This week’s Green Scene column in Crain’s Chicago Business: New book showcases local farm entrepreneurs

A new book hitting stores this month spotlights entrepreneurial sustainable farmers in the Midwest and the Chicago chefs who use their ingredients.

Chicago-based writer Anna Blessing offers close-ups of 20 farms within a couple hundred miles of the city that are following sustainable farming practices. The farmers are entrepreneurs of different stripes: Some are running family-owned operations that date back several generations. Others are recent city dropouts who turned to organic farming as an alternative adventure. And some are creating urban farming opportunities right here in vacant city lots and high up on building rooftops.

Each farmer’s story is accompanied by anecdotes from well-known Chicago chefs, including Paul Kahan and Stephanie Izard, who describe how relationships with these growers are central to the success of their own small businesses. Both growers and chefs share about 70 recipes in the book that call for ingredients from these mostly small-scale vegetable, fruit and animal farms.

Ms. Blessing, a Portland, Ore., transplant, hopes this book, titled “Locally Grown: Portraits of Artisanal Farms from America’s Heartland,” inspires more individuals in the business community to find their own niche to help expand the local, farm-to-table food network.

Crain’s: How did you select the Midwest farms to profile for this book?

Ms. Blessing: It started out with a handful of Chicago chefs who told me which farmers they work with who are doing neat things. The chefs are the spokesmen and superstars for this movement who are putting the farmers forward. I looked for a good cross-section of the different types of farms in the area and a mix of those who have been doing it for a long time, like Green Acres Farm (in North Judson, Ind.), as well as newer ones like Bare Knuckle Farm (in Northport, Mich.).

Crain’s: Restaurants have to make money if they want to be sustainable. Doesn’t a lot of this local produce, meat and cheese cost more than what they can buy from larger national distributors?

Ms. Blessing: Patrick Sheerin was among those responsible for bringing in local food to Chicago seven or eight years ago in a high-profile way to the Signature Room at the 95th (he’ll soon be cooking with his brother at the Trenchermen). A lot of Chicago restaurants are small and chef-owned, and they can do what they want. But Sheerin had to convince these corporate owners that serving local food in season was a good idea even though some thought it would be more expensive.

Sheerin said he would focus on individual vegetables, such as asparagus, and highlight it in his menu only when it’s in season. He used to buy it year-round from big distributors, but because he was buying it from local farmers only in season, he actually ended up saving money. If chefs change the way they cook and only use seasonal ingredients, it doesn’t have to be more expensive to get it from local farmers. Seasonability is now becoming a focus because it’s also a cost saver.

Crain’s: Did you get the impression that Chicago chefs seek out products from local farmers because it’s good for business or because the food actually tastes better?

Ms. Blessing: I think it’s because the food tastes better. Every chef without fail said they love the farmers, but they wouldn’t do it if the food didn’t taste better. Every chef’s priority is to find the best-tasting food because that’s linked to the success of their business.

Finding the farmers and some unusual foods for their menus takes more work. Some farmers won’t deliver and chefs have to piece together orders from many farms. Paul Virant (of Vie and Perennial Virant) told me over the course of a year he works with as many as 40 farms, and that’s not unusual for many chefs.


Anna Blessing

Crain’s: How has the relationship between chefs and local farmers changed over the last couple of decades?

Ms. Blessing: People like Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill) and Bruce Sherman (North Pond Restaurant) have been working with local farmers consistently for the last 20 years.

Places like Shooting Star Farm (in Mineral Point, Wis.) describe their relationship with chefs as an evolution. They used to work only with Charlie Trotter and a few other select restaurants. (Shooting Star owner) Rink DaVee used to surprise them week after week with the specialty produce he’d bring them. That transitioned to more of a collaboration between chefs and farmers working together, picking seeds. Then they found that not everything grows well on Midwest farms. So it then transitioned back to chefs asking farmers what grows well in this region.

More restaurants now are choosing a real focus on regional cuisine, and that’s more predictable for farmers, too, because they can supply restaurants with what’s in season. The chef has an interest in supporting these farmers because its important to the success of their own restaurants, too.

Crain’s: Are more chefs in Chicago willing to source pricier organic produce and meats close to home because diners are willing to pay for it?

Ms. Blessing: That’s part of it, but a lot of chefs have been doing this for a long time because they love the relationships they have with the farmers. Chefs also know that educated diners are coming in looking for these foods. Some chefs use this produce because of the marketing and trendiness of it. That’s OK because it’s such a contagious exciting thing that it’s impossible not to get into it.

Still, it’s only a small percentage (of Chicago restaurants) that offer locally sourced food. Some food artisans, like Pleasant Farms and their Pleasant House Bakery restaurant in Bridgeport, are trying to make their food more affordable and approachable for their community.

Crain’s: What lessons can entrepreneurs interested in the local sustainable food movement learn from this book?

Ms. Blessing: The focus really is on community, finding it or creating it. This is still a grass-roots movement. If you’re going to get in as an entrepreneur, you need to be connected to either the chef or the farmer side. Everyone tells me that this part of the restaurant world in Chicago is about sharing — they’re not secretive or competitive. It’s in their interest for this community to grow because it will get easier for them to get more local produce they can offer on their menus. Chefs need more farmers who are raising sustainable food on a scale that’s reliable for them.

The farmers in this book could be a good source for anyone starting out. They’re so willing to talk about what they’re doing, all you have to do is start a conversation and create connections within this community.

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