Trend Spotlight: Locavores

The whole farm-to-table craze is continuing to gain force as more and more restaurants have begun to define and describe their food with words like "organic", "farmers market", and "sustainable". Some chefs have taken it a step further and started growing their own vegetables, fruits, and herbs. (Why buy from a local farmer when you can grow your own?)

This "eating local" idea started back in the 1970's as a sort of culinary cult centered around Chez Panisse (which opened in 1971) and the restaurant's primary founder, Alice Waters. Alice believed that only the freshest and finest seasonal ingredients that are produced sustainably and locally should be used in her food. She is a huge advocate for a food economy that is "good, clean, and fair".

Along with this movement there are bunch of trendy culinary terms, my favorite being, "Locavore". Simply put, a locavore is one who prefers to eat locally grown and produced food. They believe in a sort of food patriotism and see themselves as dedicated followers in the local food movement. I think this whole idea is great as long as not all restaurants follow the movement ...what if you had to fly all the way to Hawaii to enjoy a pineapple or coconut?

There is also a much bigger picture to consider with this movement than just the fact the the food is local and fresh. Because restaurants are cutting out the middleman and literally getting produce straight from farmers there is no need for spray chemicals to preserve the produce or diesel trucks to transport it, and ultimately there is a smaller "Eco-footprint" left in the environment.

For anyone who is interested in what I consider to be one of the very coolest avant- garde farm-to-table dining experiences available, check out, Outstanding in the Field. Jim Denevan has become the leader of a cult of his very own by hosting dinners with local farmers, artisans, chefs, and winemakers in gorgeous outdoor settings like a secret sea cove in Half Moon Bay, CA or the Square Peg Farm in Forest Grove, OR (all is fair game if it is "between the soil and the sky"). Sign up so you are on the mailing list and each year on the first day of Spring, dates and locations all over the country are released for the dinners. The seats fill up quickly so mark your calendars for March 20th this year!