When you meet Brittany Lyne, you can’t help but be curious as to what is hidden behind her sweet, almost soft spoken smile. Turns out, what is hidden is a powerhouse mama, at the helm of not only a family of three boys under 7, but a restaurant concept that has evolved as fluidly as their family. Having returned to her hometown after college, she would have never imagined herself as the owner of a restaurant – nevermind in the food industry – but she and her husband, Patrick, are shining their light in the same way they like their food: slow, steady, and with care. Welcome to Farm & Haus, where nourished and cared-for is how they’d like you to feel.
This is how we eat at home: thoughtfully, intentional with the quality of our ingredients.
Brittany Lyne, Farm & Haus
About Farm & Haus:
Farm & Haus is a representation of us. This is how we eat at home: thoughtfully, intentional with the quality of our ingredients. I’m personally gluten-free. So a lot of what we eat at home is gluten-free, which is why we have several options on the menu. We are seed oil and dye-free as well, so we try to meet people where they’re at with dietary restrictions.
People have gotten to know us for being a safe-haven for anyone looking for simple, wholesome, nourishing food. Beyond that, our goal was to create a space for the community to gather. That’s what has given Farm & Haus the legs it has had. In the early days, we wanted to bring the community together: local purveyors, farmers, and connect them. We just ended a beautiful nine year relationship with East End, and the vision for the full-service restaurant was always an extension of us.
The Park Avenue location is that vision coming to fruition. We are launching our catering and private events here now so we can be a gathering place to make memories, whether you have a table, host a large party, or rent the entire restaurant. A new menu will be launching later this month! It’s going to pull in those favorites that have been with us for the past seven years.
Those going into entrepreneurship are usually called to it. You have to be built for this.
Brittany Lyne, Farm & Haus
On working with your spouse:
Working with your spouse is challenging, but can also be beautiful. Those going into entrepreneurship are usually called to it. You have to be built for this. This past year was hands down the hardest year for us. Having a full service restaurant and managing two locations on top of having a new baby, three kids under six, when we opened. It was absolutely brutal.
We were in survival mode. Patrick is the one that was here day to day. I was six months postpartum while getting this location up and running. To be honest, the business probably did suffer. If we were sans kids, we could work from morning to night, but we committed to opening a restaurant as a family. Being very realistic about what that takes, expectations, and our capacity to do things was a big part of this first year.
I put up boundaries to protect our personal life. That was my motherly instinct not only for my own mental health, but also for the boys, to maintain normalcy in the midst of everything happening. Healthy boundaries have been number one.
On how motherhood has changed her perspective:
What I’ve learned after having three kids is that you cannot do it alone. Motherhood can be isolating. Our society as a whole is not conducive to community building. Support is important whether within your family unit or hired, etc, especially with so many women working on top of caring for their family.
I know myself now, at 35, after three kids and two restaurants, so much more than I ever have. I’m always trying to grow and evolve as a person and stay curious about the things that I know are weaknesses. Physically, if you don’t have the core things, which for me are sleep, water, food, outside time and exercise? You’re not going to be able to have the capacity to handle the emotional stuff on a day to day basis. You’re operating at 60%. So if I’m feeling sad or overwhelmed, I take time to go sit outside during nap time or whatever it is and journal. As a mom, you have to take care of your physical needs. If not, you’re going to get short more quickly with your child or spouse, become anxious or depressed.
With my first, I had the opposite mindset. I thought I could do it all. I struggled with postpartum anxiety and depression for two years. Once you have kids, it forces you to work on yourself to create a better life and break generational curses. The steep learning curve for me was to lean on other people, even outside of my spouse. If you don’t have parents that are there to help, it is important to create a community for yourself or outsource where you can.
Once you have kids, it forces you to work on yourself to create a better life and break generational curses.
Brittany Lyne, Farm & Haus
The conversation between Brittany and I spoke to a woman’s lifelong evolution and unapologetically being yourself. Our people-pleasing mask falls away as we age, know ourselves intimately, lean in to becoming. Brittany and her husband Patrick met her second week in college and have certainly aged gracefully. They are celebrating 17 years together this year – a lifetime to some – and are truly appreciative of what they have built. As restaurant operations ramp up, dinner service will be offered Thursday-Sunday each week, it is admirable to see how firmly planted they are in doing right by their vision, vendors, and values. Ultimately, though, it is family first. That is a motto we can all get behind.
On what she enjoys outside of family life:
Honestly, we have a really beautiful group of friends that we love spending time with. So just spending time with friends, family. When we have the capacity, we love to cook. Most of our spare time is spent together as a family. We love playing outside with our boys, going for long walks, heading to our local park. We watch the sunset from our neighborhood dock. In a busy season of life, we have found simplicity is best for keeping us grounded and maintaining normalcy for our family. Those are the things that fill our cup.
