"Once the farmer confirmed my coveted weekend slot - the farm stand is only open Saturdays until sold out - it was time to pay: $20 admission and a whopping $10 for the cinnamon roll. Yikes, this pastry better be good. I expected him to send me a secure link or website, but instead, Farmer Mike told me to pay via Zelle. "I shut down the website," he wrote at 9:30 p.m. "Too many people booking." OK, my husband had a point. This was getting a little weird."
"When I plugged in his Zelle number, it was identified as belonging to a John Galloway. Frustrated, I called him. "My name is John Michael Galloway," he explained on the phone. "And I'm talking to 252 other people right now," referencing the many text threads he's managing to book curious farm-goers."
"Galloway has been busy, no doubt. Clayton Valley Farms, I find out, is a project 15 years in the making. He's no farmer, either - not by training, at least. Galloway, who grew up in and around Clayton and played football for De La Salle High School, is a real estate investor. Together with his wife, Jamie, he moves into properties, fixes them up and flips them. They've moved seven times in the past 14 years and have lived in some pretty amazing places, like Napa and Kauai."
A weekend farm visit is arranged through texting with “Farmer Mike” about a 6-acre homestead in Clayton Valley Farms. The farm stand is open Saturdays until sold out, and the visit requires $20 admission plus $10 for a cinnamon roll. Payment is requested via Zelle rather than a secure website, and the website is said to be shut down due to too many bookings. The Zelle number is linked to John Galloway, who explains he is John Michael Galloway and is simultaneously coordinating many other text threads. The property is described as a long-term project, and Galloway is presented as a real estate investor rather than a trained farmer, with frequent moves and experience flipping properties.
Read at SFGATE
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