Glenn Roberts
HRN Hall of Fame: Glenn Roberts
Anson Mills founder and visionary Glenn Roberts grew up in San Diego, California, worked as a busboy in his mother's restaurant, played french horn in the San Diego Youth Symphony and went on to graduate from UNC Chapel Hill on a music and science scholarship. He joined the Air Force to feed his love of supersonic jets and flying and later sailed around the world on private yachts as a navigator and a mate (becoming, in the process, absorbed by indigenous foods of the tropical environment and the agriculture that accompanied them). Eventually, after encountering some disappointing Carolina Gold Rice at a charity event he became enthralled with bringing back beloved yet mistreated heritage grains. In his own words, Roberts “set out with a mission to make really good grits and meal while controlling the farming myself.” With a knack for agricultural and an understanding of plant genetics, Roberts first worked with bootleggers to find heirloom breeds of corn, rice and peas that Anson Mills now grows and distributes to restaurants and home cooks across the country.
Appearances on HRN: