Farm - to - Table Dining

By Wendy Chan

 

As Americans are becoming more health-conscious, we see the popularity of whole foods, natural products and organic produce growing at an accelerated pace. More people realize that vitamins popping and quick fixes are no real path to good health, so eating right is finally in vogue. Ironically, eating health-giving ingredients as preventive medicine is something most Asians have known for thousands of years.

 

Consumer demand for tasty, healthy food and beverages is rising, so retailers are scrambling to find the latest all natural and organic products to satisfy the exploding need. Anything with ‘anti-oxidant’ on the label is flying off the shelves. In contrast, highly processed foods are now scorned by the “label readers,” and blank-tasting, nutrient-deprived foods are disdained by shoppers in the know.

 

Top chefs across the country are actually taking this further, creating innovative tasting menus with locally-grown, often organic arugula and other micro-greens, heirloom tomatoes, free-roaming cattle, pigs, sheep and hormone-free poultry. Dishes made from interesting specialty ingredients and fresh herbs grown by area farmers are great selling points that command a high premium.

 

Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Tarrytown, New York, is a prime example of farm-to-table dining. Set in the bucolic Hudson Valley and nestled in the rolling hills owned by the Rockefellers, this is a passionate experiment of bringing farm-to-table dining to new heights. In fact, Stone Barns is a precious piece of country perfectly placed to give the local health-conscious Westchester residents and well-heeled New Yorkers that fine dining experience which is close to the food source. Very close indeed. A herd of sheep can be seen lying around the green pastures under the watchful eye of that sharp-looking white sheep dog as you approach the farm. Rabbits in cute hutches with a “Do Not Disturb” sign are also found in another area. Chickens are happily exploring the lush grounds, and sometimes find a way to break away from the friendly fence to cross the road for a taste of freedom. No, they will not get arrested or become road-kill. The beautiful green houses with rows of seasonable vegetables and herbs all enhance this to-the-minute freshness. Foodies all the way from the city often arrive by shiny stretched limos, and reservations are not easy to come by. Plus, you really don’t get to pick the menu. The chefs offer you whatever is the freshest from the farm. If you are craving to have a taste of the Blue Hill restaurant and could not get a table, or are simply on a budget, try their amazing fennel salad, egg salad and duck Panini at the casual café. Fresh eggs are also for sale, allowing you to extend that wonderful experience with a pleasant morning-after of delicious breakfast omelet at home.

 

In California, on the Sonoma coast, Reilly’s restaurant boasts a menu chock-full of fresh seafood, which includes salmon that virtually swim close by. In fact, the largest oyster farm is also a couple miles south, so it’s classic farm-to-table dining.

 

Chefs everywhere can capitalize on this new epicurean trend even if your location is not exactly set in an idyllic farm or close to the bay. It takes some courage to move away from the same-old daily kitchen routine, to explore how to give a fresh twist to your menu.

 

Some healthful, fresh tasting dish ideas are in fact some of the simplest, including Farm Fresh Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce, Steamed Petite Free-Range Chicken dipped in Ginger Lite Soy Sauce, Hoisin-Ginger Glazed Atlantic Salmon Steaks and Sautéed Organic Asparagus with Garlic and Black Bean Sauce.