SEASONS TO TASTE
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From a Food Alchemist
I would like to say that cooking seasonally came to me due to a great social consciousness – looking to help change the local buying habits of the denizens of an area or assist in the building of a more viable regional agriculture. No, I came to eating locally/seasonally because I craved flavor. As a chef, I found it easiest and more satisfying when I bought foods from local farmers, which allowed the foods to fully ripen in the field giving me the most dynamic product to play with. Always keeping an eye on the effects the foods we eat has on our bodies I was also able to interact with the suppliers of the foods I cooked with creating a sense of security around the foods I ate, and served to clients. My self-serving desire has produced many benefits: vibrant flavors and textures in the foods I make; nutritionally active foods, and a connection to the seasonal ebb and flow of nature. Now, we have come a long way over the last decade with an explosion of local markets, and better labeling from organic to conventional to information regarding place of origin. Still, we have to make an effort; but for me, this more than worth it. I purchase my food with the axiom that I will first look locally then augment from afar.
