8/23/07

 

Contact:  Laura Probyn

517-432-1555, ext. 171

or

Laura Kassenbrock

517-432-1612

 

 

CHEFS AMONG NEWEST ADVOCATES

FOR LOCAL FOODS, FARMERS’ MARKETS

 

            EAST LANSING, Mich. -- It’s a summer Saturday afternoon, and chefs Curt Baas and Benjamin McCoy are standing in front of more than 100 Holland Municipal Farmers’ Market shoppers, demonstrating how to turn seemingly ordinary produce into extraordinary dishes.

            Baas and McCoy, who hail from Waterfront Restaurant in Holland, Mich., are participants in the Holland market’s Saturday chef demonstrations, an idea market organizers hatched two years ago after recognizing a new demographic among their regular market attendees.

            “We noticed that a lot of local chefs shop here for their fresh produce and fruits,” said Holland market master Candy Todd. “We thought it would be great to do some cooking demonstrations featuring these local restaurants and the fresh veggies and fruits available here at the market.”

            In the second year of the market demonstrations, Todd is seeing attention to and attendance at these demonstrations rise every market week among chefs and home cooks alike.

            Interest in local food among professional chefs is rising in Michigan and across the nation. This movement is not surprising to local food advocates, who have long known what some chefs are only now discovering: local produce is likely to be much fresher and therefore tastier than any produce purchased from a chain grocery store or food distributor.

            The C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at Michigan State University (MSU) and Michigan Food & Farming Systems (MIFFS), a nonprofit organization, teamed up in 2006 to form the Michigan Farmers’ Market Association (MIFMA) in an effort to increase interest in local foods through farmers’ markets.

            The three entities work together to encourage awareness and support of local foods, and they say that chef support of local farms helps local economies in more ways than one.

             “Michigan chefs are leading the movement to embrace local foods and farmers who grow food using more sustainable forms of agriculture,” says Susan Smalley, MSU Extension specialist and member of the Mott Group. “Dining at the restaurants that buy food from local farmers lets patrons support two local businesses--the restaurant and the farm.”

            Boatwerks owner and head chef Tom Webb says he uses market produce not only because he knows it is the best possible product for the patrons at his restaurant but also because of the connection he feels with the local farmers and their farms.

            “It's great to see new stuff every week as the season progresses from one crop to the next,” Webb says. “It's even better to have the opportunity to talk with the farmers and learn about the stuff they grow and hear their stories. It really makes it special when we get back to our kitchen and turn it into something we can offer to our guests for dinner that night.”

            Webb advertises the use of market food on his menu and on his Web site, which is attracting more people than ever to the market. People see chefs as food experts and role models. Knowing they shop locally is having an impact on the way the public shops for produce, which is pleasing to the farmers and the chefs alike.

             “It's great to see the community support the market the way they do,” Webb said. “It seems to be a very ‘happening’ place with almost everyone in town stopping by to enjoy the scene. We love it.”

            To find out more about local food and farmers’ markets in your area, visit the Web site developed by the Mott Group, MIFMA and MIFFS at www.farmersmarkets.msu.edu, which includes a list of all 160 farmers’ markets currently operating across the state, as well as tips for farmers’ market shoppers.

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