about

Originating in 2011 with the opening of Farmhouse Tavern in Chicago's River North neighborhood, Farmheads is a hospitality group with the mission of offering affordable, approachable Midwestern fare based on locally sourced and sustainable ingredients.

We source from our own farm in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, called Brown Dog Farm. With over 50 bee hives and a growing garden of fruits and vegetables, Farm Bar co-founder and farmer TJ is kept busy bringing us the bounty of the Midwest.

Come join our family table, enjoy the food your grandmother would have made, and enjoy a craft cocktail or a glass of beer or wine with us. Bring the Family!

Ferdia is the co-founder and owner of Farm Bar. A career marketing and advertising professional, Ferdia had a successful career with Frankel and Company, Hal Riney, Euro RSCG, and Publicis. Ferdia later founded Rain Communications, a creative marketing communications & strategy firm. He is also a movie producer in his spare time. 

Ferdia's focus is front-of-the-house operations, marketing, and community outreach. Ferdia and his wife, Nora Gainer, live in Lincoln Park with three children, Bebhinn, Aonghus, and Maude.

TJ is a co-founder and owner of Farm Bar and is the farmer at Brown Dog Farm, the Farm Bar farm in Southwestern Wisconsin. Not long ago, a Farm Bar guest asked TJ what he had done before he entered the restaurant business. His response was, "Junior High." 

TJ's undergraduate degree is in hospitality from the University of Massachusetts, and he has an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.  TJ serves as the treasurer of the Restaurant Association and is on the Chicago Alumni Board for the University of Chicago. 

A career restaurant leader, TJ has done everything you can do in the business from being a fry cook and bartender, GM of a $7MM TGI Friday's, F&B Director of a ski area to restructuring $200 MM restaurant companies. His focus at Farm Bar is finance, accounting, strategy, and systems.  TJ lives in Lakeview with his wife, Molly McCombe, and Tosca, their Chesapeake Bay Retriever. 

Amanda is the office manager for Farmheads Hospitality. She graduated from Kendall College in Chicago with a degree in Hospitality Management and a focus in Event & Meeting Planning. Since joining Farmheads in November 2011, she has played a key role in keeping operations running smoothly behind the scenes. She enjoys traveling, trying new foods, and baking with her daughter in her free time.

Diego started working in Banquets and Private Dining in 2006. He began as a server and joined management a few years later to execute weddings and corporate events; in 2010, Diego worked for the Chicago Bulls & Chicago Blackhawks, where he found his passion for Restaurants and Management. Diego has been with Farmheads for a little over four years now. Diego likes to create and develop new cocktails, and on his time off, likes a good bike ride or an outdoor hike.