A Dream Called Sacra Acres
Welcome to Sacra Acres. If you've found your way here, we hope you'll stay awhile. Every loaf of bread, every pie, every jar of jam, every pickle, and every fresh egg has a story behind it. But before we tell you about what we make, we'd like to tell you how it all began.
I was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and spent much of my childhood near Walterboro, just down the road from the Edisto River. Growing up in South Carolina's Lowcountry, fresh food wasn't something special—it was simply how we lived. Raw milk was delivered to our front door, eggs came from the farmer across the street, and local fruits, vegetables, and wild berries were always within reach. Home-cooked meals weren't reserved for holidays; they were part of everyday life. In fact, it took me a long time to get used to store-bought milk because fresh was all I'd ever known.
Looking back, I realize those simple experiences shaped who I am. They taught me that real ingredients matter, food made from scratch tastes better, and sharing a meal is one of the best ways to care for the people around you.
For much of my life, I was searching for my passion, but looking back, all the pieces were there from the beginning. Animals have always had my heart. Over the years, I worked on several horse farms, spent time working for a veterinarian, and even showed Simmental cattle for a couple of summers. I've always had gardens and worked at a few nurseries, where I learned even more about growing healthy plants and appreciating the changing seasons.
Cooking and baking were woven into that life, too. I was making Thanksgiving dinner when I was just fourteen years old, learning alongside my mom, who cooked at Graves Mountain Lodge in Madison, Virginia. As an adult, I continued that journey working in some wonderful restaurants around the Charlottesville area, where I gained an even greater appreciation for good food, quality ingredients, and the joy that comes from feeding people.
I wasn't looking for love—but somehow, love found me. I was living in Charlottesville, and Michael was in Martinsville, originally from Crozet. Even though we lived a few hours apart, we had plenty of mutual friends. One day, I shared a photo on Facebook of a dish I had made—a sweet potato, tomato, and kimchi hash. Of all things, that meal started a conversation. We chatted here and there over the course of a month or so. Nothing serious—just simple conversations about the weather, how our days were going, and life in general. Then one day he asked, "The next time I'm up your way, would you be interested in going to dinner?"
From that point on, we talked almost nonstop for the next three weeks before he drove nearly three hours to take me on our first date. I'll admit it—I was nervous. Dating had never really been my thing, and I certainly wasn't expecting to meet someone on Facebook. It still makes me laugh that a homemade meal was what brought us together.
But from that first date, something just felt easy. We shared so many of the same values—a love for animals, gardening, the outdoors, home-cooked meals, and the dream of living a simpler life. Before long, conversations about recipes and gardens turned into conversations about building a future together.
Our first Christmas together, I asked Michael a question that seemed simple at the time. "If you could have a farm someday, what would you call it?" We tossed around ideas until one name just felt right. Sacra Acres. That Christmas, I gave him a custom wooden sign with those two words carved across the front. There was no farm yet. No land. No business. Just a dream. That sign became a promise—a reminder that one day we'd build a place filled with animals, gardens, fresh food, and a life we could be proud of.
Not long afterward, I took what was probably the biggest leap of faith in my life. I packed up everything I knew in Charlottesville and moved to Fieldale, Virginia—a town I'd never even heard of before meeting Michael. Looking back now, it sounds a little crazy. But sometimes the biggest blessings begin with the biggest leaps of faith.
That move wasn't just about changing my address. It was about believing in a future we wanted to build together—a future rooted in hard work, caring for animals, growing our own food, baking from scratch, preserving the harvest, and creating something meaningful that we could share with others.
Today, that dream is becoming reality. Sacra Acres is more than a business to us. It's a reflection of the life we're building together. It's a place where old-fashioned values still matter, where quality comes before convenience, and where we believe the best food starts with honest ingredients and a little extra care.
Whether it's a loaf of naturally fermented sourdough, a pie made from scratch, a jar of homemade preserves, fresh eggs, or something else from our kitchen, we hope what you take home is more than just good food. We hope you taste the love, the hard work, and the dream behind it.
As we continue writing our story, we hope you'll follow along for the next chapter as we build our farm from the ground up. There will be gardens to plant, orchards to grow, animals to raise, sourdough to bake, harvests to preserve, and undoubtedly a few lessons learned along the way.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Your support isn't just helping a small business—it is helping turn a dream into reality, one loaf, one harvest, and one season at a time.
Welcome to Sacra Acres. We're so glad you're here.