Jon Darling, Darling Farm, McClellanville, SC - US Army

Meet Jon Darling

Watch Lidia make a porchetta roll with Jon and Tara Darling, and have dinner outside, with friends and family.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, like most Americans, Jon Darling’s life changed. After watching the second plane crash into the World Trade Center, Darling decided to join the military. He enlisted in the Army as a cook and worked six deployments over the course of his four-year enlistment, including two in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and three in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Like many veterans, Darling didn't know what to do when he returned home after the Army. After some tough times, and even some run-ins with the law, he says, "I didn't feel like I fit in anywhere and was starting to question my character."

Farming became the answer for him and a kind of therapy for his PTSD. He started by farming lambs, but now raises hybrid pigs. Together he and his wife, Tara, create and serve farm-to-table dinners for local friends and veterans.