Supporter Spotlight: Silver Run Forest Farm

Meet Jonathan McRay, caretaker of Silver Run Forest Farm. 

Together with the help of his business partner, Cornelius Deppe, life partner, Christen, and adorable little one, Luca, Jonathan is not just growing and selling trees - he is revitalizing land, propagating social change, and partnering with diverse communities all from his backyard.

When asked how he got into this line of work he replied, “Well, on paper, it wouldn't seem like a likely trajectory.” With the combination of his childhood in the woods of Eastern Tennessee, his undergraduate degree in English literature, and Masters degree in conflict transformation and restorative justice, he posits an incredibly unique perspective, one that unites the poetic beauty of nature and environmental restorative justice.

Since the foundation of Silver Run Forest Farm in 2017, Jonathan and Cornelius have cared for thousands of different plants and trees, shipping them all over the country. Some groups Silver Run has collaborated with include small farmers, avid gardeners, conservation groups, indigenous reclamation projects, Black farm start ups, and watershed restoration intiatives, just to name a few.

Regardless of who receives the trees, the goal of Silver Run Forest Farm remains the same: “to propagate beautiful and useful plants, as well as propagate social justice - to unite food sovereignty and ecological restoration”

Jonathan and Emerging Chefs

Throughout the years, Jonathan has welcomed Emerging Chefs students into his home to cook with the products he’s grown.

Our students making homemade pizza with chestnut flour produced and milled by Silver Run Forest Farm

Jonathan believes that learning practical cooking skills leads to conversations often far more important than the skills themselves, such as  “Where did this [food] come from? How does your family cook? What stories do you have about that? Where was that [food] grown? And what climate was and soil type was that [food] from? What kind of system would we need to make this as accessible to everybody as possible?”

This perspective perfectly aligns with the mission of Emerging Chefs, which is to connect students to their cultural heritage through food. Many of our students come from diverse backgrounds and often have been displaced from their home lands in some capacity. Emerging Chefs believes that cooking is a way for students to connect to their cultural identity, while at the same time form a sense of rootedness and connection to their new friends and homes.

Where to Find Silver Run Forest Farm

Visit the Silver Run Forest Farm Website to order from the nursery!

Instagram: @silverrunforestfarm

Facebook: Silver Run Forest Farm

If you or someone you know would like to support Emerging Chefs in a similar way to Jonathan, ie. have a cooking skill or space you’d like to share, please email kristi@ontheroadcollaborative.com