Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Becker.
Kristen, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Kristen Becker’s culinary story began long before she ever stepped into a professional kitchen. Growing up just outside of Newton in Green Township, New Jersey, food was always an important part of family life. Her father taught her how to bake, while her grandmother and great-grandmother taught her how to cook—passing down family recipes, traditions, and an appreciation for making food from scratch with fresh ingredients. Sunday supper wasn’t simply a meal; it was part of the family, and those early days in the kitchen helped shape the way Kristen would approach food for the rest of her life.
Her passion started showing itself early. Kristen cooked through 4-H and, remarkably, by just 16 years old had already started her own catering business, Peaches and Dreams. What began with family recipes and a love of cooking was quickly becoming something much bigger.
Kristen went on to attend the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and furthered her education by studying food science, building a foundation that combined the traditions she learned at home with the technical knowledge of professional cooking.
Her first professional cooking job was at the Millside Cafe in Lafayette, beginning a career that would take her through nearly every side of the culinary world. She went on to work as a private chef for the DuPont family and eventually became an entrepreneur herself, owning and operating a number of beloved local food businesses over the years, including the Lafayette General Store, The Tea Hive, and Cheddar Alley.
Each chapter was different, but food, hospitality and creativity remained the common thread.
Later in her career, Kristen found herself commuting from Sussex County to Jersey City every day while working for DeBragga & Spitler, one of the area’s respected meat purveyors. Although she remained deeply connected to the food industry, something was missing. She missed creating. She missed cooking. Most importantly, she missed being in the kitchen.
That realization ultimately brought her home.
Kristen wanted to create a restaurant that reflected where she came from: fresh ingredients, thoughtful cooking, familiar flavors, family recipes and the feeling of gathering around a table for a meal made with care. From that idea, The Farmer’s Daughter was born in Newton.
In many ways, it brought her story full circle—from a young girl cooking Sunday supper with her family in Green Township to creating a restaurant centered around many of those same values.
Today, Kristen continues that story through The Farmer’s Daughter and Curd & Cleaver, carrying decades of culinary experience into two businesses rooted in food, creativity and her local community.
What started with a father teaching his daughter to bake, generations of women teaching her their recipes, and a 16-year-old girl ambitious enough to start a catering company became a lifetime spent in food.
For Kristen, cooking was never simply a career she chose.
It was something she grew up with, something she built her life around, and ultimately, something that always brought her home.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Life is never always a smooth road, but I believe struggles teach us, make us stronger smarter and more resilient and resourceful. Sometimes it was finances, personal struggles, and the struggles of being in business for yourself. Carving out time to be the best business owner, mother, daughter, grandmother, wife etc I could be is a struggle and yet rewarding.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At The Farmer’s Daughter, we believe great food starts with simple, flavorful ingredients and a genuine love for what we do. We’re known not only for our fresh, seasonal dishes and signature Good Karma Cookies, but also for our welcoming atmosphere and the customer service that truly sets us apart.
We’re incredibly proud to be part of our hometown and to have created something that contributes to making downtown Newton a better place to eat, gather and visit. For us, hospitality goes beyond what’s on the plate—it’s about making every person who walks through our doors feel welcomed, appreciated and cared for.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Finding a mentor is really about trust. I look to someone who is professionally successful as well as has good character in all aspects of their lives. Success is measured in so many ways, and I find value in a lot of parts of life. It’s not always financial, it’s time well spent, giving back, being involved with community. I try to choose how I use my time wisely as I have gotten older and surround myself with people with the same values.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thefarmersdaughternj.com
- Instagram: thefarmersdaughternj curdandcleaver_nj
- Facebook: the farmer’s daugher curd and cleaver
