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Many chefs work hand in hand with local food producers, leading the way toward a more sustainable food system. We are thrilled to support these chefs and the good work they do through the Eat Well Guide, our curated directory of 25,000+ restaurants, markets, farms and other vendors of locally grown and sustainably produced food throughout the US. We also love highlighting their wonderful work in the series, Our Heroes. This week we profile Chef Vivian Howard, co-founder of Chef & the Farmer in Kinston, North Carolina. By working with a network of small farmers, Vivian designs an ever-changing menu that showcases regional culinary traditions and agricultural bounty. You can find Chef & the Farmer's Eat Well Guide listing here.
Another interesting fact about Chef Vivian Howard? She is featured in the PBS series, A Chef's Life. PBS describes the series, "A Chef's Life is a half-hour character-driven documentary and cooking series that takes viewers inside the life of Chef Vivian Howard, who, with her husband Ben Knight, left the big city to open a fine dining restaurant in small-town Eastern North Carolina. Each episode follows Vivian out of the kitchen and into cornfields, strawberry patches and hog farms as she hunts down the ingredients that inspire her seasonal menus. Using a chef's modern sensibilities, Vivian explores Southern cuisine, past and present - one ingredient at a time. A celebration of true farm to table food...." The best thing about this 3 season series is that you can access all the beautiful episodes on the PBS website!
Now on to a few words from Chef Howard:
What type of cuisine do you serve at your restaurant, and how do local and sustainable ingredients factor into your menu?
Chef & the Farmer has been serving local, seasonal, modern cuisine since the summer of 2006. Our focus is on creative use of fruits and vegetables with an emphasis on preservation. We cultivate strong relationships with local farmers along the way, making it possible to source more than 70 percent of the restaurant's foodstuffs within a 60 mile radius.
About how many meals do you serve a day? How big is your staff?
We are open for dinner only and serve 130-220 plates per day. We have 30 employees.
How often do you and/or your staff visit your favorite farms and/or farmers markets?
We make a trip out to local farms about once per week.
How do you communicate your commitment to sustainability to your customers and the community?
We support local farmers and community organizations whenever possible. My PBS show, A Chef's Life, has really given me the platform to showcase the foods and traditions of rural North Carolina. The show focuses on locals who farm local produce, which really tells the farm-to-table story in a special way.
Describe your local food community in four words.
Wholesome, traditional, Southern and produce-focused.
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This post was originally published in November 2014
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