The Dish on Sustainable Restaurants

There is something romantic about the concept of sustainable restaurants, which are farm to table restaurants that use fresh locally grown produce. In some cases sustainable restaurants use produce grown in their own onsite farms. I think the romanticism lies in the idea of food going from farm to table in a matter of hours.

The Seattle Times' Carol Pucci last year highlighted Fairburn Farm culinary retreat and guesthouse in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, where local produce is chosen in the afternoon and transformed into an amazing dinner in the onsite sustainable restaurant.

This farm to table experience is a great market for local farmers to sell their produce and thus earn money so that they can keep farming. The sustainable moniker is more than about sustaining the farm though, sustainable restaurants help local economies and cause less pollution (produce is transported only a short distance, instead of thousands of miles). It's a greener dining experience.

What's more is that for consumers, the sustainable restaurants also provide a fresher, tastier eating experience. The gastronomic joy of tasting the freshest, just picked tomatoes from the vine or the greenest basil leaves just off the plant is something everyone should experience. It's a superior flavor.

In states like North Carolina and New Hampshire there are similar initiatives to help farmers connect their produce with local restaurants.

Here are a few of the sustainable restaurants I've located on the web:

The Farm Restaurant - Port Austin, Michigan
This sustainable restaurant uses herbs and produce from their garden. A cooking school is also held there.

Summer Jo's - Grants Pass, Oregon
This sustainable restaurant has a farm on the premises. They use their own organic produce in their farm to table operation, paring them with fine meats and seafood. They also serve local wine, and change their menu based on the season.

Joe Huber Family Farm Restaurant - Starlight, Indiana
Produce from their farm is used in the sustainable restaurant when in season.

Hershey Farm Restaurant - Strasburg, Pennsylvania
Their vegetable gardens supply the farm to table restaurant with seasonal produce for a good portion of the year.

Shelbourne Farms, The Inn Restaurant - Shelburne, Vermont
This Inn sits on Lake Champlain in Vermont and uses seasonal produce from their own gardens and local farms in their sustainable farm to table restaurant.