- December 20, 2024
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As managing partner of the Club at Renaissance in Fort Myers, Rodney Poole had been a customer of Rosy Tomorrows Heritage Farm in North Fort Myers. So when he saw the farm listed for sale, he knew it was a strong possibility for the new business venture he and his wife, Stacey, wanted to undertake.
Rodney and his partners sold the Club at Renaissance, a low-density gated development, in 2022. He and Stacey had been looking to purchase an event venue, but the couple hadn’t found the right fit yet. The farm checked a lot of boxes both in terms of uniqueness and functionality, since it already had a restaurant on-site.
Rodney looked at the property the day after he first saw the listing, bringing along chef Wesley Robbins (who’s also Stacey’s brother). “And I think from that day, we knew we were going to own it,” says Rodney.
Both he and Stacey grew up with grandparents who had farms in central Illinois, so they already had an understanding and appreciation of agricultural life. Rodney actually got his degree in agriculture from the University of Illinois, though he hadn’t used it in his career as a real estate developer.
But now he was ready to put it into action after the couple closed on the 86 acres in September 2023. About 300 animals came with the farm, and longtime farmhands Jn Francois Normil and Seliney Jacsaint agreed to stay on.
“They’ve been here for 11 years, and we wouldn’t have bought the farm if they didn’t stay,” says Rodney. “They’re very valuable, and they’re great guys. Their knowledge of the animals and everything going on is irreplaceable. … Their staying on was a key for us to be able to accomplish what we have accomplished in our first year.”
The Pooles renamed the farm operation Blossom & Brie after the female matriarchs on the property — a donkey named Blossom and a dairy cow named Brie. Today the farm has 70 cows, 60-plus pigs, 30 sheep, and more than 300 laying and broiler chickens.
New additions include Moo, a 13-year-old Holstein steer who previously lived at the Shell Factory in North Fort Myers. “He is so sweet, and he’s now in paradise,” says Rodney. “He’ll get to live the rest of his life here.”
After taking ownership of the farm, the couple got to work upgrading the kitchen equipment and parking area. (The Pooles decline to disclose how much they paid for the farm or invested in it, saying in an email that they "have made significant upgrades and improvements to the farm and we continue to do so." An LLC named Two Point Zero, managed by Rodney Poole, according to state records, paid $3.31 million for the farm property on Rosy Tomorrows Way in September 2023, Lee County property records show.)
On the work itself, the couple has built a new pole barn that can hold up to 150 people for weddings and other events, created a paved area with an arbor for wedding ceremonies and remodeled a farmhouse on-site to include a bridal suite for wedding parties.
On the farming front, they’ve been revamping and replanting some of the garden beds and added a freight farm. The repurposed 40-foot shipping container allows for year-round, climate-controlled farming via a vertical agricultural system that requires less water and no pesticides or herbicides. They’ll use that to grow lettuces, microgreens, edible flowers and herbs for use in the restaurant and event catering.
“It’s just a very unique way to be able to control the environment,” says Rodney. “And we all know that the environment here in Florida for growing things can be a little erratic.”
One downside is that it requires a lot of electricity. But once they have enough data on energy usage, they plan to apply for a USDA grant program to install solar panels. The freight farm “just fits in what we’re trying to do here,” says Rodney. “If this first one goes well, we may add another one because it’s very easy to do.”
The Pooles started off slowly when it came to the restaurant and events to make sure they fully had their footing. They hosted occasional wine dinners and barbecues toward the end of 2023 to start getting the word out about the new operation and help Robbins build his staff. They did takeout meals for Thanksgiving, holiday offerings for Christmas and a few holiday parties. But they didn’t open the restaurant full-time until the end of May 2024 and only held their first wedding in fall 2024.
“We opened on purpose in the summer, because we didn’t want to open up on December 1 and get slammed,” says Rodney. “And it’s all worked out.”
Though not without challenges that have included everything from hurricanes to mischievous animals getting loose and eating ingredients Robbins had planned to use on his menu. “There’s a lot of challenges in any business today, and I’m sure there’ll be some more challenges that come up we just don’t know about yet,” says Rodney. “But if there’s an issue, we’re going to find the best solution for it — and have a backup for it.”
They’re taking a similar cautious approach when it comes to what they produce at the farm. Right now they’re keeping everything in-house until they fully understand the patterns of the restaurant and events. But eventually they hope to be able to sell to others as well.
Stacey and the site’s director of farmside dining and events, Leslie Ball, have been attending wedding expos and meeting with vendors to get the word out about the farm’s event venue. “We’ve been establishing relationships and been advertising,” says Stacey. “We’ve been doing tours and scheduling and we’ve got some on the books. My son’s getting married here in March, so we’re very excited about that.”
Couples and guests seem to appreciate the fact that a wedding at Blossom & Brie can include things like admiring the animals during cocktail hour and watching beautiful sunsets over the farm. “People seem to leave here happy, and that makes us very happy,” says Stacey.
“I’d say that 99% of people, by the time they get in here, they’re already at ease because they’re on a unique farm,” says Rodney. “So they’re already relaxed coming in, and it’s a real advantage for us. I tell everybody that as soon as I hit this driveway in the morning, my blood pressure goes down. And I think everybody else’s does too.”
