Travelers Rest business community in the fall.

“Maybe we become a business community with a zero-waste mission in our town,” Lynam said.

Faulkner’s own interest in food is rooted in her upbringing. Her father’s work in higher education took the family to Grundy, Virginia when Faulkner was in high school. The small coal mining town had few grocery stores and limited access to fresh food.

Erin Faulkner ’28 works with Chris Miller, owner of Horseshoe Farm and garden manager at Topsoil in Travelers Rest, as part of her fellowship at the Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.

Her experiences there fueled an interest in the intersection of genetics and agriculture to create a more resilient, sustainable food system.

That led her to connect with the Shi Institute at Furman. As a first-year, Faulkner volunteered on Furman’s organic farm and attended several sustainability programs. Last year, as a sophomore, she applied to live in Shi Institute’s Greenbelt Community where students spend a year immersed in sustainable living.

The chance to be a Shi Fellow has meant the opportunity to further her study with a paid fellowship but also a chance to further immerse herself in the Upstate, South Carolina community.

“I have learned a lot and it’s a great way to see all different sides of things,” Faulkner said. “How to run a business, how restaurants work, how to source food.”

She will start her junior year imbued with a newfound understanding of the food system but also a deeper passion for working to sustain it.