F & B : LOCAL SOURCING
deal of sense ,” Gibb notes . “ Foods tend to be fresher , and many are produced by people who are passionate about what they do . It also gives an opportunity to highlight products or producers by name on menus . There ’ s nothing new about this — it is in the core values of any community or region .
Myriad of reasons When the 49-room Ocean House , which dates back to the 1870s , reopened in 2010 after a US $ 140 million restoration , the Watch Hill , Rhode Island , property made honoring the rich agricultural tradition of its surrounding area a priority . Chefs needed to commit to focus on seasonal , frequently changing menus with 75 % of ingredients sourced from New England . Ocean House even hired a food forager ( see “ A day in the life of a food forager ,” right ) who spent months before the property even opened attending local farmers markets , contacting regional agricultural boards and visiting farms .
“ One of the mistakes properties often make is that their food and beverage concept becomes what the owner , GM or chef wants it to be , rather than what the guest would be looking for when visiting a location — in our case , a classic New England seaside resort ,” says Daniel Hostettler , president and group managing director , Ocean House Management .
A focus on farm-to-table is certainly not just the purview of small , independent properties , however . The 319-room Trumbull Marriott Merritt Parkway in Trumbull , Connecticut , last fall debuted Parallel Post , a restaurant with a menu that changes weekly and emphasizes regional , seasonal , sustainable products such as greens from Gilbertie ’ s Herb Gardens in Westport , Connecticut , and meats from Ox Hollow Farm in Roxbury , Connecticut . “ We moved in this direction for a myriad of reasons ,” says Parallel Post Chef Dean James Max . “ We can better relate to our local market , allowing for positive word-of-mouth reinforcement , and it allows us to serve product that is fresher and more competitively priced . In addition , it keeps more of the money we make and spend in our area , which allows the market to grow as a whole .”
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FOOD FORAGER
Janice McEachen has served as food forager and director of culinary education at the Ocean House in Rhode Island since last fall .
She started out working in corporate sales , but Janice McEachen ’ s passion is food , which is why her job as “ food forager ” and director of culinary education at the Ocean House in Watch Hill , Rhode Island , is a perfect fit . The 136-year-old , 49- room Ocean House made a strong commitment to local F & B sourcing when it reopened in 2010 , and hiring a dedicated food forager was a major component of that commitment .
HOTELS : What is a typical day in your life as a food forager ?
Janice McEachen : This morning , I met with somebody who provides Bibb lettuce for us , and he showed me some things he ’ s growing now that we hadn ’ t purchased before . I also spoke with a new organization here growing mushrooms .
A lot of it is facilitating getting the product here . As a chef , you don ’ t have time to drive around everyday and pick things up , and as a farmer you can ’ t get all over the state everyday . H : What is the best part of your job as food forager ? JM : Working with farms — I really enjoy meeting the people producing the food . H : What is the hardest thing you have to cope with ? JM : Not always being able to get as much as I want of something . There ’ s a larger farm in Massachusetts I can go to to fill in what the smaller farms can ’ t make up , but it gets a bit challenging . H : Why do you believe local sourcing is so popular now ? JM : People are realizing to buy a head of lettuce that got shipped across the country doesn ’ t make sense when you can go the farmers market and buy one that was grown down the street . If you talk to older farmers , they ’ re amused at people thinking this is a trend . It ’ s the way we used to be , and hopefully that will continue .
52 HOTELS July / August 2013 www . hotelsmag . com