As loco-org movement grows, more suitably sustainable “dining out” options emerge

No, this is not about pork butts – even though they are very cute here. There was an interesting article in the PI today, Let’s be honest about the local-organic-sustainable approach.

In it, Leslie Kelly talks about a great sushi experience in Whitefish, Montana – and wonders how a restaurant that touts local organic food can get away with serving sushi clearly not from Montana.

She says

I think there’s going to be a sea change as far as the whole local-organic-sustainable movement at restaurants is concerned. At least, I hope that change is coming. Chefs can be more upfront about their desire to put quality first, maybe calling their efforts “best practices fare”.

I can’t agree with her more. The first example she holds up as a good example of this is Chef Jason Wilson at Crush. He says he “tries to balance the so-called carbon footprint by taking measures to offset the environmental impact of importing olive oil, arborio rice and unusual spices from a company in San Francisco.”

Not only is Chef Wilson outspoken about the direction he is further going with what was already a recognized unique restaurant in the loco-org movement, but he also walks the walk. He was the first big-name Guest Chef for P-Patch Trust’s annual Chef in the Garden event – the first year he opened his restaurant (2004). I was serving on the Board of Directors then, and it was an amazing meal, and he was a pleasure to work with from a planning perspective.

Leslie goes on to say

Maybe it’s up to us consumers to be more vocal about menu accountability. When you’re considering what to order, don’t be shy about asking where the ingredients came from. The best example I’ve seen of a restaurant truly committed to executing the local-organic-sustainable mission is at Taste at the Seattle Art Museum, where the menu features at least one dish repared with ingredients sourced from within 60 miles.

I have to agree with Leslie. I do ask when I am in a restaurant that I feel cares about what its consumers think and believe in. This is in part because I am interested – but I also am being an acitivist in the sense that I want the restaurant to know people are asking, and we better hear the kinds of answers we want to hear or we are going to eat elsewhere. When my husband and I last ate at TASTE at SAM we were proud as we could be to see both eggs and beef from Skagit River Ranch in Sedro Woolley featured on the TASTE menu. We even enjoyed deviled eggs as a side dish, just to be able to say we had supported one of our favorite farmer market vendors! Not to mention, you can’t beat super fresh local and organic eggs! We have visited the farm many times, it is a great experience for anyone who wants to see where their food comes from – or just wants to visit the country for an afternoon. The farm store is open Saturdays, 10 AM to 6 PM – and I dare say, there will probably be something to sample in the kitchen!

Leslie also mentions Sea Breeze Farm from Vashon Island, and I highly recommend their smoked bacon. You won’t find smokier bacon anywhere! We are lucky in that they are a vendor at our local farmers market every Sunday!

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