Soul Food Farm in the News

“For a while now, I’ve belonged to a chicken-and-egg CSA from Soul Food Farm, a pasture-based chicken farm in Vacaville, California. I do this for a number of good reasons, from the altruistic (supporting a small farm and local, sustainable agriculture) to the greedy (these are the freshest, best-tasting chickens and eggs I’ve ever had.)”
—”Weekend Meditation: The Whole Chicken,” Apartment Therapy

“[Soul Food's] pasture-raised chickens are inspiring cooks to pay new attention to the birds. Recently, in addition to their prized fowl and much sought after eggs, the Koefoeds added confit to their list of products.”
—”Nice Legs,” San Francisco magazine

“Just because Soul Food Farm is a darling of the local media doesn’t mean that Koefoed lives a Martha Stewart life. Muddy Wellies and vintage pickup trucks may be fashionable signifiers, but the days are taxing and long. There are no sick days or weekends, and she and her husband, Eric, vacation in shifts. Imagine the hours and effort of a start-up, without the Google payout.”
—”Field Report: Learning about Community Supported Agriculture the Hard Way,” New York Times Magazine

“In the end, it took more than 150 fire fighters to subdue the six-alarm fire on this ridge and valley in Vacaville. The fire crew stayed to patrol for two days, and no houses were affected. The Koefoeds, however, lost roughly 1,200 baby chicks (representing two weeks of income the following month); a barn and mature plum trees dating to the 1880s; and about 30 acres of lush, diverse green pasture (the salad bar for their chickens). As the sun rose, Alexis stared at the devastation, thinking ‘We’re finished. Soul Food Farm is done.’”
—”It Takes a City to Save a Farm,” Edible San Francisco magazine

 

“The next week, we served garlic broth garnished with a poached Soul Food Farm egg. Table after table raved. One woman was moved to tears – she said she hadn’t seen yolks so bright and rich since being on her grandparents’ farm in Taiwan.”
—”The Price is High When the Taste Comes First,” San Francisco Chronicle

“Starting in October, you might be able to score monthly pickups of the same chickens and eggs that the restaurants Coi, Quince, and Chez Panisse serve up.”
—SFFoodie

“The egg is on top—of pizzas, salads, and many chefs’ lists of favorite ingredients. ‘Eggs,’ says Toponia Miller, co-owner of the Fatted Calf, ‘are hot.’ And no eggs are hotter than those sold by Soul Food Farm in Vacaville.”
—”The Best Chicken, The Best Eggs,” San Francisco Magazine’s Best of the Bay 2008

“Alexis Koefoed, owner of Soul Food Farm in Vacaville, is known as the “chicken lady” for the chicken eggs and meat she raises. Koefoed was not always a farmer. While working at a small winery in Yountville, she dreamed of farming. “I had this moment in my life when I realized what I was supposed to do,” she says. That passion was deeper than just growing food to feed her family. She wanted to feed her community….”
—”Food for thought: The ‘Chicken Lady’s’ philosophy,” Solano Magazine

“The idea of pastured chicken – birds that actually run around outside, on grass – conjures a romantic vision of smiling farmers gaily tossing corn to the flock in a pristine green field while baking a cake and reading to the children. A visit to Soul Food Farm in Pleasant Valley, just outside Vacaville, bursts that notion like an overripe tomato in the 100-plus degree heat.…”
—“Raising Poultry the New Old Way,” San Francisco Chronicle

“Given how hard most small farmers struggle to get started, Koefoed should by rights be crowing about how her gamble has paid off. After a heartbreaking false start, when her entire flock took sick…”
—”Oh Give Me a Home Where the Araucanas Roam” (PDF), Edible East Bay

“‘I thought there would be a market but I didn’t think there would be this obsession for farm eggs,’ says Koefoed, who bought her first hens four years ago…”
—”Pastured Eggs Catching On,” San Francisco Chronicle

“‘Working with nature, farming with nature’ is what it’s all about. In keeping with her animal conservationist and sustainable food passions, Koefoed has led the slow food movement in Solano County for the past year.…”
—”Good for the Soul, Good for the Soil,” The Vacaville Reporter