Cultivating community: The man behind Fox Point Farms

If you live in or around Encinitas, you’re already aware of the new development called Fox Point Farms, which has been here for over a year now. But you may not know what a welcoming place it is, and how many delights it offers to visitors of all ages.

A good way to find out about the place is to meet the man who dreamed it into being: Brian Grover, who smilingly refers to himself as “the owner/janitor of Fox Point Farms”.

“When anything goes wrong, I’m usually out there trying to fix it,” he explained, when we met in the large grassy area he calls their backyard.

Having a bachelor’s degree in structural engineering and a master’s degree in regional planning and urban design gave him the know-how to design the whole 21-acre property, which includes five-and-a-half acres of regenerative farmland, a produce market, a brewery, and various places to play, eat, drink, and relax. It was formerly home to the greenhouses of the 100-year-old Ecke Ranch, and he has photographs of their floral history on the walls of his office.

Grover grew up in the San Fernando Valley but spent summers on his cousins’ dairy farm in Wisconsin, and healthy farming was always at the heart of his plan for the property. Then a new development gave additional focus to his planning.

“My wife and I found out we were having a baby, so I wanted to create a place where kids would thrive, a world that feels safe and friendly, where they could experience nature, touch real live animals, and be nourished by the food that we grow,” he said.

His wife, Laurie, works in urban planning; they have the same degrees, but went to different schools, and met in Encinitas in 2016. Their first-born, Haley, is now four years old, with a one-year-old baby brother, Greg, and they spend lots of family time at Fox Point Farms.

“This place is really an experiment in trying to bring people together,” says Grover. “And the staff is like family too. In fact, Greg is named after our head farmer, Greg Reese!”

The most notable thing in the wide green backyard is the Nature Slide, originally a condemned tree in Leucadia that Grover bought and brought here. He wanted to turn it into something kids could climb on and needed someone who was good with a chainsaw. A friend recommended Valerie Alt, a local wood-working artist.

Here’s what Alt had to say about the Nature Slide: “It was carved from a 40-foot-long eucalyptus, and eucalyptus wood is exceptionally oily. The bark was actually glued to the tree, so I had to sharpen and clean my chainsaw every five minutes. It took three weeks just to de-bark it, and three months to finish the piece. It’s an immersive sculpture inviting children–and the child in all of us–to connect more deeply with the natural world.”

And here are some welcoming words from Grover: “We warmly invite everyone to experience our farm-to-table food, shop in our vibrant market, join us for unforgettable events, and explore the beauty and heartfelt hospitality of our working farm.”

There are $20 happy hours and an upscale restaurant upstairs above the market, which has fresh produce and fresh-brewed coffee. And even on Sundays, you can always find a pleasant table outside.

My husband and I love the tasty Huerta fish tacos, (daily except Wednesdays and Thursdays), brewer Brian Carl’s refreshing Hibiscus Beer, watching kids make their way up and down the Nature Slide, feeding hay to the animals at the end of a Farm Tour, and chatting with the friendly staff, who will happily share Fox Point stories with you when they’re free.

For the latest information on what’s going on visit www.foxpointfarms.com

Fox Point Farms is located at 1200 Fox Point Farms Lane, Encinitas, 92024.