Meet Your Hosts
Ben & Loana Sargent, Luna (age 4) and Sol (newborn) and Simon their black lab. Bent Apple Farm is where we fell in love, got married and started our family.
About Ben & Loana
Ben Sargent spent his summer’s in Vermont as a kid and moved to Brooklyn to open his first restaurant after college. He started his airbnb project after inheriting his mother's farm shortly after her death in 2000. In his attempt to save it, his creativity helped him convert animal structures to human structures, blending rustic and country design with comfort and functionality.
Ben is an award winning chef, seafood lover, restaurateur and artist. Ben Sargent was the host of Cooking Channel’s Hook, Line & Dinner and is also the host of the radio show Catch It, Cook it & Eat It on The Heritage Radio Network. Ben founded the Brooklyn Urban Anglers Association in Brooklyn, NY. His food and design experience lead him to be the host of Backyard Goldmines and Unique Sleeps from the HGTV and DYI Network.
When home in Vermont, he loves to entertain parties of people in his charming farmhouse and barn. You bring the group and he'll bring the party. We
It is rumored Sargent has a close affiliation with Doktor Klaw who started an underground lobster network in Brooklyn but this has yet to be confirmed.
Loana went from being a city girl in Peru to a country/ farm girl with Ben. She always had love for tractors, quads and heavy machinery thanks to her dad who would take her to the country as a little girl. She fits right in at BAF. She is currently working as a real estate agent, as well as helping with the growth of the farm.
Loana was working at Bromley for the winter season as a ski lift operator. The conditions were terrible and the mountain was empty that day, but when Ben saw her working the quad he was committed to take as many laps as he could so they could talk more. Their love story started from there.
There are 6 members in our family; Ben, Loana, Geno (Nona), Luna, Sol, and Simon the black lab.
Geno is the heart of our home with the best culinary skills, always spoiling us with delicious Peruvian food.
Our girls; Luna is our first born, has a passion for dance and music, and loves to crack jokes with her daddy. She is on a mission to learn more Spanish and she practices every day with Nona. The newest member is our little girl Sol, who was born on leap day, February 29th 2024.
Simon is our black lab. Every summer, you can find him in the pond taking a lap across it just to cool down. He is very goofy and friendly and he is guaranteed to come and say hello!
History
The Bent Apple Farm House was built on an old apple orchard by Ben’s mom, stepdad and award winning architect Deborah Wasman in 1993. Ben’s mom had fallen in love with shaker architecture, so this project allowed her to mix a modern twist with traditional shaker Vermont style where alongside with Ben’s step dad, started a farm for breeding and raising Morgan horses. It has been featured in a number of lifestyle magazines.
In 2000, after his mother passed and the family considered selling it, Ben couldn’t bear to lose it so he rolled up his sleeves and decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. 24 years later, it continues to grow, becoming a little paradise that Ben and his family get to enjoy and share.