A new local only restaurant: Can it be done?

Somewhere, perhaps here, I linked to a NY Times article about an Oregon restaurant going entirely local. Could it be done here? I think the first hurddle in Ky would be the climate. The Northwest US is overall pretty mild and of course there is the ocean for seafood. Anyone care to input their ideas on a mock menu featuring products searched within a 100 mile radius of Louisville? There are numerous wineries here and of course bourbon so thats covered. Got to have beer. Can you grow hopps here?Can you make beer without hopps? I know a guy in Midway Ky that grows freshwater prawns. When you think about it, may not be too difficult. Herbes and most spices could be grown here. Salt?? Not so sure of a local source for that. Meat and dairy, no problem. How about some ideas for actual apps, entrees and deserts. I still think the killer would be winter.

If you do a "local" only restaurant, then it would be a regional cuisine. We are landlocked here so fresh fish (other than lake fishes) would not have to be on the menu. Our dairy producers seem to manage all year long, and if you have someone who can "grow" properly then winter veg should be no problem.

Apps could encompass dairy, and local grist grains. umm corn cakes with winter squash, and goat cheese.
Root veg, and local meats make for an awesome braise, soup and stew scenario. Mop all that up with locally baked artisan breads and you are good to go!

Sweet potato pie with local dairy cream! um um .

Lovely idea! I will be visiting Oregon next month, and will have to find this restaurant!

It could be done, but would people buy it?

I think the problem wouldn't be the winter selections- preserved goods pack quite the punch. I think you kinda hit on it when you brought the issue of salt to the table. We wouldn't be able to use many of the spices from afar. We do ok on herbs with our variance of soil conditions and we can preserve these too for the winter, yet vanilla = go bye-bye. Salt = maybe? Pepper = probably not. Cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, mustard, caraway etc = nope.

It is quite the mental excercise to see if one could assemble a menu per your specs. I think it could be done- and well- yet you'd have to make the exception with regards to spices.

Speaking of which, it seems that the spice merchant has closed...

. We do ok on herbs with our variance of soil conditions and we can preserve these too for the winter, yet vanilla = go bye-bye. Salt = maybe? Pepper = probably not. Cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, mustard, caraway etc = nope.

I go along with you on vanilla, but the Garfield park conservatory in Chicago has pods coming along all winter..so...pepper is tough,but I have grown some in the greenhouse before,granted it wasnt very much and probably not commercially viable, but mustard...that grows all over here,no problems with that and caraway does real well here in Kentucky as well.
I think the biggest limiting factor would that folks dont want to pay more for local.I dont think it is important to a big enough section of the population here to make it work.
And yes the Spice merchant is gone.

While it may difficult to be 100% every single thing and ingredient be local, it would be very possible to strive for upwards of 85% to 90% I would think. One criterion would be how you define local.

I am friends with the gentleman who started Farmers Diners in Quechee, VT. Let me tell you Quechee, Vt does not have near the resources or growing season this area has. Talk about killer winters. Yet, Tod Murphy at the FD strives for $.75 on the dollar to be in is local network. He has had a lot of national press over what he has done and has since expanded a new location. see link if you wish. http://farmersdiner.com/ Needless to say, equally important to a concept and mission like this is that the food has to be good, otherwise its just a short lived novelty.
If one is serious about looking in to this, I am willing to bet Tod would being willing to offer his advice on what's worked and not worked up there the past 10 plus years. he could be contacted through the website. or, one could pm me and I could make an introduction.

I've often wondered if someone would consider a concept similar to this in our region. I would support it as long as the food is good.

I would be curious to see the food cost/profit margin and price per plate that results from this.

And I agree, I'm not sure people (the general public) would pay more just because it's local.

Why would you necessarily have to pay more for local? (I don't know the restaurant "biz" so it's an honest question.)

Also you couldn't have coffee. That might be a deal breaker right there.

When he opened it, the owner of the Fleur de Lis (formerly Sweet and Savory) planned to make his entire restaurant local, but from talking with him I gathered he didn't have as much restaurant experience as money to burn.

It also pays to consider what is local? Chicago was just mentioned as a vanilla bean source I believe. And that wouldn't be local. But that is also where our Morton's salt hails from, so if we broadened the local area we could have that......
I know that Red Roasters doesn't grow the beans in the back yard, but I still consider her local, so where would you hypothetically draw the line?

I still think the killer would be winter.

I think you could get around the winter issue just like your grandma did - can and freeze from the higher producing months. Local doesn't necessarily always mean only in season.

The coffee - I think you could make the exception like stated above, use a local roaster and mabye mention "hand selected by a local roaster" or whatever would be accurate and appropriate.

[Robin Garr]

I think you could get around the winter issue just like your grandma did - can and freeze from the higher producing months.

Given the small but significant dangers involved with home canning, I wonder how stringent the health regs might be.

Seems if you are making "X" concessions - and going through the trouble of noting the hows and whys of these concessions on the menu - you have your answer regarding the idea of "only" local.

Projects like this seem to lose sense of the practical and the necessary. I can only begin to imagine the media coverage of such a place because the "liberal media" would love to cover such a "liberal concept." And that comment is coming from a die-hard, but currently jaded, liberal.

This is a pretty interesting thread that generates several questions regarding the "local" argument.

First, I don't think it is possible to operate a profitable restaurant using only local sources when using the most narrow definition of "local".

Local sources (at least from my view) would include everything needed to operate the business including :paper products, utensils, pans, furniture, spices, food, etc.

The most interesting problem brought about when considering an "all local" option is the definition of "local".
Is it locally owned, do they produce all their goods locally, are all of their ingredients sourced/produced locally, is a corporate business based in Louisville considered local ? ? ?

Local in the food community seems to imply two things: Freshness & supporting one's community (jobs/economy/small business/independents/etc).

If a business that is not in our geographic region uses the same practices that we value in our local businesses, are they acceptable as providers of ingredients for our local restaurants.

Example -
Can an "all local" Louisville pizza restaurant source their flour from a family owned (local) flour mill in Wisconsin and their cheese from a (local) dairy in Michigan?

A good example of this predicament is raised by all the local breweries. The water is essentially the only "local" ingredient being used in all of our Louisville beer. (NABC is using some locally produced hops though for a new brew, but I'd wager the grain is grown elsewhere)


Perhaps we should consider a more definable terminology to qualify what it is that we value about "local".

Shawn