Yes, chef

Life and work can feel overwhelming. Sometimes, even careful organization and planning isn’t enough, and life goes off the rails.

"The Bear," a TV show on Hulu that recently debuted its second season, showcases this better than anything I’ve seen maybe ever. The show is set in the world of fine dining — a profession that requires attention to detail and years and years of training and hard work. Or at least the illusion of it. Because, as "The Bear" details, sometimes chaos reigns behind the scenes and, sometimes, succeeding is just about making the most of the chaos. And sometimes the chaos allows someone to find their path forward. In "The Bear," that’s Sydney as played by Ayo Edebiri.

Growing isn’t as chaotic as fine dining — and I doubt there’s as much profanity uttered in a greenhouse as there is in a kitchen as depicted in The Bear. But growing is something that, even with careful planning, requires adapting on the fly and taking advantage of opportunities as they present themselves.

That’s part of the story about the subject of this month’s cover story, Hardee Fresh. Founded by Halton Peters and Tyler Jacoby, Hardee Fresh is a vertical farm whose business model was carefully planned out and detailed. Every aspect of the business plan — from custom lights to the rack systems used in the facility to the location of the farm in Hardee County — was meticulously planned. The environment, by design, is also entirely controlled and something Peters and Jacoby plan to move around the country.

But even in that context, they've had to remain nimble to maximize what their company can be. As Jacoby tells it, Hardee Fresh’s deal with Whole Foods only happened because of something they didn’t plan for. In negotiating with Whole Foods with the goal of getting their leafy greens on the shelves, Whole Foods wanted herbs first to fill a more immediate need. So, Hardee Fresh increased its herb production and now is building a farm dedicated solely to herb production. Read more about Hardee Fresh on page 8.

So, sometimes, consider the unexpected. Planning is great and necessary. But it isn’t everything. Sometimes, life not going as planned can take you where you were supposed to be all along.