
The folks at Tree Hill Farms are on a mission: use regenerative farming to make good, healthy food. Make it simple, keep it delicious.
Which is why Earlhamites looking for a fresh bite close to campus have a new venue to check out.
Roots Bistro, the latest business to open in the Earlham Commons shopping center, had its first day of business on Thursday, January 16. They plan to be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
“Earlham has a long commitment to sustainability and really fits us as a business and family,” said Darby Livingston, general manager and operating partner of Roots Bistro. “We started out as farmers with Tree Hill farms, and we started with this idea that food shouldn’t be complicated. It should be healthy. I think you see that hunger with folks, that they want to eat healthier overall. That fits right with Earlham.”
But it’s not always easy to convince folks about Tree Hill Farm’s methods, Livingston notes. They support regenerative farming, an agricultural method that aims to reverse climate change through restoring degraded soil. This can be done with a variety of methods, including not tilling the land, utilizing compost and manure in the soil, rotating crops, managing grazing, and using cover crops. Regenerative practices are a priority for them.
This is how Tree Hill farms gets the ingredients for a lot of the food it has planned for the bistro. Think items like specialty seven cheese mac and cheese with imported noodles topped with chicken or BBQ, grilled paninis, salads and rice bowls. Strawberry dragonfruit and berry punch beverages are also on the menu.

It all sounds delicious, but it’s not always easy to convince folks about the benefits of regenerative farming until they have a grilled chicken sandwich or a specialty salad in their hands.
“Farming’s not cool,” says Livingston. “I mean, I think it’s cool, but most folks don’t, they don’t like getting dirty.”
Which is why Livingston’s trying to approach things from the restaurant side rather than farming.
If you’re wondering why these folks haven’t partnered with Miller Farm yet, don’t worry — that’s in the works, as are partnerships with Jim’s Amazing Bread in Indianapolis, Winner’s Meats, King and Sons poultry, and Tractor beverage company.
“That’s how we want to focus our efforts, local first and always,” says Livingston. Whether its partnering with local vendors or potentially hiring Earlham students soon, Livingston is all in with Earlham—he even went out of his way to decorate the restaurant space with pictures from Earlham, and used the iconic Earlham maroon in his design rather than the traditional Tree Hill Farms red.
“If we can convince them on the food end of things to buy into this process that’s better for the environment, things should go well,” says Livingston.
After all, it’s hard to say no to a delicious grilled panini.
In addition to Roots’ opening, Earlham Commons is also awaiting the arrival of Smoothie King as its third tenant.
Earlham Commons is the result of a partnership between Earlham College and StampD Development. Del DeMao and Dan Stamper are the co-owners of StampD Development and worked to develop Earlham Commons. DeMao is also the owner of DeMao Retail, which is leasing the building from Earlham College. Stamper, the owner of Thor Construction and Carroll Electric, is the project builder.

By Jay Kibble, writer/editor for Earlham College’s Office of Marketing and Communications.
Media contact
Brian Zimmerman
Interim co-vice president of marketing and communications
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 765.983.1256