Anthony and Carol Boutard’s Ayers Creek Farm near Gaston, Oregon produces food that chefs fight to get. They carefully select seed from the best plants in their crops to ensure constant improvement.

The durum wheat they grow is an old variety descended from emmer. Wheat berries are the edible part of the wheat kernel including the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. Simmered in salted water until tender, they can be eaten as a breakfast cereal, served with a hearty ragu, or added to composed salads.