As Farm to Chef completes its second year as an independent corporation, growing the business to better serve both ends of the equation has become an explicit priority. Board member Kim Feeney, of Top of the World Resort in Lake George, echoes a common theme when she says she hopes to see more restaurants and more diversity of products (and therefore more farms) in the business.
Farm to Chef is considering expanding into the Capital District, where restaurants are increasingly promoting the idea of local food. The company already serves Jack’s Oyster House, Albany’s venerable State Street eatery, as well as the governor’s mansion, which, under Eliot Spitzer, strives to be a role model of green practices.
Jack’s executive chef Dale Miller became a client of Farm to Chef a couple of years ago, enticed by its offer of “one-stop shopping” for foods from more than a dozen farms. This convenience counts when provisioning a large restaurant and banquet house, and Miller says the weekly deliveries also “transport me back to my childhood” where everything was fresh, homegrown, and genuine.
In simple numerical terms, the trend is favorable for Farm to Chef’s future. Sales are up 35 percent from the last fiscal year, and growth is accelerating. Board president Rowse predicts “this is the year we will take off,” foreseeing year-end sales surpassing $300,000.
Perhaps one reason Farm to Chef holds promise is that the people who become chefs tend to love every aspect of food. How interesting can it be to buy 50 racks of lamb from some distributor and just plate them up? Part of the future of local food may lie in the stories and surprises that come from direct relationships with the farmers who produce it.
