Smo k e S i g n a l s A d v e r t i s i n g S u p p l eme n t Living Well A handy guide to local health care and lifestyle resources


importantly, we know what is and what isn’t going into the crops we grow.” ’ — GARY COLTEK


Living well depends upon smart eating choices


By Barbara Schneider bschneider@bigcanoenews.com


“We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are.”


ocal. Seasonal. Sustainable. These three words describe the mindset of today’s savvy food service professionals. A renewed focus on local farms, organic and natural farming practices, and respect for sustainability are changing the food service culture. Successful restaurants have


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latched onto the public’s renewed appreciation for locally acquired, fresh seasonal ingredients. The farm-to-table movement has reinvigorated simplicity and focus on


individual ingredients. Produce, no longer relegated to an anonymous overcooked side dish, is often the featured entrée. As chefs incorporate locally grown ingredients into the dishes they plan to serve, menu preparation is more often driven by local availability of fresh or seasonal ingredients.


LEADING THE WAY


Kennesaw University’s Gary Coltek is a thought leader, an innovator in the farm-to table movement on a broad scale. The university’s director of culinary and hospitality services, Coltek has grown the school’s program from a little campus herb garden to crops grown according to organic principles at several small farms near the university. In a phone interview with Smoke Signals, Coltek described his approach: “We are working with small farms where we’re involved with growing the produce and most importantly, we know what is and what isn’t going into the crops we grow.” He has worked out land-use agreements with several area farms that follow organic practices, such as Apple Springs Farm on Yellow Creek Rd. in Pickens County. He’s also serving beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach and other fresh produce from the university’s Harmony Hill Farm and Apiary in Bartow County.


But local trumps organic. “It’s part of the philosophy here to support the local community; it’s more about local than organic. We support our local farmers,” he says. “We look at what’s available locally first -- on everything.” Coltek points out that he is a big proponent of “Georgia Grown” and that


• See, LIVING WELL, page 2


This Apple Springs Farm sign greets travelers along Yellow Creek Road. The sign marks a land use agreement with Kennesaw University and the farm’s owners.


restaurants have latched onto the public’s renewed appreciation for locally acquired, fresh seasonal


“Successful — Adelle Davis


‘ “We are working with small farms where we’re involved with growing the produce and most


Gary Coltek, Kennesaw University’s director of Culinary and Hospitality Services, supports local farmers and the Georgia Grown program. PHOTO COURTESY OF KENNESAW UNIVERSITY


focus on individual ingredients.”


ingredients. The farm-to-table movement has reinvigorated simplicity and


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