The Difficulty with Buying Local Produce

Creating a menu is a complex process that requires a good deal of thought. A chef must consider the optimal blend of flavors and the best form of presentation. But the first and most important step is making sure they have ingredients with the highest quality possible. One of the best ways of acquiring fresh meat and produce is purchasing it directly from local farmers.

 “The closer you get to the farmer the more pride there is in the product. I think the best produce you’ll get your hands on is when you either grow it yourself or you go pick it up at the farmers market” said Matt Secich, executive chef of the Rabbit Hill Inn.

Not only does purchasing produce from local farmers yield a product of superior quality but it also helps support the local community. In a time where America is experiencing such economic hardship it is more important than ever to maintain the tradition of small independently owned businesses.

So if purchasing produce from small farmers has so many positive aspects then what prevents some chefs from doing business with them? Well there are many important factors to take into consideration.

First of all, driving out to farms and famers markets can be inconvenient and time consuming. “Sometimes it’s an inconvenience because you might have to pick it up at the farm” said Secich, “At least four to five days a week I’m stopping at a farm and picking up produce or chickens or lamb.”

Another point of contention is ensuring that the produce they purchase is the same size. “You won’t get everything exactly the same size as you would if you bought it from a produce company where you have people picking out the exact same size, as say, turnips. When you get them from a farm you get five pounds of various sizes of turnips. When you buy turnips from a produce company you get all the same size” said Secich.

This may seem strange and petty to someone that is not familiar with the culinary industry but it is in fact a very important part of the preparation process. If a chef were to blanch carrot slices of various sizes, each slice would have a different consistency. The larger pieces would be undercooked while the smaller ones would be overdone. This could very well ruin a dish. “It’s imbedded in people’s minds at culinary school that everything has to be the same size” said Secich.

Bill Half, a Vermont farmer sells produce to Secich claims that one of the hardest things is “dealing with the finickiness of chefs, they want certain sizes” He said, “You try to meet the chef’s needs as much as you can.”

The growing seasons are something that both chefs and farmers have to contend with. Large companies are better equipped to providing certain ingredients even if they are not in season while a small farmer cannot. But Secich claims that dealing with this sort of thing tests the ability and talent of a chef.

Bart Mead, owner of Winding Brook farm, provides lamb to about fifteen restaurants and said, “Keeping a supply in a product consistency” is the most challenging part about being the owner of a small farm and doing business with chefs. He has a worked out a system of rotation in order to keep all his customers satisfied.