Fine dining is an art form that is cultivated through the atmosphere of the establishment and the quality of the food produced. To create the highest quality dishes, restaurants should only use the finest ingredients. Locally grown produce is much fresher than imported fruits and vegetables and is usually organic which means that the ingredients taste better and are more healthful to the customers. The enormous amount of farms in the St. Louis area almost outnumber the selection of fine dining restaurants.
The farms that are near all of the restaurants in the area have the ability to provide these restaurants with extremely fresh and seasonal items. When restaurants base their menus on the fruits and vegetables that are in season, their dishes have a greater variety. The chefs are able to create more innovative dishes because they are inspired by the seasonal and local items around them. Changing the menu occasionally and featuring creative dishes is great for business because restaurant goers love to eat interesting foods.
In addition to being fresher and encouraging creativity, using locally grown produce in restaurants is better for the environment. Local fruits and vegetables are usually grown on smaller family farms which use less energy and do not pollute the environment as much as commercial farms. This produce is also seasonal and seasonal produce is always better for the environment because no extra measures have to be taken to produce the ingredients in another season. Cooking with out-of-season produce leads to a higher amount of chemicals in the area as well as acts as a contributor to the greenhouse effect that causes global warming.
Not only is local produce better for the environment, it is better for the St. Louis economy. By not outsourcing for fruits and vegetables to be delivered from other cities, states, or countries, the money spent on produce stays in the local economy. Local farmers who make more money have more to spend at other establishments around town and the dollars continue to circulate in the same city. When farmers are better paid, everyone has more to spend at fine dining restaurants, making winners out of everyone.
Locally grown produce is more healthful to its consumers. This is because fruits and vegetables grown in small farms are more likely to be organic which means that they are not filled with pesticides, harmful chemicals, or food additives. Studies have shown that pesticides and other chemicals interfere with the body’s natural hormones, causing many health problems such as obesity. When people eat great quality foods, they are happier and healthier and thus much more likely to spend their time out on the town, in restaurants and other businesses. Here is an example of a fine dining restaurant in St Louis Missouri that uses locally grown foods to promote the health and well being of their guests and the residents of the area.
Restaurants can also benefit from other locally sourced foods, not just fruits and vegetables. Local meats and dairy as well as honey and other ingredients can be found close to home and incorporated into an extremely local fine dining menu. Meats that are raised on local farms are not fed hormones or other unnatural foods which results in a better tasting and much healthier product.
The benefits of using locally grown produce in restaurants are numerous and varied. One of the biggest misconceptions of local foods that prevents many restaurants from investing in locally grown produce is that these items are more expensive than commercially produced fruits and vegetables. In reality, locally grown fruits and vegetables are not pricey at all and may even be cheaper than commercial ingredients. Restaurants can forge partnerships with local farms and receive their produce at a lower price. In return, restaurants site the name of the farm from where the ingredients were received to drive business to the local farms as well as promote a quality experience for diners.