Farm-Fresh Pairings
The farm-to-table movement was popularized in America by pioneering chef Alice Waters when she opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, in 1971. Since then, it’s become de rigueur for restaurants to tout their commitment to using locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. At the same time, however, some chefs and restaurants have come under fire for fraudulently claiming to be embracing these practices when they aren’t.
Fortunately, we in Sarasota have a community of devoted chefs and restaurateurs who wholeheartedly believe in the importance of collaborating with our region’s dedicated farmers. The beauty of these connections is that their roots reach deeper than the topsoil of merely “providing ingredients” and twine together to form a network of partnerships and friendships that guarantee abundant future growth and sustain an infrastructure that will support and encourage potential farmers and chefs to continue this essential collaboration.
Homestead Hydroponics + Indigenous, Meliora
Homestead Hydroponics on Indigenous
Steve [Phelps] has been a savior for us, especially during the pandemic. He provided us a spot to distribute our produce that made it easy for customers to find us and that was a huge thing for us. Steve is awesome, he’s had our salad on the menu for years and he’s often taken our extras and made specials around them rather than allowing them to go to waste.—Mike Baker and Sarah Wannel, farmers
Indigenous on Homestead Hydroponics
At the time that I met them I was struggling to source lettuce, and I noticed their beautiful display at the market and thought to myself “How did you fall down from Heaven?” I approached them and asked which chefs they sold to and at the time it was none, so I told them “I’ll commit, if you commit.” The collaboration has helped us both and it is a special relationship that is also a statement of community. They often test new things and I love to be their guinea pig: radishes, cucumbers, edible petals—it’s a pleasure to be able to utilize all their hard work. To this day they are one of my leading farm partners. —Steve Phelps, chef/owner
Homestead Hydroponics on Meliora
Drew’s [Adams] enthusiasm for farming is so evident that before he even moved to Sarasota he was contacting us through Facebook and Instagram and promising to use our stuff once he opened his restaurant. We didn’t really believe him but then he made an over-the-top effort to come out here and visit the farm and get started. He’s very involved with the process. He almost overwhelmed us with seeds and suggestions, and some didn’t work out but some we had great success with and that garnered interest from other chefs and food businesses all the way to Tampa. He’s helped us to expand our reach. —Mike Baker and Sarah Wannel, farmers
Meliora on Homestead Hydroponics
I did so much research before I came here. I put in the time, and I did the research. When I got here, I went to the farmers’ markets and I annoyed everybody. I was this intense guy that said I was going to buy everything. It’s a challenge to come from an abundant place like the Mid-Atlantic to South Florida with its difficult growing season. I developed a rapport with Homestead, and I asked them “If I buy seeds, will you grow them?” I think it’s important to play to the strengths of different farmers, to get recognition for them, and to encourage them to charge what they’re worth. We want to be a part of the community and be the best versions of ourselves. In the end, you reap what you sow. —Drew Adams, chef/owner
Blumenberry Farms + Crop, Fork & Hen
Blumenberry Farms on Crop
Crop is an excellent customer. We deliver to them weekly—they have a very specific list of items that they use. We grow about 15 crops and produce items specifically for Crop. We love working with Karen [Odierna]: She’s a lot of fun and she’s particular about quality. Their juice is a life-giving food and fresh, local ingredients are important. —Mitch Blumenthal, farmer
Crop on Blumenberry Farms
We got connected originally because I was trying to source Tokyo Bekana cabbage. Nobody could find it anywhere, so Mitch [Blumenthal] grew it for us on his organic farm. We love the farmers that we have here; people assume that it’s just the farmers’ market, but nobody has any idea how tapped in the farmers are. It is such a great community to work with. At Crop we are proud of our recipes and our hand-poured nutrient-dense juices and we try to be as consistent as we can in the inconsistent world of produce—Mother Nature is in control of the flavor. It helps to have a farm partner like Mitch; he has such a passion and a heart for what he does. —Karen Odierna, owner
Blumenberry Farms on Fork & Hen
A customer like Fork & Hen is a completely different experience because they are interested in what we’re growing that is unusual. Sometimes they will come to the field to see what catches their interest. “Is that dill going to flower? We love dill flowers!” There’s an Anaheim pepper that we grew for them for a specific sauce, and they get collard greens from us regularly but often they’re buying for their specials. I was there to eat on their opening day, and I’ve been back seven or eight times since then. —Mitch Blumenthal, farmer
Fork & Hen on Blumenberry Farms
We feel so fortunate to have people like Mitch and Aaron Drucker in this area. We don’t really tell them what we need so much as take what they provide us. It’s like a surprise sometimes when we get the delivery and then we’ll design specials around them. We give them credit on the blackboard “Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf with Mitch’s Carrots.” They care as much about what they put into the ground as we do about what we put onto the plate. —Mark Traugutt, chef owner
Honeyside Farms + Gecko’s Grill & Pub
Honeyside Farms on Gecko’s Grill & Pub
We have a special longstanding relationship with Gecko’s that stems back to the friendship between my dad and Mike Quillen (one of the owners of Gecko’s). My dad is retired now but when he was running the farm Mike approached him and said that he wanted fresher produce in his restaurants, and he wanted to support the local community. We provide them with 12–15 items depending on what’s in season. There’s a lot of planning that goes into it; we’re looking at 90–120 days from request to greenhouse to field. We sit down with the restaurant and plan the season and then grow to order. We’re a farm, not a factory. One of the challenges is that crops don’t always grow consistently and we have too little or too much of something, and Gecko’s has been great about rolling with those punches. It has also been humbling to eat there and see the table tents describing our partnership and have my kids think that I’m famous. —Tiffany Bailey, farmer
Gecko’s Grill & Pub on Honeyside Farms
We are proud of this partnership. We recognize that there’s an awful lot of work that goes into providing us with things we take for granted—we just turn on the faucet or lift up the fork. The Florida growing season is very short and contingent on the weather, so we have so much love and respect for the farmers and ranchers that we use. Our director of culinary operations, James Veldhouse, is dedicated to sourcing the best ingredients. We just celebrated our 30th anniversary and raised $12,000 to benefit Sarasota County 4-H scholarships. This way we’re partnered with the farms and also the children who may one day be the farmers. Our guests are engaged, and we love the opportunity to educate people about what entails a true farm-to-plate partnership. —Anne Rollings, Gecko’s Hospitality Group
Worden Farm + SaraFresh Juice
Worden Farm on SaraFresh
It’s important to realize how fresh the product is that Lynn [Morris] utilizes for her juices. She gets ingredients on Sundays and Wednesdays, so the juices are fresh throughout the week. My wife, Eva, especially loves her juices. Lynn will send juice to the farm on Sundays to sell at our markets and she always donates some to the crew, which they love. Lynn has also encouraged us to grow other things for her besides juice ingredients, like the sunflowers. This adds to the farm’s biodiversity and brings in lots of pollinators. —Chris Worden, PhD, farmer
SaraFresh on Worden Farms
Sourcing my ingredients locally as much as possible is everything to my business—we have the word fresh right in our name. It all tastes better when it’s fresh and it also has the most nutrients. We even make our own almond milk. My mom taught me to always buy what’s growing seasonally, so I like to be the first at the farmers’ market. It is vital that we know where our food is coming from. Know your farmer! —Lynn Morris, owner
Chiles Hospitality Group + Gamble Creek Farms
Ed Chiles has created his own biodiverse ecosystem with Chiles Hospitality Group. He acquired flagship restaurant Sandbar in 1979 and since then his devotion to supporting the local community and being a committed and supportive business partner has earned him numerous accolades. In 2013 he leased Gamble Creek Farms in recognition that having a dedicated source of local ingredients would align with his values and mission for his restaurants to be serving the highest-quality product. In 2021 Chiles Hospitality Group purchased Gamble Creek Farms and we think this is a truly beautiful example of the symbiotic relationship that can—and should—exist between restaurants and farms. If you visit one of the Chiles Hospitality restaurants, you’ll be greeted by large wooden boards describing which produce is currently being utilized, and Gamble Creek Farms enacts many environmental initiatives on behalf of and in conjunction with Chiles Hospitality Group.
> Homestead Hydroponic Farm: homesteadhydrofarm.com
> Indigenous Restaurant: indigenoussarasota.com
> Meliora: meliorarestaurant.com
> Blumenberry Farms: facebook.com/blumenberry
> Crop Juice: cropjuice.com
> Fork & Hen: facebook.com/ForkAndHen
> Honeyside Farms: honeysidefarms.com
> Geckos Grill & Pub: geckosgrill.com/
> SaraFresh Juice: sarafresh.com
> Worden Farm: wordenfarm.com
> Chiles Hospitality: chileshospitality.com
> Gamble Creek Farm: gamblecreekfarms.com
