Farmers Restaurant Group Corporate Chef Joe Goetze

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Joe has been developing menus and running kitchens for over a decade. He creates Founding Farmers’ recipes, leads the culinary team, researches ingredient sourcing and develops the produce and purveyor partner ships that are fundamental to our operations.

Chef Joe’s culinary path unfolded during high school, when he worked at the Hyatt Regency in Greenwich, Conn., doing just about everything in the kitchen. This solid background instilled a fundamental skill set that helped him excel in culinary school, and the choice of the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Fla., for his externship further solidified his commitment to the craft. Heeding the best advice he ever received, “master your palate,” Chef Joe did just that, working his way through the best restaurants on the Florida coast, developing not only his palate but the specific skills that have set him apart as an amazing chef.

Chef Joe was on the ground-floor team to renovate and revitalize The Melrose Hotel in Dallas and was the Sous Chef at the hotel’s restaurant, The Landmark, from 1992 until 1994. Executive chef positions followed at Sipango, City Café and Dani Catering and then, in 1997, Chef Joe found the place that would challenge his expert palate and continue to grow his career, eatZi’s Market & Bakery. He commanded this $17 million/year operation, responsible for all culinary operations.

Chef Joe joined the Founding Farmers team long before we opened our doors on Pennsylvania Avenue. His talents and knowledge have been instrumental in maintaining the restaurant’s commitment to true food and drink. He’s excited about spreading this message with the opening of Potomac’s Founding Farmers, especially as this gives him an opportunity to develop new dishes and flavors that are sure to become fan favorites.

Through The Eyes of The Farmer

The Farm is a concept development and restaurant management company established on a platform of farm-inspired American true food and drink in modern, upscale casual, and eco-friendly settings. The Farm created the internationally recognized, award-winning Founding Farmers restaurant in the heart of Washington, D.C., which opened in 2008, and has been host to more than 1.2 million guests since then, as one of the most popular 'must-do' experiences in the nation's capital. The Farm works with an ongoing commitment to supporting American family farmers with exceptional culinary and mixology programs, to providing great service, to sourcing regionally and seasonally whenever possible, and to creating unique, inspired, creative, fun and inviting spaces. (read more)

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Environmentally Friendly

The Farm and Founding Farmers are dedicated to environmentally friendly practices at every turn. We are proud to say that our Founding Farmers flagship location opened as Washington DC's first LEED Gold Certified restaurant, and as the first upscale-casual, full-service LEED Gold restaurant in the country. Our restaurants operate as Certified Green Restaurants through the Green Restaurant Association, and annually we offset our greenhouse gas emissions with the purchase of offset credits through Carbonfund.org. Our Montgomery County, Md. location, is 100% wind powered.