How Local are Localvores?
In an effort to learn more about localvores, and to find restaurants dedicated to the cause of cooking with local ingredients…I haven’t unearthed very much!
First, my search to find restaurants in my area that strive to use as many local ingredients as possible – results online were limited. I did locate a site that lists restaurants in MA who buy local ingredients - the Metrowest area listed mostly restaurants in and very near to the city, but I was pleased to see two restaurants that I know and like: Aquatini in Newburyport, and the Flatbread Company in Amesbury (Flatbreads has several other locations, including Bedford, MA – stay tuned for a review on a future date!) However, I know many more local restaurants strive to serve fresh, local foods. Along these lines, I was saddened to learn of Infusions Bistro in Chelmsford, MA closing their doors after a slow winter/holiday season (another thing I can blame the snow for?) as I know that the chef there valued local ingredients. I wish him and the rest of the staff well and hope he opens another restaurant in this area.
I did come across a site (all links at the end of this entry) for localvores in Boston and I learned a bit more there. They have great resources for city-dwellers, and I got one great piece of advice which was (I am paraphrasing, hopefully doing their intentions justice) that it’s ok to start slowly as a localvore – commit to buying a few local ingredients (i.e. local dairy products) rather than jumping in whole-hog. That I can do, and would like to try. I do enjoy farmers’ markets, farmstands and smaller grocers that sell local ingredients – which is saying a lot as heading into a grocery store/superstore sends me into a tailspin (just ask my husband!) They also state on their site that localvores do not buy all of their food locally nor does the food need to come from within 100 miles (again, I am paraphrasing). This point confuses me…I do remember reading in the past that localvores strive to eat as much food from possible from within a certain radius…I remember it having something to do with maximizing the “green” efforts of eating locally. So, this leads me to ponder, what is local? How relative a term is it?
http://www.farmfresh.org/food/restaurants.php?zip=01773
http://www.flatbreadcompany.com/
Tags: aquatini newburyport, flatbread company amesbury, Localvores, locavores, massachusetts localvore restaurants
Comments
No comments so far.