How A Restaurant’s Seasonal Menu Can Impact An Entire Community
Seasoned restaurateurs across the country are looking to local farmers markets for inspiration.
As it starts to cool down, guests expect hearty fall specials to start peppering menus. These chefs aren’t stopping at adding just one seasonal dish, they are planning whole menus based on what produce is looking good that morning.
This isn’t an individual attempt. Chefs are building relationships with local farmers to not only provide the freshest possible produce but to help farmers plan out what they need to be planted for next year. This symbiotic relationship adds to the depth of community already in place by restaurants.
Matt Levine, owner of IndieFork, a hospitality and operations company that own a multitude of popular restaurants in New York City, uses their seasonal menu at Chalk Point Kitchen, a 60-table market-to-kitchen restaurant, as a way to help local farms and build a sense of community.
“The driving force behind locally sourcing is the ethos of what we stand for at Chalk Point Kitchen,” Levine says, “supporting entrepreneurs and farmers, farm fresh ingredients, economically boosting your community, while adhering low carbon footprints, and transmissions.”