About Us - Heyday Farm

What We Do

We grow and sell farm fresh food, offer farm to table events, and professional and family retreats for our island community and visitors near and far who want to understand, experience and celebrate our region and the food we produce.

Our People

Tadao Mitsui

Owner & Executive Chef

While growing up on the island I always valued the closeness of the community to local farms.

Having spent most of my cooking life in traditional kitchen settings, coming to work on the farm is a breath of fresh air. As a child I would ask my father for a snack and funny enough I would ask for salad. Now that I have four young children the importance of educating them about the connection of farms to the community is apparent. My children love to eat produce and berries right from the plant like I once did and now I am fortunate to be part of a uniquely beautiful farm to have them learn and grow on.

Tifanie Mitsui

Owner & Farm House Beverage Director

I’m an Islander for life. My family moved from Seattle to Bainbridge when I was 5.

When I was 14 a family friend offered me a summer job at their cheese company, which began my work in the food industry. Through island hopping and traveling around the world, I’ve developed a love for good food and wine. I keep coming back to food and service amid all of the other passions I’ve pursued. I’ve been a personal cook and housekeeper, personal assistant for a production company, bartender, food server, preschool teacher, nanny, to now being a mom of four and the Beverage Director at Heyday Farm. I love what I do here on the farm, in this picturesque setting. Heyday’s sense of farm to table hits home for me. I love simple, clean, local food, and love to share it with my children. It’s amazing to get out in the garden and see the whole circle, seed to plant to compost back to soil.

Shari Stoddard

Farm House Event Manager

As a native Bainbridge Islander I have had the good fortune of enjoying the Island’s bounty as far back as I can remember.

As a young girl my best friend and I would get dropped off at the strawberry fields, pick and eat ripe berries all day, then go home and turn them into delicious strawberry shortcakes to sell right outside our front door. When I became a mother, my daughters would pick buckets of berries from our driveway to bake into our famous “driveway” pie, a favorite that is still requested when hosting friends and family. I’m so happy to be a part of a farm that has been restored to its former glory. I thoroughly enjoy the role of host and getting to share this special place and delicious food with our guests. See you on the farm…

Brian Stahl

Farm & Livestock Manager

I moved to Bainbridge Island in 1996 from Wisconsin where I grew up on and later owned a 50 cow dairy farm.

After graduating from University of Wisconsin – River Falls with an Agriculture Business degree, I worked for Land O Lakes as a Livestock Production Specialist. This opportunity gave me great experience working with several livestock types and farming operations. As a Kitsap Conservation District employee, I got involved with Heyday Farm in the planning stages and wrote the Conservation Farm Plan. The Farm Plan provided technical information on pasture, manure, and livestock management. My goal as Farm Manager is to grow food in an environmentally sustainable way and provide our community with healthy protein.

Our Wonderful Farm Staff

“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much”

-Helen Keller

Farmers:

Bailey Allegro, Josh Lesko, Kate Potter, Mae Toohey

Back of the House:

Chico Joice – Chef de Cuisine, Lindsay Nolan – Pastry Chef, Mandy Holliger

Front of the House:

Hannah Blankenship, Jadyn Velazquez

Farm Kitchen Bakers

Adrian Kollodge, Allan Abromovitz, Arron Brown, Audrey Domes, Karin Muth

On the Farm

Heyday Farm was founded in 2011, restoring over 25 acres of historic farmland that had been slated for development. In a unique partnership between farmer and landowner and many local and regional contractors, the turn of the century Pederson farmhouse was painstakingly restored and expertly updated harkening back to an era on the Island when farms were “in their heyday.” In 2013, we were honored for this effort by the Bainbridge Island Historic Preservation Commission with a Blakely Award for outstanding historic preservation efforts on the Island.

In the News

December 12, 2017 – Westsound Home and Garden

Heyday Farm Brings Sustainable Food to the People

by Tess Bolosan Haddon and Darren Strenge

The farm strives to return to the “heyday” of Bainbridge Island farms, when much of the food was locally sourced.

Read full article here >

July 21, 2017 – Kitsap Sun

A Once a Week Treat on Bainbridge Island

by Terri Gleich

Read full article here >

August 1, 2015 – Seattle Magazine

11 Perfect Weekend Getaways Near Seattle

by Nicole Meoli Myles

Pottery Barn meets Little House on the Prairie at Bainbridge Island’s Heyday Farm, where the name of the game is connecting people with the source of their food in an authentic and charming setting.

Read full article here >

VIDEO by Tally Black-Brown.