Nashville-native Sarah Bush is
The Hermitage Hotel’s Farmer at the Garden at
Glen Leven Farms. Located just 15 minutes from the hotel, the 2.5-acre garden is home to a bounty of crops, including kale, beets, carrots, turnips, tomatoes, peppers, thyme, basil, and pumpkin, all of which are used for seasonal cuisine at
Capitol Grille and Oak Bar. Growing up on a horse farm right outside of Nashville, Sarah’s roots in farming and agriculture run deep. Her family always had a large garden and a flock of chickens for eggs and meat, and Sarah remembers family activities often included canning tomatoes and pickling vegetables straight from their garden. Sarah went on to earn a degree in History and Art from Maryville College in 2000.
In 2003, Sarah continued her work in East Tennessee to help revive the Knoxville Farmers Market located in Historic Market Square and worked as a stylist for Blackberry Farm as they developed their Farmstead. Sarah’s work with the Blackberry Farmstead included spending time in the heirloom garden, run at that time by renowned seed saver John Coykendall. Spending time with the gardeners and chefs at Blackberry Farm cemented Sarah’s passion for tending plants and the soil and sparked an interest in educating the public about local food and gardening. This led Sarah to co-find the Knoxville chapter of Slow Food USA and start Edible Revolution, a gardening business where she empowered others to grow their own food.
Craving adventure and time out West, Sarah later packed her bags for Alaska to grow food for Camp Denali and North Face Lodge, where she gained gardening expertise in an entirely different climate. After five years and a relocation to California, Sarah earned a degree in ecological horticulture from UC Santa Cruz, gaining knowledge both in the field and the classroom. A cross-country move landed her in Amagansett, NY, where she completed an Advanced Apprenticeship at Quail Hill Farm, one of the first CSA farms in the nation. Following her Apprenticeship, Sarah remained at Quail Hill Farm as their Flower Production Manager. In 2018, Tennessee called Sarah back home, and she took a position with The Hermitage Hotel Garden at
Glen Leven.
