IT ALL STARTED WITH A VISION…
“The cuisine and the well-balanced beers at the brewpub is a vision I’ve had for quite some time. I want it to come full circle: sourcing our product as fresh and as local as we can. We want to give back to our local food partners, one way is by giving our spent grain from brewing to local farmers to feed their cattle and animals. We will also incorporate that spent grain in our house-made breads and even plan to make dog treats for our four-legged patrons. We want to become a part of this community in every way possible,” says Tim Stevens, who has been in the restaurant scene his entire career.
Starting out at the age of fifteen, his first job was waiting tables in an upscale retirement home in his hometown of Clearwater, FL. He worked at a few restaurants along the way before moving to Atlanta to join the Buckhead Life Group. With his gained experience at the Buckhead Diner, he was hired at Nava as a Manager and seven months later, was promoted to General Manager. It was there Stevens met world renowned and award winning chef, Kevin Rathbun. The two grew up in the Atlanta restaurant scene together and maintained their friendship, with Stevens having great admiration for Kevin’s drive and passion for good food. “Kevin has always been someone I have greatly respected and I knew he would understand the passion I have for the brewpub”, says Stevens. After a few discussions about Stevens’ vision for the brewpub, Kevin and his wife, Melissa, became investors in the From the Earth concept.
“We have always trusted Tim’s judgement and expertise in the industry, so becoming investors was something we were happy to do. We want to see him succeed doing what he loves to do,” says Rathbun.
Veteran Brewmaster, Kevin McNerney, has been instrumental in the design and setup phase of the concept with his expertise in all things beer. McNerney is onboard as Head Brewing Consultant, a relationship From the Earth hopes to continue for years to come.