2008 Potato and Vegetable Growers Conference

Posted by chefalaska

Posted: March 11, 2008 - 9:17 am

This was originally written 2/12/08

I was asked to participate as a panel speaker at the 2008 Potato and Vegetable conference in Palmer this month in the Palmer train Depot. I was asked to provide a chef/user perspective on the quality and availability of Alaskan product. There were five participants including an Alaska Cruise Association representative, a Johnson and Wales college chair, and two FSA (Food Services of America) reps-one a produce buyer and the other a sales representative.

We talked about the pros and cons of using Alaska Grown product, in today’s market. In particular, the forum tried to answer the question, where can independent local farmers fit into the large scale industry?

From a cruise line/corporate point of view, these people compose menus in January and February, cost and train staff in April, May. Alaskan produce doesn’t get on the scene until June/July. This industry starts its season in early May with 1,400 people showing up one day-every day until late September. They need to have minimal curve balls. While quality isn’t an issue, consistency and quantity can be.

The produce buyer has very specific needs that he buys. For example, green leaf lettuce with 340 to 360 leaves per case. Iceberg lettuce has to be 24 consistent heads with no more that two pounds weight difference between cases. Case counts on potatoes, consistency on sizing in cases etc… Making sure packaging follows government standards, quantities to fill the ordering needs… from “institutional “ cooking (hospitals, schools, large scale) to niche product for independent restaurants. The produce buyer also explained how he contracts out on regional basis keeping season, weather and prices in mind. If a frost happens in CA on tomatoes, an alternative farm in Mexico, perhaps would be “on tap”.

However, as a chef, my perspective is a little different. My most influential experiences cooking with local products were in North Carolina. The Chef/owner would go to the established local farmers market one or two days a week, the farmers would deliver to the restaurants the rest of the week. In all fairness there is a nine month growing season, several local creameries, farm raised-locally harvested animals and being two hours from the coast line the seafood is 24 hours out of the water. This results in overall smaller menus crafted to celebrate the seasonal product.

These are ideals I try to replicate in Alaska. This can be challenging to do. Farmers are faced with limited growing season, and heavy regulations keeping local farmers from selling virtually all farm raised animals to local food service establishments.

So, a question I have to you, my fellow chefs/cooks/restaurant owners…. would you be more inclined to use local product if there was a network or co-op of some sort? If there was a maintained website and blog to forecast items seasonally that are desired in AK and could grow in the climate?

For the home consumer…would you frequent a place that may not have the lowest prices but you knew that you were eating local product supporting a local farming economy?

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