Say you’re a chef in a Columbus restaurant and you need tomatoes for your menu. You could call a distributor and ship a crate across the country, maybe from California or Texas. Or you could work with an Ohio farmer and purchase them locally.

A tomato’s a tomato, you think. Is there a difference?

In a word, yes.

The distinction, a growing number of chefs say, is in the quality, flavor and even price. As community members become aware of the benefits of local produce, dairy and other wares, restaurants have adopted menu items boasting local ties.

Refectory Chef Richard Blondin says the “buy local” movement is a return to methods he used before he came to Central Ohio. In 1992, Blondin was a chef in France and visited a local market when supplies at his restaurant needed replenishing. After relocating, however, his technique changed drastically.

“I used to go to the market and handpick myself whatever I needed for the menu: vegetables, fruit, meat, seafood, just about anything,” he says. “When I came here, all of this was pretty much over. You placed an order through the phone, and you talked to sales people who didn’t see the product they were selling.”

But Blondin has since full circle, turning once again to local producers. The increasing demand for dishes with a homegrown element, he says, makes Ohio foods an important kitchen addition.

“The clientele, if you have lots of Ohio items, are really attracted by that,” Blondin says. “If you promote a locally grown item, like Ohio pheasant or Ohio ostrich, it seems to sell much better. (The product is) better and it makes a lot of sense.”

Blondin isn’t alone: a growing number of restaurants in the Columbus area are jumping on the “buy local” bandwagon. At Latitude 41 in Downtown Columbus, Chef Dave MacLennan says “buy local” has been a mantra since its inception three years ago. During peak growing season, MacLennan says the restaurant works with at least 10 different Ohio farms for produce, meat and dairy.

“Our concept (has been) getting as much locally grown and raised products that we can, especially during the summer,” he says. “There’s an abundance of stuff here. We’re always sourcing new products and new farms.”

The connection between consumers, restaurants and farmers continues to strengthen thanks to growing community efforts, says Michael Jones, executive director of Local Matters. The non-profit organization works to build supply and demand for local products, acting as a liaison between farmers and restaurants with its “Farm to Fork” program.

“We say to farmers, ‘Hey, we’d really like you to grow more food crops. If you’re willing to do that, what we as an organization will try to do is create market opportunities for you,’” Jones says. “For us, one of the great connections we can help make is restaurants.”

Even before the organization was started in April 2008, Jones says people began making the change to local products as their availability at farmer’s markets and grocery stores began to rise. Now Local Matters finds itself fielding calls from consumers who are looking for restaurants that support local food.

“There was a change in awareness,” Jones says. “People began to connect some dots on how this relates to bigger issues, how it’s connected to things like land preservation and the loss of farm land. They’re more aware of how these issues are all connected.”

Some restaurants have taken an extra step in supporting the local food economy by producing their own food. For example, The Refectory has its own herb garden, from which Blondin culls various spices.

In the Short North, Dragonfly Neo-V Cuisine has been serving food from its own garden for five years, says co-owner Magdiale Wolmark. The items Wolmark and wife/co-owner Christin Austin raise include dozens of heirloom vegetables, fruit trees, berry bushes and pole beans.

“We did it because it seemed like the natural thing to do,” Wolmark says. “We didn’t want to fly lettuce in from California.”

Other places have emerged as a farm/restaurant hybrid. Black Creek Bistro utilizes produce and poultry from its farm, Black Creek Heritage Farms in Canal Winchester, says owner Kent Peters. The farm also provides food for other Central Ohio restaurants.

Is eating local a fad or a trend with staying power? The movement does have its limitations. MacLennan says seasonality plays a big factor in where he gets supplies: if something is out of season, he must look outside the state lines.

“You’re not able to get everything year-‘round,” he says. “Produce-wise, the peak season is spring and summer. In the fall and winter, it’s tough. There’s a greenhouse in Akron that does year-‘round stuff, but still, even then it’s hard to force some of those things.”

Some local farms may also charge more for their produce at times, Peters says. While “mega-farms” have the machinery and technology to grow and harvest some items, smaller farms might hand pick items or harvest them using draft horses, increasing the cost of labor.

Even so, customer involvement continues to grow. When Peters has tasty new produce, for example, he sends out a blast e-mail and the reservations start coming in. He also keeps a digital picture frame handy with photos from the farm, and he’s working on making it easier for people to visit the farm.

“We’re trying to make it more visible, to make more so the guests feel involved and feel like they’re a part of it,” he says. “Just saying it and reading it doesn’t make what’s on the plate real. Sometimes asparagus looks just like asparagus shipped from Peru. The biggest thing people need to know is that it’s not a bait and switch. This is the true (Ohio) product, and they can connect to it.”

Kate Lohnes is assistant editor of CityScene.


BONUS!

In June, Local Matters launched Fresh Connect, an online food guide for consumers interested in eating local products. The guide lists restaurants in Central Ohio that buy from local farmers. To see if your favorite independent restaurant uses local food, visit www.local-matters.org.