[Sca-cooks] Suppliers

[Kim Schab]

"Local produce (often organic), non-anti-biotic meats,
free-range,
not-overbred-breeds, etc seem to be a big deal in
trendy restaurants"

Working in the restaurant industry and living in a
farming area in California for a long time, I had no
problem with feast supplies.  I had great
relationships with wholesale vendors, including
butchers and organic farmers.  When it was cost
effective I used organic and/or range/fed.  In Las
Vegas this is more of a problem, because of
competition with large hotels the wholesale suppliers
don't get the good produce to either the smaller
businesses or to a non-profit.  I'm working on
building those relationships here.  I also use the
Costco/PriceClub warehouses.  I also use the local
supermarket or Trader Joe's.  It all depends on
quantities.

Now for flavor.  With organic produce you will find
that you have a better time (especially if you create
a relationship with the farmer, which in the desert
doesn't seem to happen as much) getting the best in
flavor.  Due to natural variations and the fact that
the fruits and such are picked when ripe or flavorful
there is a much greater variation in appearance (and
sometimes the leaves have a bug bite here and there)
than with commercially (large-scale) produced fruits
and vegetables.  I now have a vegetable supplier out
of California that will FedEx me within 24 hours of
picking...we'll see how that works between cost and
such.
Meats...that's definitely up to the individual.  I had
the pleasure of touring a grass fed, no
non-therapeutic antibiotic yada yada beef and sheep
producer in Hawaii (one of the most beautiful farms
I've EVER been on by the way).  I like grass fed, the
meat has an almost sweet flavor to it.  But, to some
people range-fed (and realize that most beef cows are
penned early) is tougher, or has a gamey flavor.  I
don't find it so, but some do.
We have had long discussions in school about animal
cruelty in food production.  Including with regards to
our beloved foie gras.  Other students felt that
"force-feeding" birds was wrong.  My husband and I
both have had to hand-feed baby wild birds (through an
animal rescue), this is exactly what Mommy does, slips
it right on through to the crop.  Five chickens in a
little cage, makes me a little weird (especially if
they remove their beaks to keep them from pecking each
other).  Do I use them, of course.  When possible do I
choose a humane producer, absolutely.  What do I think
probably tastes more period...range fed.  Corporate
farming is a modern invention.
That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

Alessandra


=====
"Optimism is a force multiplier."  Colin Powell


Always remember, stressed is just desserts spelled backwards :)

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