Home Grown

Lori Midson

Four Denver chefs speak about their dedication to the use of local ingredients and the upcoming Harvest Week spotlight on Colorado farms.

"Why is it," asked Matt Selby, executive chef at Steuben's and Vesta Dipping Grill, "that independent Denver restaurants don't get the national attention they deserve?" That question, and many more musings about Denver's restaurant climate, was posed two years ago when a small band of local chefs and restaurateurs gathered to discuss ways of encouraging, promoting and supporting the Mile High City's independent restaurants and chefs.

Numerous brainstorming sessions and meetings later, the Denver Independent Network of Restaurants (DINR), now comprised of more than 40 locally owned food temples, was born and with it a solid commitment to recognize and celebrate Denver chefs and Colorado's bumper crop of produce and products. "We have amazing talent in this city, plus wonderful local farmers and producers, but on a national and even local level, we seem to be overlooked when it comes to wine and food," says Parallel 17 chef-owner Mary Nguyen.

All of that could change this month when members of DINR, in partnership with the Colorado Wine Board and Colorado Proud, roll out Harvest Week. The event, September 6 "“ 12, features menus "” most of them multicourse offerings "” that utilize products culled directly from Colorado farmers, producers, wineries and breweries.

"We want to raise awareness about the benefits of eating locally while directly supporting local producers," says Nguyen, whose Harvest Week menu pairs Colorado wines, beers and meads with contemporary Vietnamese dishes.

In addition to offering locally sourced menus, several participating restaurants are hosting individual programs and events, including appearances by local farmers, presentations by Denver Urban Gardens and hands-on cooking classes geared toward kids.

"Harvest Week is all about the celebration of Colorado growers and farmers by Colorado restaurateurs for Colorado diners," says Selby, who plans to unleash a smorgasbord of locally produced cheeses on his menus at Vesta Dipping Grill and Steuben's.

John Broening of Duo (duodenver.com)

On working with local farmers: "[It] requires flexibility. Everything is different from week to week "” even the same kind of lettuce is a little bigger or smaller than it was the previous week, so I try to tailor my food around available ingredients rather than having the farmers come up with the same [items] week after week, which they can't do anyway. I always learn something new from working with individual farmers. Rich at Abbondanza Organic Seeds & Produce in Boulder County taught me all about biodynamic farming, an old-world technique that's now making a resurgence."

On the growing season: "Thanks to global warming, Colorado's growing season is longer than ever. It begins in April, when you can get the first greens of the season, and lasts until the end of November, which is a great time to get root vegetables and hard squashes."

On local crops: "There's a taste that even the most skilled chef can't duplicate, the taste of freshness. A just-picked heirloom squash, its flesh oozing juiciness, is a completely different thing than an agribusiness zucchini that was picked a month ago in Mexico. A mealy Roma tomato that's been picked green and artificially ripened in an ethylene gas chamber bears no resemblance to a vine-ripened purple Cherokee tomato that tastes of that vine-y fragrance and has the texture of a slowly melting aspic."

On the local food scene: "There are plenty of Denver chefs who think what they do to a product is more important than the product itself, an approach that produces a lot of overwrought and pretentious food. Recently, the excitement of the local food scene has passed to Boulder, which has everything to do with the relative vitality of the Boulder Farmers' Market. Events like Harvest Week, however, can help by raising diners' awareness and making them demand local ingredients."

Sean Huggard of Black Pearl, Encore (blackpearldenver.com, encoreoncolfax.com)

On local lamb and fish: "We always search out farmers who raise their animals in earth-conscious and humane ways. Because we trust the farmers we work with, we know the products we use were cared for properly. Because we're landlocked, we can't always forge for our fish locally, but I do use Sweet Organic Farms in Durango, which specializes in rainbow trout, brook trout and brown trout. They have great products, and because they're local, it cuts down on the carbon footprint. We source our lamb from Fox Fire Farms in Southwestern Colorado, which produces amazing grass-fed, organic lamb."

On the relationship between restaurants and farmers: "The farmers and ranchers

we work with, like restaurateurs, are small businessmen and -women who love to sell their products. They care enormously about their products, and so long as we all have a shared mutual respect for the food, where the food

came from and how it's produced, then the relationship between farmers and chefs is

easy to maintain."

On his involvement in Harvest Week: "This is a huge step in showing [Denver diners] that they, too, can be a part of supporting the local economy. This is all about making our customers aware of the many great independent, chef-driven restaurants that take great lengths to turn out the best food, using the best possible local and organic ingredients. I hope Harvest Week will attract new diners who will subsequently become more interested in the "˜green' food movement."

On keeping it simple, stupid: "If you start with a great ingredient, you'll ultimately end up with a great dish. When you take advantage of local products, that's easy. We're blessed to work with so many farmers, ranchers, winemakers and brewers who share the same philosophy."

Mary Nguyen of Parallel Seventeen (parallelseventeen.com)

On her use of local wineries, breweries and meaderies: "It was after a wine tasting at Balistreri Vineyards in Denver that I really came to appreciate all that our Colorado wineries and meaderies have to offer. The local companies I'm working with for Harvest Week have a real passion for what they're doing on a very organic, grassroots level. They're educated and believe in their products as well as the quality of the whole process, which really parallels (no pun intended) the Parallel Seventeen philosophy."

On home-grown food: "There's a freshness there that really can't be reproduced elsewhere. I love the summer and fall seasons specifically for that reason. It's our own natural bounty of amazing flavors and food, and there's something to be said about looking a farmer or producer directly in the eye and having a face-to-face conversation about their products."

On Colorado's grape divide: "In many blind tastings, Colorado wines, like those from Garfield Estates, have won awards over well-known California wines. Events like Harvest Week will bring well-deserved attention to Colorado's small vineyards. Our whole dessert wine list is a compilation of Colorado wines, ports and meads, and during Harvest Week, each course will be paired with a glass of wine, beer or mead from Colorado."

On life as an independent restaurateur: "It's important to have a genuine passion for what you do and to take pride

in the quality of your product. In a city driven

by corporate restaurants and chains, it's easy to

be forgotten as a small independent restaurant, but when you meet

other like-minded restaurateurs, relationships naturally flourish. Everyone wants to support each other, and when we

band together, we can compete against the

big dogs."

Matt Selby of Vesta Dipping Grill, Steuben's (vestagrill.com, steubens.com)

On local cheeses: "I'll be featuring cheeses from Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy in Longmont, James Ranch Farmstead in Durango and Windsor Dairy in Windsor. I'm particularly fond of the Red Cloud and Buttercup cheeses from Haystack Mountain although the Windsor Dairy cheese is also outstanding "” rustic, flavorful and colorful "” and made with one hundred percent organic milk from Swiss cows. We're using Belford cheese from Fames Ranch Farmstead, which is seasonal, made in limited quantities and similar in taste to an old-world Gouda and cheddar but with an Emmenthaler creaminess to it."

On Harvest Week: "This event was created by a band of independent restaurants that believe it's important to celebrate the men and women who pour their hearts and souls into making sure we're eating with integrity. This is all about creating individual and unique dining experiences that expose customers to the amazing number of locally available products."

On supporting independent restaurants: "Independent restaurants care about generating and maintaining a repeat customer base. Independent restaurants don't have a huge stock of money in the bank, and we don't have corporate backing to sustain us. We continually have to nurture our culture, customers and identity if we want to make Denver's independent restaurants stronger in the community."

On debunking the myths: "What people don't always understand is that local products are typically much fresher and even less expensive than what you can purchase in grocery stores. Your fruits and vegetables aren't coming from Mexico, landing on a dock somewhere and then being shipped to me or you. When you use local products directly from the farm, you maintain the integrity of freshness."

For more information about Harvest Week, including a complete list of menus and participating restaurants, visit eatdenver.com.

Leading the Locavore Revolution

Mitchell Alexander doesn't mince words. "I'm not an isolationist, but I can't stand how dependent the U.S. is upon foreign oil, financing and food. We should be doing everything we can to fortify our infrastructure and support our local food markets and farmers to keep them diverse and strong," he says.

This paragon of homegrown gastronomy knows a thing or two about Colorado's local food movement. Alexander is the face behind thegreenfooder.com, a Website that peddles everything from locally sourced beef and lamb from a family-run farm in Pagosa Springs to locally made jams and cheeses; roasted coffees; and farm-fresh chicken, duck and quail eggs.

The stay-at-home dad of three is also an encyclopedia of knowledge, sending out a weekly newsletter about subjects such as sustainable living, factory farming and other thought-provoking political issues surrounding agriculture. He also provides background and history on the local farms and suppliers that he uses to procure his foodstuffs.

Alexander's easy-to-navigate site makes the ordering process a snap for customers. "I bring local suppliers and consumers together in such a way that everyone benefits. Those who utilize my service don't have to drive to multiple farms or suppliers, deal with multiple personalities or worry about picking up and mailing packages. And I deliver all the good stuff right to your door early in the morning."

"I've done a lot of research, followed a lot of leads, made lots of phone calls and placed lots of emails," he says, "with the goal of trying to bring awareness to consumers about the ethical, economical and environmental issues surrounding the food industry."

Education, says Alexander, begins with supporting local farmers and restaurants. "Eat food that tastes great and makes you feel better about how it was raised and, inevitably, you will likely end up connecting with a small farm operation."

Harvest week, he says, is a good start to educating customers about the benefits of supporting the local food movement. "I'm quite impressed with the dedication of the chefs who are involved, and I hope it's just the beginning."

Colorado Farms That Sell Directly to Consumers

Altan Alma Organic Farms

(ezsprout.net)

What you can buy: Organic sprouting seeds, nuts, grains and beans

Colorado's Best Beef Company

(cobestbeef.com)

What you can buy: Whole, half or quarter of beef and beef cuts

Frog Belly Farm

(frogbellyfarm.com)

What you can buy: Grass-fed beef, free-range chickens, goat milk and organic produce

Grant Family Farms

(grantfarms.com)

What you can buy: Herbs, bunched greens, vegetables and fruits

Fox Fire Farms

(foxfirefarms.com)

What you can buy: Organic lamb, organic grass-fed beef, organic grass-fed goat, organic free-range eggs and organic wines

Rocking W Cheese (rockingwcheese.com)

What you can buy: Farm-fresh cheese, milk and ice cream

Larga Vista Ranch (largavistaranch.com)

What you can buy: Grass-fed beef and pasture-raised pork, and if you're part of the Larga Vista Ranch Cow Share Program, you can also purchase milk

Wisdom's Natural Poultry (digitalmiracles.com/stores/wnp)

What you can buy: All natural, farm-raised whole chickens