Local Foods Grow on Menus “M


any restaurants are seek- ing to lower ‘food miles’ and offer fresher, more


local food,” reports Michael Osh- man, founder and CEO of the Green Restaurant Association, which certifies sustainably operated restaurants. The 500-plus restaurants certified since 1990 include university, government and corporate cafeterias. The award-winning Uncom- mon Ground restaurant, in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, maximizes the nation’s first certified organic rooftop farm using just 654 square feet of soil. Combined with its Wrig- leyville restaurant’s “sidewalk farm”, client chefs receive 1,200 pounds of fresh produce each year, valued at more than $5,600. Ingredients not


grown onsite are sourced directly from regional farms, with their names often appearing on the menu. Com- munity education is also part of the program.


According to the “What’s Hot”


National Restaurant Association nationwide survey of chefs, hyperlo- cal food sourcing, including rooftop farms, was the fifth-most-popular trend in 2011. Also in the top 10 were locally grown produce sourced from area farmers, farm-branded ingredients and sustainability. “Customers now have an oppor- tunity to demand local and organic ingredients as much as possible,” con- cludes Oshman. More Americans than ever want to know the origin of what’s on their plate.


Helpful Resources


Green Restaurant Association, DineGreen.com Kitchen Gardeners International, KGI.org Northwest Edible Life, NWEdible.com


The Peterson Garden Project, PetersonGarden.org Uncommon Ground, UncommonGround.com Urban Farm Online, UrbanFarmOnline.com Urban Garden Magazine, UrbanGardenMagazine.com Urban Gardens, UrbanGardensWeb.com


34 Collier/Lee Counties swfl.NaturalAwakeningsMag.com


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