Another is chile-rubbed squash with mint jam and harissa.
Bleibtrey says using the smaller farmers requires more work. “You
have to seek out the smaller farmers. When you open a restaurant,
the big providers come and give you a brochure and shove it down
your throat. It can take a while to even get a smaller farm to sell to
you. There’s only so much to go around from smaller producers.”
Napa Valley Grille buys about 25% of its produce from Country
Fresh Herbs in Tarzana, Calif., and also works with additional
Southern California family farms and artisan purveyors. “I also
walk the farmers market in Santa Monica with the rep from our
main produce supplier every other Wednesday to see what’s
there,” says Boudreaux. “That’s the best way to do it. Just because
some website says it’s in season does not mean it is. I try to bring
sous chefs along for a field trip, and we see what inspires us.”
Spring-onion soup with white spring onion is one dish using
local produce that Boudreaux has featured on the menu, as
well as artichoke salad with sauteed artichokes. Napa Valley
Grille also offers a harvest platter with a goat cheese and
heirloom tomato salad.
“The new trend is having a great story to tell your guests about
where the food comes from,” Boudreaux says. “If you say it’s
from Chile, there is a disconnect, but if you say it’s from their
backyard, they get excited.”
teaching local
At Sullivan University, Castro is teaching the next
generation of chefs to cook local. “We have farmers come in
and talk to the classes, and even have some who pull up to
KENTUCKY BIBB SALAD
John Castro, CEC | Executive Chef-Instructor | Winston’s Restaurant
Sullivan University | Louisville, Ky.
2 shallots
4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
1½ cups fresh lemon juice
½ cup Dijon mustard
2 T. local honey
6 cups vegetable oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
5 leaves Kentucky Bibb lettuce,
cleaned, trimmed
¼ cup fennel, shaved thin
5 thin radish slices
2 peeled orange slices
1 T. pomegranate molasses
METHOD: Combine shallots, garlic,
lemon juice, mustard and honey
in blender; purée. Slowly add oil
until dressing reaches desired
consistency. Season with salt and
pepper. Combine lettuce, fennel,
radish, orange and molasses;
drizzle with dressing.
the back door with a truck full of produce to let students try
something new they’ve grown,” he says.
Castro teaches students about knowing the product and
details such as heirloom and antique seeds. He also cautions
them to be careful what they are buying and who they are
buying from. “There’s nothing like going to the farmers
market and somebody has 40 slats of strawberries—and you
know they didn’t grow them all.”
He says he is committed to educating about how and what
to garden. “I want students to know what to plant and when
to pick it. The great thing is people are getting more into
knowing about their food. This is just going to grow over the
next few years.”
