Chow Bio

So you’re co-owners of a buzzy new sandwich spot in Fremont
called Homegrown. You’re also insanely young! How’d you guys
meet?

Ben: We’re 23. We went to kindergarten together.

Brad: I was actually friends with one of his neighbors. We had a
very 5-year-old friendship. It consisted of digging in the sand and a
shared love of PB&J sandwiches.

Ben: We used to play this game called nutrient farm. We would use
little trucks and literally drive nutrients from one house to the
other.

Brad: We learned a lot about nutrients.

You call yourselves “sandwich environmentalists.” Does your next
project involve building a zoo for endangered BLTs? Chaining yourselves
to wild arugula?

Ben: A sandwich environmentalist is someone who puts a little more
thought into creating sandwiches. We try to use organic ingredients
from local farms and serve them on green materials.

Whose idea was it to plop edible centerpieces on every
table?

Brad: The potted plants were a collaboration. They’re more symbolic
than anything else.

Ben: We try not to be too preachy.

What would you say to Subway’s Jared Fogle?

Brad: I would say, “Jared, you might be losing a few pounds, but the
food you’re eating isn’t really all that healthy. Homegrown has many
low-calorie options, and unlike Subway, we don’t feed our cattle
straight-up grain.”