FOR GOODNESS SAKE: Seth Gross helps small farmers thrive and fosters community engagement at his downtown Durham brewpub.

AuthorMartin, Cathy

Not long after opening Bull City Burger and Brewery in March 2011, Seth Gross got a phone call with a message no restaurant owner wants to hear. On the line was his meat supplier, Durham-based Firsthand Foods: "Seth, you're so busy, we don't have meat for you tomorrow," he recalls. "I didn't sleep that night. It's not like I can say, 'I'm sorry, we don't have burgers--try the chicken today.' We are a burger restaurant."

The problem was that Gross' business plan is based on exclusively serving pasture-raised beef from North Carolina farms. His concept--and his kitchen design--also was based on selling an estimated 200-250 burgers a day, far fewer than the 900-1,000 the restaurant sometimes plates on a busy Saturday.

"We were really supply constrained," says Jennifer Curtis, co-founder of Firsthand Foods, which also was just starting out at the time. Her business helps small farmers market their meats to restaurants, grocery stores and other businesses. "We just didn't know enough of the farmers raising beef to our standards." So, Gross got in his car and drove from farm to farm, picking up 10 pounds of meat here and 10 pounds there until the issue was resolved. "

Nearly eight years later, Bull City supports more than 30 beef farmers in the state. As Firsthand Foods', biggest restaurant customer--the brewpub goes through about 1,000 pounds of beef a week--it no longer has to worry about supply-chain issues. "They are a valued institution, really committed to making a" difference in their local community and in North Carolina by supporting small-scale farmers," Curtis says.

Gross, a chef, sommelier and brewmaster whose resume includes working with famed Chicago chef Charlie Trotter, is uncompromising in his mission to serve locally grown and made-from-scratch products: The lettuce, tomatoes, arugula and other produce served at the Durham brewpub are sourced from local farms, and nearly everything made in-house, including the fresh-baked buns, mayonnaise, pickles, hot sauce and ice cream.

That passion for supporting local vendors and engaging the community, along with a strong commitment toll fostering employee growth and well-being, is why Bull City Burger and Brewery was selected by a trio of judges as Business North Carolina's 2018 Small Business of the Year.

Growing up in Boston, where his family owned ice-cream shops, Gross, 49, always loved kitchens. In high school, he told his parents he wanted to attend Culinary Institute of America...

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