Foodservice Newsletter - Culinary Cuisine July 2010
Farmer's Market New Mega Trend for Fresh Produce
As the saying goes, everything old is new again. That’s the case with today’s mega trend of buying produce grown locally.
A couple generations ago chefs typically rose with the sun to wander local farm and public markets seeking fresh ingredients for the day’s menu, which featured whatever was in season. Improvements in transportation, demand for year-round availability and changes in agriculture dramatically altered the way people bought food.
While today’s operators have options for acquiring the often-substantial amount of produce they will prepare in a given day, many are once again looking in their own backyards, so to speak, for fresh, seasonal produce grown locally. They are responding to growing consumer demand for food freshness, food safety and family farm sustainability. And, consumers are willing to pay a premium for their health and social consciousness.
Consumers are in search of healthier food as a lifestyle, not just a diet. They are interested in knowing where their food comes from and often who grew it, spurring restaurants to promote their farmer-providers in advertising and menus. These consumers are also interested in eating seasonally, since local seasonal food equates with fresh.
Local farmers’ markets are now among the fastest growing sources for fresh produce, with their numbers tripling to more than 5,000 nationwide during the past five years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It’s not just the home cook driving that growth. The 2009 chef survey of the National Restaurant Association reports that, “environmentally friendly practices and local sourcing — whether applied to produce, meat, seafood or alcohol — appealed to both restaurant operators and their customers for several reasons, including freshness, minimal transportation and the subsequent ability to support local communities and businesses.”
“To a chef, cooking with the freshest ingredients is essential, particularly with produce,” says Clabber Girl’s executive chef Eddie. “There is nothing more satisfying than working with the flavors and aromas of just harvested fruits and vegetables.”
Summer for much of the country is boom time for produce. In Clabber Girl’s Midwest home turf, strawberries mark the beginning of the summer’s seasonal bounty in early June. From then, it’s something new and delectable coming up every week through the fall. “It’s a great time to be in the food business,” admits chef Eddie.
Farmers’ markets are a good place to establish relationships with farmers who may be able to supply restaurant operators with needed quantities of product on a regular schedule. CSA’s – community supported agriculture operations – and farmers’ cooperatives are other sources.
For information on how to tap into the local fresh produce marketplace, contact your state’s department of agriculture.
