Stacey + Casey
Partners in rhyme, connected on a farm.
Learn more about our motivations and backgrounds and hear from some of our longtime customers.
Stacey Carlberg and Casey Gustowarow met in the office at The Farm at Sunnyside in 2009. Casey was a farm intern then and 2023 marks their 14th year of growing food together with real care for their soil and their employees. Little did they know that chance meeting would lead to marriage and a shared career.
Early on, Casey wooed Stacey with the meals he cooked for her and her housemates who pleaded with Stacey not to mess this up. Their shared interest in growing food responsibly and enjoying good meals in community lead to over a decade of farming and eating together. Following two management positions at Potomac Vegetable Farms (2011-2014) and The Farm at Sunnyside (2015-2020), they scaled-down and launched their own farm + food business in 2021: Fireside Farm. Based in Loudoun County, VA, Fireside Farm is a site where vegetables, grain and community grows organically. Currently, the farm produce and grain is transformed into wood-fired pizzas inspired by the freshness of the seasons and eclectic tastes that drive Casey's passion for cooking.
A little more about us
Stacey Carlberg
Stacey's love of and curiosity in the natural world guided her toward a career in farming. Earning a degree in Ecology and Evolution from The Ohio State University allowed for further investigation of relationships between insects, weeds, weather, and humans. In her role as a farm manager and owner, Stacey is responsible for all manner of relationships that drive a successful farm. She manages business partnerships as well as customer and employee relationships. Stacey believes in and works toward a world in which farming is not only a viable and sustainable career path for their employees but also an integral part of community food and economic systems. She has helped organize several farmers markets in their fledgling stages including the Crossroads Farmers Market, Rappahannock County Farmers Market and now the Farmers Market at Wheatland Spring.
Casey Gustowarow
Casey started his culinary adventure baking alongside his mom as a four-year-old. He has swapped bags of all-purpose flour for the ingredients he and Stacey grow themselves making the outcome a little less predictable, but just as exciting and new as cooking felt as a kid. Casey's passion for cooking drives the crop diversity on Fireside Farm and you can taste the influences of the years he spent as a PeaceCorps volunteer in the Philippines and his travels to Borneo, Myanmar, and many other places in Indonesia. Casey lives for the whole food journey from field to plate. Especially the farm dinners that unite the pleasure of growing delicious food and enjoying it in the company of good people.
