Tucked away behind a row of nondescript industrial buildings and a self-storage facility in the south part of Napa is a six-acre plot that just might be where the tomatoes on your Oenotri pizza will be coming from by mid-summer.

This is where BOCA Farm is putting in tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins and lots more for five of Napa’s top restaurants: Oenotri, BarBersQ, Zuzu, Angele and Morimoto Napa.

BOCA (Building Our Community through Agriculture) is the brainchild of former Blue Oak School teacher Lizzie Moore, now the BOCA Farm director, and Tim Rodgers, one of the owners of Walsh Vineyard Management.  

Their mission: “to actively contribute to and strengthen our local food system by growing organic produce for Napa restaurants and markets, offering space for our neighbors to grow their own food, and welcoming local school children to learn, work and explore at our garden classroom,” according to the BOCA website. Bocafarm.org

Last year, BOCA Farm started with pumpkins and flowers, and this year is expanding to include plots for each of the five restaurants that will buy produce from BOCA.

“I get to work with the chefs to grow what they want to cook with,” said Moore with a smile.

Restaurant personnel are encouraged to help out in their plots at BOCA Farm nd Zuzu manager Adam Hanks said he had been getting his hands dirty both there and in the restaurant’s plot at the old Copia garden.

There will also be 10 individual raised-bed community gardens that are almost ready for planting. There may be a couple of slots left and people interested can check on availability by contacting Moore through the BOCA website.

They also plan to bring in almost 100 chickens later this spring and Moore is setting up an outdoor classroom to bring kids in all during the growing season.

Moore is busy putting in tomatoes and peppers (started from seed in the old Copia greenhouse, which is now at Connolly Ranch), and has a large area where they will grow pumpkins. In the winter they will plant root vegetables.

“There is always something to do,” Moore said.

The farm will be certified organic once it is established.  Certified organic compost was donated by Napa Waste, which makes compost available to households as well: http://naparecycling.com/compost.