I think it is more of an awareness of knowing where your food comes from. The farmers understand it. They have been doing this for years. They got it! Reteaching old habits seems to be the toughest part. On the other side of the table people truly want to know where their food is coming from. I still get the question ‘where is our local pineapple’. There’s something about tucking into a big bowl of leafy goodness even though we’re in the middle of winter. It’s not always gonna be farm to table. And we’re not talking about pineapples.
The most important thing remains the preparation of meals we are willing to give our money for. Eating outside has seen big changes. And that’s good. Slow Food, an international movement started by Carlo Petrini in Torino (Italy), originally began as a revolt against ‘fast food’ companies entry into the European market in the beginning of the eighties. They formed a non-profit organization, going back to the old ways of preparing food, trying to preserve flavours and cooking procedures. Cooking from scratch, not from fully prepared products. If you are buying local, you sure will be cooking from scratch. I mostly use locally grown fruits and vegetables at my catering sessions to guarantee the food is fresh and flavourful. I also try to stay at the event and talk to my ‘eaters’ about what’s inside the dishes, share recipes and encourage them to prepare delicious comfort food at home.
We are not supposed to be buying a bunch of processed food. Ok, there’s time for a junk meal here and there, but we all know altered food is no good. Sodium and other ingredients that go into it are silent killers. Looking out into the future, I see food sourcing will ultimately change to be a bit more local. A local synergy will come together. People will gather around tables full of golden foods.