Ones to Watch: The new guard shaping Atlanta’s food scene in 2018

The Farmer: Eugene Cooke

Photograph by Ben Rollins

A new generation of urban farmers is emerging in Atlanta, but Eugene Cooke has been at it for a while, first as a cofounder of Truly Living Well (TLW) and now with his social enterprise Grow Where You Are (GWYA). The big idea: “Keep your garden close,” he says, and you will stay healthy—physically and fiscally. Cooke manages three to five plots in the city, selling the produce at either farmers markets or directly to chefs (Restaurant Eugene and Empire State South are clients) or giving it back to the surrounding communities. “The right word for me is an agroecologist, but for people to understand it, yes, farmer,” he says with a chuckle. This year, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation named Cooke one of its Culture of Health Leaders, which means he’ll get training and funding. “I want to create land ownership opportunities for the young people matriculating through urban agriculture boot camps here,” he says, referencing the farming workshops at TLW and GWYA. “Our neighborhoods need plots for them to farm!”