On a recent trip to New Mexico I was pleasantly surprised to see the strong connection between local farmers and chiefs of the area restaurants. There appears to be a great "field to fork" movement going on within the state.
This trend for restaurants to capitalize on making dishes using locally grown produce appears to be very successful. Not only are several of the local magazines promoting this connection - featuring chefs and their specialties, many restaurants avidly market the use of natively produced vegetables and meats in their dishes in their menu descriptions. The results are apparent by the high number of patrons at these eateries. It's obvious that the public wants to eat locally produced foods.
If New Mexico, a state that we don't normally think of when we think of as an agricultural leader in produce, could sustain such a movement other states like Michigan, California, Florida, Washington (all of which produce vast amounts of fruits and vegetables) should be able to do the same.
Hats off to New Mexico. It was a pure delight to eat dishes featuring the state's chili pepper, raspberries, and pinion seeds as well as grass fed beef and buffalo, and fresh caught trout.
Check out some of their great magazines devoted to the "field to fork" movement:
Edible at http://ediblesantafe.com/
New Mexico Magazine at http://www.nmmagazine.com/
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