{"id":2455,"date":"2026-08-24T14:12:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T14:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/?p=2455"},"modified":"2026-08-24T14:12:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T14:12:02","slug":"how-food-connects-us-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/how-food-connects-us-all\/","title":{"rendered":"How Food Connects Us All"},"content":{"rendered":"

Food is something that we all take for granted. In the modern United States, we have constant convenient access to food which is beneficial to everyone\u2019s busy schedules. However, through this cultural shift over the past century, we have lost our connection to how our food is provided to us through our land, our farmers, and even restaurant staff. In recent years, there has been a shift back towards organic foods and sustainable agriculture. Farm-to-table restaurants have worked to bridge the gap between consumers and farmers by emphasizing local and ethical sourcing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Basket

Harvested blueberries from Topsoil’s farm<\/p><\/div>\n

This summer, I\u2019ve had the opportunity to experience this connection firsthand through my fellowship at\u00a0<\/span>Topsoil Restaurant<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in Travelers Rest. As part of my role as the Farm Administration and Restaurant Management Fellow, I work in Topsoil\u2019s brand-new garden and on their farm harvesting and planting, as well as within the restaurant as a host. Additionally, I\u2019ve had the opportunity to shadow both the restaurant manager and owner, helping with data collection, analysis, and organization. As an Environmental & Conservation Biology and Anthropology double major, I was initially drawn to this internship because it combines my interests in agriculture, environmental systems, and cultural relationships between people, food, and the environment. Although, as my internship comes to an end, I find that it has taught me more than I ever expected about myself, the environment, and the culture of upscale dining in the local community of Travelers Rest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While I hoped that this internship would provide insight into how food brings people together, I never expected my internship to be a way to reconnect with my own family. My time on Topsoil\u2019s farm and garden has allowed me to reflect on my time spent as a kid in my late grandmother\u2019s garden and exploring my grandparents\u2019\u00a0<\/span>farm land<\/span>. As a kid, I enjoyed running around my grandparents\u2019 land, exploring abandoned\u00a0<\/span>farm houses<\/span>\u00a0and dark broiler houses, and playing hide-and-seek in the\u00a0<\/span>never ending<\/span>\u00a0rows of trees, but I never fully understood what the land symbolized. This internship has inspired me to\u00a0<\/span>look into<\/span> my family\u2019s history, and I discovered that my grandfather served on the Agricultural Stabilization Committee of his small county in central North Carolina. I also learned that my grandmother\u2019s family\u2019s farm endured the Great Depression and WWII through its self-sustaining nature. Recognizing these connections between my internship and my family history has affirmed that I am on the right career path while\u00a0<\/span><\/span>strengthening my appreciation for agriculture and its role in shaping communities and culture.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Young

Erin in her grandmother’s garden (2013)<\/p><\/div>\n

In addition to a personal connection with my own\u00a0<\/span>familial<\/span>\u00a0history,\u00a0<\/span>I\u2019ve<\/span>\u00a0grown more connected with the environment. Working alongside the garden manager, Chris Miller, also known as \u201c<\/span><\/span>That Garden Guy<\/span><\/span><\/a>,\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>I\u2019ve<\/span>\u00a0learned firsthand about organic farming techniques and the careful balance\u00a0<\/span>required<\/span>\u00a0to\u00a0<\/span>maintain<\/span>\u00a0healthy soil and ecosystems.\u00a0<\/span>I\u2019ve<\/span>\u00a0had the opportunity to grow my biological knowledge as well, learning and applying information about the nitrogen cycle to growing techniques and soil monitoring.\u00a0<\/span>I\u2019ve<\/span>\u00a0learned that successful farming does not solely depend on growing crops, but also on cultivating biodiversity. One of my favorite aspects of the garden is the wildflowers planted to create shade for crops and to attract pollinators. Seeing academic concepts\u00a0<\/span>be<\/span>\u00a0applied first-hand has strengthened my understanding of how science directly influences sustainable food production.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This internship has reinforced my passion for environmental conservation while connecting agriculture with culture, history, and community. The next time you sit down for a meal, consider\u00a0all of\u00a0the effort that went into producing your food. Support local restaurants, connect with your loved ones, and keep the environment that provides\u00a0us\u00a0nourishment healthy and clean. Come\u00a0<\/span>visit Topsoil Restaurant<\/span><\/a>\u00a0for a meal that is guaranteed to connect you with the local community and environment!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Butterfly

Pollinator in the garden<\/p><\/div>\n

About the Author<\/em>: Erin Faulkner \u201828 is an Environmental & Conservation Biology and Anthropology double major from North Charleston, South Carolina. She is serving as the Topsoil Farm Administration and Restaurant Management Fellow this year. Erin was interested in this fellowship as it provides an opportunity to engage in organic food production and gives insight into how sustainable cuisine intersects with culture, business economics, and the local environment. In her free time, Erin enjoys reading, scrapbooking, and spending time with her cat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Food is something that we all take for granted. In the modern United States, we have constant convenient access to food which is beneficial to everyone\u2019s busy schedules. However, through […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":452,"featured_media":2456,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,16,13],"tags":[15,14],"class_list":["post-2455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-student-blog","category-student-news","tag-furman-innovation-lab","tag-sustainability"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/452"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2455"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2463,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455\/revisions\/2463"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}