More restaurateurs are acting locally when it comes to sourcing ingredients

Nation's Restaurant News,  Nov 20, 2006  by Carolyn Walkup

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It's a safe bet to say that few restaurant patrons think about where the food on their plates comes from. Because supermarkets and restaurants carry almost everything year-round, many folks, especially those who have never had a garden or lived on a farm, have grown far removed from the sources of the food they eat. They expect to get vine-ripened tomatoes or raspberries any time of year, even if they're grown halfway around the world.

Fortunately, more restaurant chefs and owners than ever are buying seasonal, locally raised products whenever possible. Even in the heartland, where harsh winters make getting local ingredients difficult, it can be done.

Paul Virant, chef-owner of the award-winning Vie in suburban Western Springs, Ill., is one of this breed of chef. He finds the quality of regionally grown foods to be fresher and tastier than products transported over long distances at great expense.

This month, Vie's ever-changing menu might include crispy Amish duck breast with wild rice, wood-grilled and pickled fennel, glazed carrots, huckleberries and duck jus, or pan-fried walleye pike with escarole, fried fingerling potatoes, smoked paprika, celery root remoulade and pickles.

Harvest, located in Madison, Wis., features locally grown, organic ingredients nearly year-round. Chef-owner Tami Lax, formerly chef de cuisine and forager at neighboring L'Etoile, is meeting the cold-weather challenge by using house-made roasted tomatoes, preserves, pickled vegetables and frozen fruit purees, the last in ice creams and sorbets.

The granddaughter of Wisconsin farmers, Lax said her dedication to local, seasonal and organic ingredients stimulates the surrounding rural economy, provides guests with the freshest and healthiest foods possible, and cuts down on excessive use of fossil fuels needed for long-distance shipping. Most of all, Lax said she enjoys developing relationships with her artisan farmer-suppliers.

Many Chicago restaurants must make exceptions to their preferred regional sourcing in the winter months, and, of course, they are forced to seek out ocean seafood from afar year-round.

Bruce Sherman, executive chef and partner of North Pond Cafe in Chicago, said it's important to support local farm communities, and, in season, he's able to buy regional foods from a farmers market in nearby Lincoln Park.

However, he cited Florida stone crabs, Nantucket Bay scallops, and Scottish squab and pheasant as examples of seasonal products he buys long-distance.

But he is pleased consumers are getting smarter about their food sources. "It's good that people are starting to pay attention to what they're eating and what's behind it," he said.

cwalkup@nrn.com

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