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Relationships, education keys to success
<br />Chefs' awareness of and use of locally -grown products varies
<br />throughout both Cabarrus and Mecklenburg Counties. In both
<br />counties, chain restaurants are less likely to use locally- sourced
<br />ingredients than individually owned establishments.
<br />In Charlotte, upscale restaurants are the most likely to
<br />use local ingredients, although more chefs are becoming
<br />interested in serving local food. Students training in the
<br />Culinary Program at Charlotte's Art Institute learn about
<br />both the values of relying on a local food system and why
<br />seasonal menus are important in a required class titled
<br />"Contemporary Cuisine."
<br />The chefs we interviewed have different definitions of local.
<br />Some define it as produced within 50 or 100 miles, while some
<br />consider anything produced in North Carolina to be local.
<br />Others will go outside the state for specific products, especially
<br />those they like that are produced by farmers they trust. For the
<br />chefs who do use local ingredients, their relationship with the
<br />farmer is the key factor in determining whom they buy from.
<br />One chef, also a farmer, says "I must meet you, know you and
<br />have a relationship with you before I'll buy from you."
<br />Once a relationship is established, however, many (but not
<br />all) chefs are often willing to be more patient with farmers
<br />than with a broad line distribution company. Most chefs are
<br />willing to promote farmers by identifying them and their
<br />products on the menu or in the restaurant.
<br />Conversations revealed that chefs are more likely to use
<br />locally- sourced produce than locally- raised meat in their
<br />menus. One chef reported he can get high - quality meat
<br />products from a broad line distributor — regardless of where it
<br />is produced - -for half the price it costs him to purchase locally
<br />raised meat products. And he adds, "At least with produce,
<br />you pay more for it, but the flavor is so much better, it can be
<br />worth it."
<br />Another chef said that public education is critical when using
<br />local ingredients. "If you charge your customers more, you need
<br />to explain why. The good news is that when people see how
<br />hard the farmers work, and how hard the chefs works, it's not
<br />as big a problem."
<br />Chefs need to be educated about local food as well, especially
<br />the products that are available. One new Concord chef reports
<br />that it's easier not to buy local food, because broad line
<br />distribution companies contact restaurants to find out what
<br />products they need, while local producers and distributors do
<br />not. "I'm interested in learning about and buying local, but I
<br />need to know what's available. There's nobody really pushing
<br />local, and if nobody's asking you to do local, you don't."
<br />Opportunity is there, but barriers exist
<br />Price does play a role in chefs' decisions to buy local. Locally -
<br />sourced ingredients can cost 20 to 40 percent more than
<br />conventional ingredients, and chefs who pay more for local
<br />ingredients inevitably pass those costs on to their customers.
<br />"It can be really hard to use local meat and produce on the same
<br />plate, because of the costs," one chef said.
<br />Supply can be challenging. Farmers growing for the local food
<br />system often produce small amounts of a variety of vegetables.
<br />Or they have small animal herds, making their annual yield
<br />lower than that of conventional producers. As a result, chefs
<br />often cannot get the volume they need from one farmer, which
<br />makes ordering and menu planning more time consuming.
<br />Chefs also would like more variety from local farmers.
<br />One entrepreneur working to distribute local produce to
<br />restaurants says that many farmers in the Charlotte region
<br />grow similar items, such as tomatoes, collards and sweet
<br />potatoes. "Chefs would like to see more specialty items, like
<br />mushrooms and lettuces," he says. "It would be great if chefs
<br />could get kitchen staples that have been locally grown. Every
<br />chef uses onions, carrots, celery, and white potatoes, but they
<br />can't find these locally."
<br />Farmers often don't know how much it costs them to
<br />grow each item, so it's hard for them to negotiate price with
<br />restaurants. The more farmers know about what it costs them
<br />to grow a single item, the better they are able to negotiate
<br />on price, which makes it easier for distributors to sell their
<br />produce to restaurants.
<br />Distribution is also challenging because most restaurants
<br />need their products delivered, sometimes more than once each
<br />week. Farmers must either invest the time and money it takes
<br />to deliver their own products, or work with a distributor, many
<br />of which require third party certification for their products.
<br />From a farmer's perspective, chefs move often, so it's hard
<br />to keep relationships going. Plus it takes valuable time away
<br />from farming to manage relationships with chefs and provide
<br />them with the service they request. And just as some chefs find
<br />it hard to know what farmers generally have available, farmers
<br />struggle to know what chefs need.
<br />Farmers mentioned other challenges in working with
<br />restaurants: customers don't appreciate the taste of fresh food;
<br />chefs are hard to meet with and aren't always familiar with the
<br />realities of farming; deliveries make working with restaurants
<br />time - consuming; cost can be a barrier for some chefs. "We lost
<br />a sweet potato buyer because of the money," said one farmer.
<br />"It took us additional time to process the product, and they
<br />didn't want to pay for it."
<br />Cabarrus County Food System Assessment nu9er 1
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