Farm-to-table naturally fosters community connections
CAROL BANKS WEBER
Farm-to-table stewards are a different breed. They care where their food comes from, what growing responsibly can do for the community and the planet.
They often spend countless hours around the clock obsessing over every ingredient, the soil under their feet, the air we breathe, the carbon footprint left behind.
Theirs is often thankless, back-breaking work. High risk, humble rewards. But in the end, passion wins out, driving them to press on despite tremendous odds — the cost of doing business in a world dominated by Big Ag and fast-food chain convenience.
Featured here, a few of those everyday heroes: a single mom who scratch-bakes spectacular, gluten-free/vegan desserts and breakfasts that taste every bit as good as they look, a cheese monger who successfully turned childhood pleasures into a bustling, mainstream business, a young caterer leaving no stone unturned for his fresh sheets, his friend down the street toiling and paper potting the old-fashioned way to produce good, honest food, an award-winning restaurateur doing her due diligence to provide sanctuary for fellow vegans, and a small farmer with eyes the color of a spring morning, making miracles happen, one cauliflower at a time.
People want to know their farmer and reconnect with how their food is grown.
That level of connection and visibility is a huge advantage for small, sustainable farms and also one of the most rewarding aspects of farming for me,” says James Berntson of Radicle Roots Farm in Snohomish.
Farm-to-table naturally fosters community, where everyone knows everyone else, directly or by reputation. Know where your food comes from, right? A small Snohomish farmer might speak highly of a particular chef, that chef will recommend the small farmer, and so on, in the circle of life.
Case in point: Grain Artisan baker Lauren Sophia Anderson rattles off her purveyors, like she knows them on a personal level, because she kind of does. “Hayton Farms, best buds. At most of our markets, we’re either right next to them or right across from them. All of our berries pretty much come from them… Radicle Roots, one of my favorite farms. James, he’s amazing. We get a lot of our stuff for the galettes, or the crostatas, because it’s so beautiful.”
Farm-to-table naturally fosters community.
Sage & Cinder’s Cynthia Hesslewood can’t say enough about Red Cork Bistro, a Mukilteo favorite, run by Chef Adrian Ramirez. “We’ve gone in before a number of times. He’ll make vegan dishes for me. It’s an example of loving their food.”
Farm-to-table’s making a comeback in Snohomish, as more growers and restaurants do their part. A few others worth mentioning: One Leaf Farm, Food Bank Farm, Skylight Farms, Caruso Farms, Roger’s Riverview Bistro, Red Twig Bakery Café, Cottage at Blue Ridge, Bar Dojo, Caravan Kebab, and capers + olives.
Stay tuned, WELCOME Magazine intends to feature many more in the future.
