Beauty DEEPLY ROOTED in CREATING

The roots of George and Katharine Elders’ ever-expanding Elderslie Farm ventures may be on a 102-acre plot of land in Kechi, but they go deeper than the ground they are in, they are nourished by classic literature and opera and an entrepreneurial lineage.

“I would never have pursued entrepreneurship and local culture without reading people like the English romantics,” said George Elder, as he took a break from creating fine furniture, including tabletops for the Elders’ new restaurant in the Wichita Art Museum and his woodworking business’ first foray into a line of home furniture.

AMY GEISZLER-JONES AARON

PATTON

“William Wordsworth would be one of the most influential; and Victorian art critics like John Ruskin, who lived through very similar times, when they were interested in preserving authentic culture and deepening cultural rootedness tied to originality and nature.”

He also finds inspiration in a quote by 19thcentury Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky: “Beauty will save the world.” Some, like George, who studied history and English literature at Clemson University, interpret that Dostoevsky wasn’t talking about aesthetic beauty; he was talking about the beauty that comes from inspiring the best in people and from the connections people and communities form with each other.

“The business endeavors that we have undertaken … is my understanding of creating desirable culture. If you look at our mission statement, it’s to celebrate and elevate the culture of South Central Kansas,” George said.

Since starting the commercial endeavors of Elderslie Farm more than a decade ago, George and Katharine have greatly expanded from their initial sawmill and woodworking shop and you-pick summertime blackberry farm. Through the years, they added the seasonal Bramble Café, a farm-to-table fine dining restaurant on-site, and a goat dairy and artisan cheesemaking operation.

Now they are expanding from their home base of Elderslie Farm — purchased by George’s parents, Philip and Becky — into two locations in Wichita.

Everyday by Elderslie, a retail shop selling local and sustainably sourced items including Elderslie products such as its charcuterie boards and cheeses, opened in December 2022 at Bradley Fair, 2132 N. Rock Road, near the Il Vicino restaurant.

This March, its new restaurant concept, 1400 by Elderslie, will open in the Wichita Art Museum. The restaurant replaces the 15-year, Latour-run cafe and is expected to focus on breakfast, lunch, weekend brunch, coffee and bar service and eventually dinner, while also handling the museum’s catering.

Family Influences

In visiting with George and Katharine Elder, it becomes apparent both are products of their family influences.

George credits both his maternal and paternal genes for his interest in entrepreneurship. His maternal great-grandfather, Walter Love, founded the Love Box Co. in 1923. His grandfather, Bob Love, ran the company for a long time, and George’s father, Philip, was also associated with the company. Philip Elder helped stimulate his son’s interest in the land. Before George’s birth, Philip had worked on a sheep station in Western Australia and had also managed sawmill operations in Arkansas.

Katharine said she grew up in a very “culinaryinterested” household. In fact, her mother, Judith Wencel, organizes small group trips to Northern Italy that often revolve around food. A fall 2022 trip featured Katharine as the guest chef for cooking classes.

The daughter of pulmonologist Mark Wencel, Katharine went to Wichita State University to study chemistry and opera. She remembers being teased about her career choices with comments like, “Are you going to sing when you’re in the lab?” She sees both fields as having been helpful in her chosen culinary career now. Culinary concepts are often the product of good chemistry, while the hospitality industry involves performance elements of setting the stage for a successful customer experience.

Married since 2011, George and Katharine met years earlier. Their parents were friends who attended the same church and the Wencels were often invited to the Elderses’ farm, an experience Katharine remembers with fondness.

“It was always a place where people came and gathered, and were welcomed and fed,” Katharine noted.

Building the Beauty

In creating their various business entities, George and Katharine are also helping other artisans and small, local businesses. They are creating those connections and community that add to the beauty Dostoevsky mused about.

For example, the woodworking shop sources local Kansas trees, purchased from small growers or farmers who don’t have the sort of logging numbers that would interest bigger sawmills. George and the joiners he employs turn the wood into charcuterie boards, live edge bar tops, tabletops and now a line of bedroom furniture.

The couple has grown their goat herd from about 50 to more than 70, and this year expect about 50 kids to be born on the farm. While some will be kept as replacements for their own dairy herd, the Elderses also expect to sell several as replacements in other Kansas herds.

In her farm-to-table dinners, Katharine relies on seasonal produce grown by several area farmers.

“We are very dedicated to seasonality and locality and showcasing what the growers right around here have to offer,” Katharine said.

While bottom lines are important in business, the pair said one of their goals is to add value to other people’s lives.

“We know we’re not solving people’s practical issues…but we are trying to render something beautiful to their lives whether it’s through a fine dining experience, cheese or a piece of furniture,” George said. “I think Dostoevsky was right, ‘beauty will save the world.’”

2009

Elderslie Woodworks, which sources Kansas trees for its products, is established.

2012

The front room of the farmhouse where George Elder grew up is converted into a dining space and Katharine serves the first formal farm-to-table dinner, initially using vegetables grown on the farm by George’s sister, Alexis. The Bramble Café opens.

The first blackberries are planted at Elderslie Farm. With their dense, compact growth, the fruit allows the farm to maximize its smaller acreage.

Farmhouse renovations are completed to include a commercial kitchen and more dining rooms and a patio for the fine dining restaurant.

2020 2023

Elderslie Creamery opens. Cheeses are made onsite with milk from the farm’s goat herd.

Elderslie Woodworks will release its first room collection featuring bedroom furniture. 1400 Elderslie will open in the Wichita Art Museum.

Everyday by Elderslie, a bricks-and-mortar store, opens in Bradley Fair.

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