This weekend my roommate and I were excited to sign up for this new little venture they are trying out in our neighborhood. Basically it was a guided tour through the farmers market with a local chef who then cooks a full meal prepared with foods purchased at the market! We both frequent the farmers market for fresh local produce (and let’s be honest, usually fresh tacos too)…I love walking from my house, getting some coffee and then sampling the fresh stuff and taking in the sights and smells on Sunday mornings.
We showed up and met the chef – Jeff Rossman from Terra, a restaurant down the street. He was super friendly and ended the day by saying “please email me questions or come talk to me when you come in and eat” – which I thought was cool. He like to create meals that feature both fresh and local produce and taught us a lot about what questions to ask and encouraged us to talk to the farmers more and really learn about what makes them all different. It was great too because I get my CSA box every other week and sometimes wonder what to do with everything – but he pointed out great ways to use all kinds of vegetables and even their leaves that most people probably throw away. He also showed us the difference in foods that taste great and are good for you but wouldn’t make the supermarket shelves because they don’t look good enough. It was very educational and I feel like I learned a lot! Michael Pollan would be proud.
As for the meal, everything he prepared for us was delicious – he made a stuffed kumquat appetizer (with herbs and goat cheese), a fresh salad and basil vinaigrette and angel hair pasta with veggies, olive oil and some aged cheese shredded on top. Everything he bought from the pasta to the ingredients for the dressing were all from the market, so that was neat…and everything was SO delicious and fresh. Overall a great experience! I am interested to see what chefs they utilize in the future and will definitely have to go back for more meal prep and tastings!
