Chefs Collaborative

This little piggie’s from Vermont! When we recently traveled to the Green Mountain state for an event with the Vermont Fresh Network and the RAFT coalition to Renew America’s Food Traditions, our Edible Communities friends were in full effect, celebrating the launch of Edible Green Mountains. In the past few years, Edible magazines have popped up around the country. They celebrate local, seasonal foods and the people who produce them. Marian Burros wrote about Edible Communities in last week’s Times Dining In section; featured were friends and partners Doug and Dianne Langeland at Edible Cape Cod and Marla Camp at Edible Austin. Write on!

photo: Cecily Upton, Slow Food USA

The Red Sox are having a great season and I’d like to think it’s because of a new kid in the clubhouse. Since Chef Ron Abell (the former chef de cuisine at CC member restaurant Icarus) has taken the helm as the executive chef at Fenway Park, healthier, more sustainable options have been popping up all over the menu. Not only has Abell altered the menus of the private EMC Club and luxury boxes, he’s also offering everyday fans some local favorites like a fresh lobster salad roll, and a turkey wrap with mesclun greens and aioli. The Fenway frank will always have it’s place, but this season I say “bring on the lobster!”

As I watch the Chefs Collaborative membership grow, I’m beginning to notice an increase in member restaurants that serve “authentic” ethnic cuisine. Whether it’s authentic Mexican, Italian, French, or Japanese cuisine, one has to wonder about the balance between local and international influence. These member restaurants are committed to buying their ingredients locally, but is there an obligation in preparing “authentic” cuisine to use ingredients from the region you’re highlighting? Does the Mexican torta taste just as good with the queso fresco from Wisconsin? Should you import your olive oil from Italy for your perfect pesto? What makes a menu authentic?

COOL laws, or Country of Origin Labeling, were initiated in the 2002 Farm Bill, but mandatory labeling of commodity foods has been on hold since 2004, according to the USDA. Some shrimp and seafood is covered, but other food like beef, poultry, and pork, remain unlabeled. The Boston Globe reports that quirks in the proposed COOL laws mean you’d never know if your frozen sausage patties contained pork from seven countries (including, eek, Romania). As the consolidation of the meat industry continues, independent farmers and ranchers need support from chefs and consumers who appreciate transparency in regards to food origins.

Posted by: Leigh Belanger

Chefs Collaborative Chair, chef Eric Stenberg, grills wild sockeye salmon at the Wildflower Weekend festival at the Resort at Paws Up.

Want to know more about Eric? Read this recent interview from our friends at Culinate.

Elk, bison, venison and beyond–read more about sourcing and serving game meats:
cc-game-communique.pdf (pdf)