Over 30 Local Chefs Supporting Local Farms

Over 30 Local Chefs Supporting Local Farms

April 17, 2019

In Austin, we are so fortunate to have a large variety of local restaurants to dine at every single week. Our growing city has become a culinary destination for tourists and residents alike. Better still, so many of these local restaurants and chefs are dedicated to supporting our local farmers. Visit any one of them and find a showcase of seasonal, local ingredients in their deliciously crafted menus.

That's why at our annual Farm to Plate benefit we invite the best local chefs who are dedicated to sourcing local and sustainable food from our area farmers.

At Farm to Plate, you get a taste of the best cuisine that Austin has to offer while providing critical funds to support our mission. Your ticket purchase supports local farmers and increases access to healthy, local food for everyone in Austin. Read on to learn more about just a few the local chefs you'll find at Farm to Plate on Thursday, May 9th, and why shopping local is important to them.

Jennifer Costello & Chris Hurley – The Bonneville

The Bonneville is a chef owned and operated, upscale casual, New American restaurant run by the husband and wife team of Chris Hurley and Jennifer Costello.

When asked why they shop at the SFC Farmers’ Markets, they had this to say:

“The farmers and ranchers know their product best and are hugely important in understanding what's happening in our food supply chain. It’s very important to have a face to face dialogue with them so we understand not only what they are growing but what is happening in their fields… By supporting the farmers' markets directly we are supporting a genuine relationship with food and affecting the food supply chain in a positive way.”

Rick Lopez – La Condesa

Helmed by Executive Chef Rick Lopez, La Condesa’s menu features modern Mexican dishes made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Chef Rick has a true passion for connecting his team and restaurant with the surrounding community by focusing on sourcing ingredients from local producers and farmers. [https://lacondesa.com/about].

When asked which farm he loves to purchase from at the SFC Farmers’ Markets, Chef Rick said:

“I love to work with David and Katie from Tecolote Farm. I usually buy what they recommend and use it where I can in dishes.”

Tom Pedersen – Cocoa Puro

Not only is Tom Pedersen the culinary wiz behind some of the best sweet treats in Austin, but he is also an SFC Farmers’ Market vendor. Cocoa Puro has been at the Downtown market almost every single Saturday for more years than we can remember, always offering many innovative chocolate items for sale.

When asked why he uses local ingredients, Tom said:

“While chocolate doesn’t grow here, I use other local ingredients as often as I can, depending on the seasonal offerings. We use Texas pecans, local blackberries, cream, oranges and lemons, and whatever else we can source… It’s important on many levels to discover the value of buying local. It supports local farmers and their families, it’s good for local food security, it’s more efficient and less wasteful, and we all get much better, fresher food. Buying local supports our community on so many levels.”

Bryce Gilmore – Barley Swine, Odd Duck, Sour Duck

In 2009, brothers Bryce and Dylan Gilmore opened the Odd Duck food trailer with a mission to turn it into an eatery serving only food with ingredients from local Austin farms. Bryce has since grown his presence in Austin with the opening of the Odd Duck brick-and-mortar location, as well as restaurants Barley Swine and Sour Duck. Bryce is so passionate about supporting our local farmers that he has donated funds to pay farmer stall fees at our SFC Farmers’ Markets during the month of January for the past 2 years.

In 2016, Bryce spoke with the Austin-American Statesman and said:

“What we stick to is, we source everything locally, and we want to feature that stuff, and we want to support as many local artisan producers and farmers and ranchers as we can, and let the staff and the people that work here mold it and form it into what it is on the table.”

Sonya Coté - Eden East and Hillside Farmacy

Eden East is a true farm-to-table dining experience located at the former Springdale Farm. Sonya Coté is all about bringing diners to the source of their food in hopes of showing the work that goes into growing each tomato and harvesting every eggplant. “All of the people that grow food have such passion, and it’s so important for the consumer to see that,” she says. “Plus, we should be buying food from our local farmers because it helps our economy. (https://edeneastaustin.com/springdale/about/)

We are so grateful to all the chefs who are donating their time and talent to Farm to Plate, and for their commitment to supporting our local farmers. We wish we could feature them all in this post. See below for our full line-up of chefs and visit our Farm to Plate event page to learn more and purchase your tickets!