Eating Out? Eat Farm-To-Table

When a restaurant uses the term ‘farm-to-table’ (also known as farm-to-fork) to describe their concept, they mean that the restaurant (or chef) has a relationship with local farmers and source their ingredients directly from those farms, omitting any wholesalers or purveyors; they’re committed to cutting out the middleman. Although running a restaurant this way is much more complex than simply ordering from one giant conglomerate, there are benefits, both for your health and for the health of the environment:

• Restaurants that source their ingredients from local farms and gardens can take advantage of the fresh flavors that these ingredients offer. Rather than needing to preserve, freeze, or otherwise extend the life of these ingredients, your dish will taste fresh because it truly is.

• Because fresh ingredients do not require preservatives, you can enjoy your meal knowing what’s in it. You’ll have the peace of mind knowing that you and your family are eating quality foods.

• When you dine out at a farm-to-table restaurant, you’re helping the environment. Because local food is transported small distances, less fuel is consumed and less emissions are produced.

• When you dine out at a farm-to-table restaurant, you’re supporting local farmers and the local economy

  Thanks to a renewed interest in eco-friendly, healthy, and simple living, the farm-to-table movement has made a come back, highlighting seasonal and local produce, poultry, and meats, as well as frequently changing menus depending on the season.

Charlottesville is known for its vast array of unique and epicurean restaurants, which include a few farm-to-table options. Eat healthier while supporting our local farmers from this list of tasty choices here in Cville:

THE IVY INN

According to their web site, the Ivy Inn was once part of a larger estate named “Faulkner House“ after William Faulkner, a Southern aristocrat and distinguished University “writer in residence.” In 1815, a fire destroyed the original Inn, which was built in the early 1700’s. Rebuilt a year later, the house was then owned by several entities, including UVA, an English engineer, and a University of Virginia professor of biology. Finally in 1973, the Ivy Inn restaurant was established, providing diners with a rich historical atmosphere in which to enjoy their farm-to-table meals.

Local Chef Angelo Vangelopoulos explains, “We’re fortunate to have a fantastic assortment of farmers in the area that grow great produce [and raise livestock]. They’re very passionate people who care about the welfare of their animals, and the welfare of their land.”

THE WHISKEY JAR

Will Richey, the mastermind behind The Whiskey Jar , is both a chef and a farmer. His farm, Red Row Farm, provides organic produce for the downtown restaurant throughout the summer months. He has “commissioned a highly-skilled group of foragers to bring you the wild bounty of Virginia's Piedmont region, like ramps, morels, fern heads, and other fine delicacies.” Most of the meat is local too. According to Richey, “Much of it is organic but all of the meat I use is sustainably raised by farms within an hour's drive. I put a lot of time and effort into sourcing heritage breeds. I believe this provides you with a richer, healthier, and more fulfilling eating experience.”

Sample menu items include: “Sustainably raised Mennonite farm chicken, dusted in locally milled Byrd Mill flour and generously coated in our house blend of Bantry Bays locally-provided herbs, spices, and seasoning. Fried in Peanut Oil and served over local, organic, slow-stewed Collard Greens with Kite's Virginia Country Bacon.” It doesn’t get more farm-to-table than this!

TAVERN & GROCERY

The building that houses Tavern & Grocery was built in 1820. Originally a grocery, tavern, and boarding house, it was also the first African American business in Charlottesville, owned by free slaves, and where Booker T. Washington stayed when he was in town. T&G grow many of their own vegetables on their Keswick Farm, making them “Our-Farm-To-Your-Table!”

MOO THRU

“Real ice cream from real farmers,” Moo Thru was founded by 4th generation dairy farmer Ken Smith, and was originally intended to be a small outlet to sell the family’s fresh dairy products, but quickly turned into a busy delicious mid-point rest stop between Charlottesville and DC. With a Moo Thru in the Dairy Market, you can enjoy fresh, natural ice cream any time you want.

THE LOCAL

The Local proudly supports local agriculture by working with a variety of local purveyors. It’s one of the ways that they give back to THE LOCAL community and a way in which they can provide diners with fresh, high quality ingredients.

PIPPIN HILL FARM

Pippin Hill is farm-to-table AND vine-to-glass! From their vineyards that produce their grapes that become their wines, to their kitchen garden that supplies fresh, organic herbs and vegetables for their chef to feature in their Tasting Room , agriculture is front and center for Pippin Hill.

According to Pippin Hill’s web site, “Wonderful cuisine comes from wonderful ingredients. And wonderful ingredients come from great farmers.” That’s why Pippin Hill Farm’s menus are inspired by the abundance of local and regional farm producers.

REVOLUTIONARY SOUP

Revolutionary Soup offers soups, sandwiches, salads, and wraps from sustainably raised, local ingredients. Sustainability and Soup: a farm-to-table revolution!

MAYA

Since Maya Restaurant opened in 2006, Chef and co-owner Christian Kelly  has strived to execute simple preparations of Southern Comfort cuisine sourced with produce and protein from Charlottesville’s many local surrounding farms. In a nutshell? Maya offers a fresh look at Southern comfort food and seasonal ingredients in a comfortable intimate atmosphere.

MAS TAPAS

A menu in touch with the traditional foods of Spain, Europe and the Mediterranean, Mas Tapas features many of the locally produced organic foods and farm products including veggies, meats, honeys, grains, herbs and plants. In addition , Mas is a charter member of the Piedmont Environmental Council’s Farm Fresh to Table program.

Farm-to-table started out as an offshoot of the hippie movement on the West Coast in the 1960s and 70s, but it has since grown into a worldwide phenomenon. And while some restaurants have abused the farm-to-table concept for their own gain, many restaurateurs are using farm-to-table to give credit to hardworking farmers and to bring fresh and delicious food to the masses

Know a farm-to-table restaurant in Charlottesville or the surrounding area that’s not listed? We’d like to know! Just leave us a note in the comment section below. And if you want more information as to why farm-to-table is a better option for the environment and your body, click on the button below to book a complimentary session with Success Studio’s Registered Dietitian, R.D. Helen Ballew.