local food

We were intrigued by the recent post on takepart.com called “Not Lovin’ It So Much: McDonald’s Global Sales Drop for the First Time in 9 Years.”  Could it be possible that our work at FarmPlate, combined with the great work by our friends and partners at NOFA-NY, NOFA-VT, Slow Food USA, GOOD, Sodexo, and others has finally started to tilt the scales away from unhealthy fast food? Could the local food movement really be making the difference we believe it can? Not exactly. Once you get past the exciting headline and read on, it becomes clear that McDonald’s — and fast food in general — is probably not at the beginning of a long decline. “To wit, although monthly sales were...

To celebrate Cider Week 2012, we are pleased to share with you an excerpt from Taste, Memory, a brand new book (to be released on October 11) that describes the rediscovery of forgotten foods and the process of bringing them back to our tables.  In Taste, Memory, author David Buchanan explores questions fundamental to the future of food and farming. How can we strike a balance between preserving the past, maintaining valuable agricultural and culinary traditions, and looking ahead to breed new plants? What place does a cantankerous old pear or too-delicate strawberry deserve in our gardens, farms, and markets? To what extent should growers value efficiency and uniformity over...

The increase of local food awareness in recent years has led to an explosion in the number of small farms, farmers’ markets and restaurant menus with detailed explanations of their sustainably sourced ingredients. Another exciting—and tasty—outcome is the increasing popularity of farm dinners across the country. On a warm mid-August Sunday evening, I was fortunate to be able to attend Seacoast Eat Local’s third farm dinner of the summer at New Roots Farm in Newmarket, New Hampshire. Jake Smith, executive chef of Kittery, Maine’s The Black Birch created a feast for about 100 guests. Dinner started with live music, hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and a tour of the farm. We sat down to a delicious...

On August 25 (last Saturday), Jason Merrill, Dave Brodrick and Kurt Lessard opened the Worthy Burger, a farm-to-table burger bar inside an 1800s railroad-freight house in South Royalton, Vermont.  Merrill is a former chef at the Hanover Inn and the Quechee Club, and along with Brodrick and Lessard, is partners in a venture called Lakeside Hospitality Group. They’ve also invested in Waterbury’s Prohibition Pig (in the space formerly occupied by The Alchemist), as well as a small catering business. The space seats 71 people, 25 of which are on a charming outdoor patio next door to Patrick Dakin’s Freight House Brewery, which is also opening soon. Freight House brews will be served...

For a chance to win a copy of The Town that Food Saved, just log on to FarmPlate and review your favorite food businesses. We'll enter your name in our drawing once for every review you write. More reviews equals more chances to win! The Town That Food Saved: How One Community Found Vitality in Local Food... This is a mouthful of a title, one that puts forth quite a few interesting ideas. The Town the Food Saved conjures up images of a supercarrot defending a small rural town from a giant can of pesticide. The imagination can run wild with that phrase. “How one community found vitality in local food” is equally intriguing on a more intellectual level. How did they do it? What is...

On July 17, 2012, Three Revolutions launched the world's first crowdfunding platform dedicated to farm and food ventures! Here's how the platform works: Farmers, food processors, and food-associated businesses, artists and artisans, communities building gardens, brewers, abattoirs, activists, food hubs, and many others can share their story and funding needs on the 3R platform. Backers can fund these ventures with as little as $10 or as much as several thousand. The farmer or food entrepreneur responds with the tempting promise of a monthly shipment of cheese over the coming year, an open tab at the local brewpub, a half-priced CSA or perhaps an overnight stay at their farm. 3R takes a cut...

Greens Restaurant was a pioneer in establishing vegetarian cuisine in the United States. Long affiliated with the San Francisco Zen Center (for many years, Zen students were the only employees at the restaurant), Greens has traditionally been a place for students to work together, extending their Buddhist practice into the workplace. Serving local and healthy food goes hand-in-hand with the restaurant’s service orientation. "Sourcing locally, organically and sustainably is the heartbeat of Greens,” says Executive Chef Annie Somerville. “We support our local growers and producers, and they in turn support their families, employees and the greater community,” she says. Somerville has earned a...