New Columbus restaurant to open Wednesday

COLUMBUS — Thanks to the efforts of a trio of friends, the community will soon have a new place to enjoy fresh, locally-sourced food with their families.

Owners Carl Pleasants, of Columbus, and Adrienne Wilson, of Tryon, will officially open their new Columbus restaurant, The Rural Seed, on Wednesday. The eatery, located in the former location of Winding Creek Brewing Co. at 322 E. Mill St., will offer breakfast and lunch dishes, made with fruits, vegetables and meats from Polk County farms, including Pleasants’ own field, located a few miles away in Lynn.

The owners have also partnered with Saluda’s Bradley Farms, which will provide locally-raised beef, pork and poultry for the kitchen, as well as Tryon’s Sunny Creek Farm, which will supply the restaurant with salad greens. Columbus’ Standing Stone Breads is also providing the kitchen with a variety of breads and buns for the menu’s assortment of sandwiches and burgers.

Joining Pleasants and Wilson — the latter of whom is the kitchen’s executive chef — is Jennifer Sattler, the restaurant’s general manager. The three are longtime co-workers, having spent the past several years serving customers at Bright’s Creek Golf Club before its closing this past winter.

In spite of the unfortunate turn of events, the three — who had discussed starting their own farm-to-table restaurant for years — decided to use the situation to finally turn their dream into a reality.

In a pleasant twist of fate, the owner of the closed brewery’s building reached out to let the entrepreneurs know that there was space available in the venue, which already contained plenty of equipment and furniture for them to use. After a few weeks of painting and remodeling, the staff of The Rural Seed is ready to begin welcoming customers.

“This is what we enjoy doing,” Pleasants said about the new restaurant. “This is what we have experience doing. We feel we can provide good food and service to guests here.”

The menu offers traditional American favorites, with some Mexican and Asian-inspired influences. For breakfast, guests can enjoy staples such as pancakes, waffles and French toast, while for lunch, the kitchen offers a variety of burgers, tacos, salads and sandwiches.

Guests can enjoy their meals in the casual dining room, which is accented by local photographs on the walls.

“We want this to be a place where you can go out as a family, without having to worry about breaking the bank,” Wilson said.

“It is a place where Mom can come in wearing high heels and Dad can come in wearing muddy boots,” Sattler added.

The Rural Seed will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call the restaurant at 828-802-1097 or visit www.facebook.com/theruralseed.