howard married ben knight, one of her coworkers at voyage, and the two started a soup delivery business out of their apartment in harlem, an effort that included chilling soup in the bathtub. despite offers from investors to open a brick and mortar location in new york, the couple agreed to accept howard’s parents' offer to buy a restaurant in kinston. howard and knight moved to north carolina in 2005 and opened chef & the farmer in 2006 in a downtown building that was previously a mule stable. more than 60% of the ingredients used in the restaurant come from within a 90-mile radius.