Our Story

Fancy Girl Farms exists because a love of horticulture, food, and community has been passed down—hand to hand—for generations.

That love began in early childhood. Jennifer Sumner grew up watching her grandfather, “Pop,” work as a traditional row-crop farmer, while her father, Pat O’Neal, spent his early years running roadside produce stands before eventually entering the restaurant business. She remembers pulling up onions and picking blueberries, shelling peas, and bagging groceries right alongside him. One of those stands on West Hill Avenue even served ice cream. Food wasn’t theoretical in their family—it was grown, harvested, prepared, and shared face to face.

That foundation grew into something much larger. The O’Neals went on to own and operate eleven restaurants across Georgia, one in Florida, and one in Alabama. Years later, Pat’s career came full circle. After retiring from the Southern-cooking restaurant world, he stepped back in—this time to help his daughter source local produce, just as he had when she was a child.

Fancy Girl Farms didn’t start in downtown Hahira, and it didn’t start as a restaurant. Sumner first pitched the idea to her husband as a way to use their family residence to nurture fruit, vegetable, and flower gardens. Having grown up on a farm—and having lived just three houses down from where she now lives, next door to her grandparents– she wanted her children to experience that same connection to land, work, and patience.

As Jennifer once joked in a Valdosta Daily Times article back in 2010 about her home-garden, “I have an addiction. I can’t walk into a garden center without a flower of some sort.” She decided to put that addiction to work. What began as a small flower farm quickly gained momentum, with Saturday market pickups selling out within minutes. It became clear she was onto something meaningful.

In 2024, that work was recognized when she was named Small Farmer of the Year by the Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce. The operation—hand built by her husband—slowly expanded into a five-acre place of gathering: a space for dining, shopping, wandering, and simply enjoying the fruits of the Fancy Girl Farms team’s labor.

Initially, the plans for a restaurant were modest—light meals, fresh vegetables sourced by Pat, and an experience centered on being in the garden. But with this family’s history, food was impossible to keep at arm’s length. What began as produce sourcing naturally spilled into the kitchen.

Today, you’ll find family Southern favorites like fresh fried chicken, warm cornbread, and seasonal vegetables—made with the same respect for ingredients that defined those early roadside stands. Fancy Girl Farms is committed to sourcing local, seasonal produce whenever possible, and it’s not uncommon to see our chefs popping into the market to pick out tomatoes, squash, or onions for the day’s recipes.

Fancy Girl Farms exists because growing vegetables, feeding people, and making memories in nature have always been personal here. It is a continuation of work that began generations ago—rooted in land, family, and the simple belief that the best experiences are grown slowly and shared generously.

At Fancy Girl Farms, we believe the best experiences are shaped by what’s in season, what’s grown nearby, and what’s prepared with care. Our menus, markets, and gardens evolve throughout the year, guided by availability rather than convenience. When local produce is available, we source it. When something is at its peak, we let it shine. Nothing is rushed, and nothing is accidental.

But our philosophy extends beyond what’s on the table.

Fancy Girl Farms was created as a place where generations gather. A place you can bring your grandmother. A place where children run through the garden, parents linger over meals, and traditions take root year after year. From Breakfast with Santa to Mother’s Day lunch and seasonal celebrations in between, we design experiences meant to be shared—then remembered.

We value slowing down. Sitting longer. Walking the garden before a meal. Choosing presence over pace.

Everything here—from the food to the flowers to the events we host—is built with intention, because we believe community isn’t something you market. It’s something you make space for.

This is where we’ve lived, grown up, and raised our families. It’s a town where back roads still matter, neighbors still wave, and life moves at a pace that leaves room for connection. When choosing a permanent home for Fancy Girl Farms, we didn’t want to manufacture a small-town feel—we wanted to preserve the one that already existed.

The property offered what mattered most: space to grow, room to gather, and the ability to build thoughtfully without erasing the land’s character. From the beginning, decisions were made with preservation in mind—working with the landscape rather than overdeveloping it, and keeping the setting natural, open, and welcoming.

Today, Fancy Girl Farms is designed to be shared. It’s kid-friendly, with space to explore and wander, and dog-friendly, because family often includes four legs. More than anything, it’s a place meant to be enjoyed by all ages with something for everyone.

Choosing Hahira was about staying rooted—creating something lasting in the town that shaped us, and offering a place that still feels genuine and authentic.