Board of Directors/Officers
Alan Sheriff
Chairman
Alan is originally from New York City but has lived over the past 25 years in Bucks County, PA. Alan and his wife Karen have been members of the Bluffton community since 2016, when they became part-timers at Palmetto Bluff and became immediately addicted to the food and staff at FARM since the day it opened. Alan and Brandon bonded over their love of food and the restaurant industry and shortly thereafter, Alan was asked to be a partner. Alan has been in investment banking for 38 years and since 2005 has been the founder and and now former CEO of Solebury Capital. Alan currently serves as Vice Chairman of PNC Bank. Alan is humbled to be part of the FARM and Common Thread families and dedicated to the contributions that the Rootstock Community Foundation makes to the communities of Bluffton and Savannah.
Ryan Williamson
Co-President
Ryan Williamson spent his youth with one foot in the city and the other in the country, splitting time between Savannah with his mother and Richmond Hill with his father. It was the men in Williamson’s family who taught him to love cooking. He grew up doing most of the grunt work -- heading shrimp, picking crab, tending to the garden - in and around the kitchen and at large family gatherings. His father and Uncle Johnny enjoyed hosting and entertaining as many people as they could talk into coming to a party (a trait they inherited from their father) and thus, it was only natural that Ryan would follow in their footsteps – toward foodways. Ryan’s mother taught him everything else -- about hard work (she often worked two to three jobs to make ends meet), and family, and the importance of a big heart, of connecting with and giving to others.
After graduating from the University of Georgia in 1999, Williamson spent nine years in the real estate business until 2008, when his friend, and owner of Savannah Bee Company asked him to help design, build and brand the company’s first flagship retail store. Soon Williamson was responsible for all day to day operations, for Savannah Bee, helping to grow the business into the nationally recognized brand it is today.Until 2011 when Williamson’s triplets (yes, triplets!) arrived and he became a stay at home dad. In June 2013, Williamson and his wife Joanne purchase a 5-acre farm property bordering Palmetto Bluff. Low Country Farms shares a border with the community, but that’s hardly Williamson’s only connection to Palmetto Bluff. He and Joanne were married there in 2008, and it’s been a perennial favorite destination since. And soon Williamson began providing the produce for Palmetto Bluff restaurants – sometimes merely a $14 bunch of radishes, but still enough to form a bond with Palmetto Bluff’s then chef Brandon Carter. Together the two would walk the farm, talking through what the next planting would include, and concepting new dishes for Palmetto Bluff’s four restaurant’s menus.
Williamson soon realized that he might be one step closer to his dream of owning a restaurant, and supplying that restaurant with his own produce. FARM Bluffton is a culmination of everything Williamson loves about Bluffton and the Lowcountry and his opportunity to engage the community in the stories behind the food they eat, and where that food comes from. When he’s not at the restaurant, Williamson and his wife, Joanne, are chasing Molly Mae, Ella Louise, and Johnny Pryce around their farm.
Brandon Carter
Co-President
As executive chef and partner of FARM, Brandon Carter works tirelessly to connect the dining experience with the farmer’s culture. Always cognizant of seasonality and availability of ingredients, Carter crafts ever-evolving menus that speak to the bounty of the region, and pay homage to the many farmers and artisans who inspire him.
Born in Ohio and raised in Georgia, Carter was inspired by the allure of the kitchen during a family trip to Italy at only thirteen years old. Compelled by the industry’s high energy, Carter took his talents to the Culinary Institute of America where he graduated in 1999. Just prior to FARM, Carter was executive chef at the Inn at Palmetto Bluff. He first joined the Inn at Palmetto Bluff as Chef de Cuisine in January 2011, assisting with the management of the River House Restaurant, including menu planning and all aspects of production and service. One year later, Brandon took the helm as executive chef where he oversaw four restaurants, twice as many menus, and was the grand poobah of the nationally lauded Music to Your Mouth food and wine event, which landed Palmetto Bluff on Bon Appetit’s Top Ten Foodie Destination List in 2013.
Previously, Carter served as Chef de Partie and Chef de Cuisine at The Ritz-Carlton Naples in South Florida, assisting with the management of three of the hotel’s restaurants from 2004 to 2011. Carter also gained experience at Mumbo Jumbo Bar and Grill in Atlanta from 2000 to 2003, where he started as Sous Chef and worked his way to Chef de Cuisine. Carter is supported by his wife, Jessica, and their two children Declan and Bailey, all of whom contribute to Carter’s success at FARM. When he’s not in the kitchen, Carter enjoys spending time with his family, quoting rock ballads and late night trips to the taco truck.