“Sustainable” “Seasonal” “Local” “Farm to Table” “Scratch Kitchen” “Organic”
Chances are that unless you are living under a rock, you have noticed a change in the last 10 years or so around the way people talk about food. Chefs are now celebrities and fancy words like “artisanal” are used for even our most basic staples at the grocery store. There is so much noise out there these days though that is has almost become too much to digest (you see what I did there?)
There are restaurants all over the country that love to throw around “farm to table” and “local” but at what point are these used for marketing and at what point are they a factual representation of what they offer? You hear about these restaurants in New York that are using “farm fresh” ingredients but are they really? You do of course have your super stars like Dan Barber, who alleviated this issue by actually building his own farm to table restaurant not forgetting to include the actual farm?! This man is truly an inspiration and someone I hope to meet one day. #Lifegoals
The truth is, here in North Dakota, in the heart of farm country, what better place to actually take advantage of the fact that farming is one of our major industries. That being said, so often people have absolutely no idea that we are by all senses of the word, “farm to table” run restaurants. Now don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean it’s easy, or inexpensive to do so. First off, there is the fact that we have winter for HALF OF THE YEAR! This is probably one of the most common questions we are asked when talking about our seasonal inspired concepts. How much of your produce is local? Well, that question varies. In the summer, we can confidently say most. But in the winter you will be surprised to know that with the help of root cellars, pickling, hydroponics etc. we are also able to use many seasonal ingredients in our food. (Ask Ryan for percentages)
This blog is here to talk about this among many other things. I want this blog to educate you and also bring you into the fold as to what it takes to run a scratch kitchen. We have a lot of fun around here and also owning a restaurant is not for the faint of heart. Come along with us as we keep you in the loop about what is happening in the food world both locally and globally. You will be rewarded with some of Ryan’s most prized recipes and some pretty amazing stories about the folks who help make our businesses possible.