A buzz word especially popular in the last decade, farm-to-table dining has seemed to have taken on many different definitions. But what exactly does farm-to-table entail, and what makes it special?
An essential component to the Heritage Fire Tour remains our commitment to working with local farms at each stop and using heirloom produce whenever possible. Thanks to this very important part of our process, we’re able to honor and execute farm-to-table in its truest form at every tour stop: Produce, meats, and other ingredients being prepared & served directly to consumers from the farm from which they came from. In other words, no grocery stores, markets, or other means of distribution are involved.
What makes this method preferential? Aside from taste itself, working with local farms without a middle man actually does wonders for supporting the local economy. According to the Naked Farmer, a farm-to-table establishment in Miami, locally sourcing ingredients can create new job opportunities, reduce carbon footprints, improve food safety, and promote biodiversity.
Clearly, using locally sourced ingredients & farm-to-table distribution can give you an edge in the culinary world, and it can potentially give you a lead in the Heritage Fire competition, too. Take Tampa & Twin Cities, for instance. At our initial stop in Tampa, Chef Brian Jacobs’ winning dish of Smoked Asado Brisket & Bone Marrow "Taco" used herbs from our charity partner farm, TUB Farms, and in last weekend’s Twin Cities stop, the winning Bison Queda Birria Taco from the El Sazon team sourced its bison from Rocky Mountain Natural Meats/National Bison Association, one of our all-star partners.
So, we’re not saying this way of obtaining ingredients & preparing sets your meal a step above the rest, but it certainly worked in favor of these 2024 Heritage Heroes!
Thanks to all our local community farms who have worked and continue to work with us throughout Heritage Fire’s lifetime!
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