Fresh Ingredients, Unique Locally Grown Products, and Partnerships Keys to Success:
The Internet and explosion of food-oriented magazines are replete with stories of chef's that are seeking unique, fresh, and local ingredients to add flavor to their menus. Starting back in California in the 1970’s, the story is not new. But in recent years, it has grown to a fever pitch. For example, the website www.sustainabletable.org recently reported about Mark Baerwolf, sous-chef and Alex Young, chef/owner at Zingerman's Roadhouse in Michigan. Unable to obtain the foods they wanted in the traditional supply chain, they decided that growing their own food was the way to bring the taste of real, regional, local food back into the taste vocabulary of their customers. After a 75 hour workweek, Alex spends his one-day off growing vegetables for the restaurant.
Jason Capps, owner and chef of Bella Sera - the first certified green restaurant in Pittsburgh and fifth in the Nation, relies upon his family farm and mother in Green County to supply fresh organic produce. While he still has to get some items through conventional supply chains, he goes for quality and service before costs.
When organic produce farmer, Lue Lego in Alburn NY decided to open a restaurant to compliment his organic produce market, he couldn't find pork with the flavor he wanted. So he started raising his own pigs. Produce that doesn't sell is fed to his pigs, including kale that naturally controls parasites and lowers his feed costs.
In reviewing these stories, again it is the focus on quality fresh food and ingredients that are keys to success. Aaron Cozadd at the Clarkston Café in Clarkston (Michigan) sums it up this way, “The more we buy the bad stuff, the less of the good stuff will be around. It's hard to get passionate about low-quality commodity ingredients."
But another key to success that surfaces in these stories is the development of partnerships between the chef and local growers. Whole new supply chains outside of the traditional commodity markets must be developed. Chefs and growers need to understand each other's requirements. As noted by Jimmy Schmidt of the Rattlesnake Club in Detroit, it does no good if all the food comes to harvest at the same time. The farmer has to work with the chef and perhaps plant some things later and provide a greater diversity of items. Then too, given our climate, the chef needs to plan their menu and eat with the seasons. In winter, Brian Polcyn, chef/owner of Milford's Five Lakes Grill (Michigan) serves a white onion soup thickened with rice and garnished with caramelized onion. He believes, some things like seasonal produce is the way to go.
In light of the extensive commoditization of our food supply, finding local growers and developing these partnerships can be difficult and time consuming. And here is where the Collaborative can help. One of the goals of the Collaborative and our web site is to facilitate this connection between chef and farmer. So log on and register. Make your needs and requirements know. And let us know about ways we can help you make these connections.
We've described here a number of restaurants across the country that are growing their own food or growing their own suppliers. Next month's newsletter focuses on the chefs and restaurants in West Virginia that are doing the very same thingand doing it highly successfully. If you are one of those chefs who needs to be included in that reportplease let us know by March 31, 2010 by emailing us.
The Internet and explosion of food-oriented magazines are replete with stories of chef's that are seeking unique, fresh, and local ingredients to add flavor to their menus. Starting back in California in the 1970’s, the story is not new. But in recent years, it has grown to a fever pitch. For example, the website www.sustainabletable.org recently reported about Mark Baerwolf, sous-chef and Alex Young, chef/owner at Zingerman's Roadhouse in Michigan. Unable to obtain the foods they wanted in the traditional supply chain, they decided that growing their own food was the way to bring the taste of real, regional, local food back into the taste vocabulary of their customers. After a 75 hour workweek, Alex spends his one-day off growing vegetables for the restaurant.
Jason Capps, owner and chef of Bella Sera - the first certified green restaurant in Pittsburgh and fifth in the Nation, relies upon his family farm and mother in Green County to supply fresh organic produce. While he still has to get some items through conventional supply chains, he goes for quality and service before costs.
When organic produce farmer, Lue Lego in Alburn NY decided to open a restaurant to compliment his organic produce market, he couldn't find pork with the flavor he wanted. So he started raising his own pigs. Produce that doesn't sell is fed to his pigs, including kale that naturally controls parasites and lowers his feed costs.
In reviewing these stories, again it is the focus on quality fresh food and ingredients that are keys to success. Aaron Cozadd at the Clarkston Café in Clarkston (Michigan) sums it up this way, “The more we buy the bad stuff, the less of the good stuff will be around. It's hard to get passionate about low-quality commodity ingredients."
But another key to success that surfaces in these stories is the development of partnerships between the chef and local growers. Whole new supply chains outside of the traditional commodity markets must be developed. Chefs and growers need to understand each other's requirements. As noted by Jimmy Schmidt of the Rattlesnake Club in Detroit, it does no good if all the food comes to harvest at the same time. The farmer has to work with the chef and perhaps plant some things later and provide a greater diversity of items. Then too, given our climate, the chef needs to plan their menu and eat with the seasons. In winter, Brian Polcyn, chef/owner of Milford's Five Lakes Grill (Michigan) serves a white onion soup thickened with rice and garnished with caramelized onion. He believes, some things like seasonal produce is the way to go.
In light of the extensive commoditization of our food supply, finding local growers and developing these partnerships can be difficult and time consuming. And here is where the Collaborative can help. One of the goals of the Collaborative and our web site is to facilitate this connection between chef and farmer. So log on and register. Make your needs and requirements know. And let us know about ways we can help you make these connections.
We've described here a number of restaurants across the country that are growing their own food or growing their own suppliers. Next month's newsletter focuses on the chefs and restaurants in West Virginia that are doing the very same thingand doing it highly successfully. If you are one of those chefs who needs to be included in that reportplease let us know by March 31, 2010 by emailing us.
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