If you love to travel, then chances are you also enjoy bold new food experiences. If you’re ready to explore fresh foods and meet the farmers and chefs who made the meal you’re enjoying, consider these six amazing farm-to-table restaurants next time you’re in the neighborhood!
1. Campo, New Mexico
Inspired by the harvest of the day, Campo is located on the Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm. Campo is a green oasis that gives you a casual fine-dining experience rooted in the heritage of pueblo cuisine. Everything on the menu comes either from their own on-site farm or local farmers and herdsman from the Rio Grande Valley. If you ask, you can see a list of the local farmers they partner with to provide an exquisite and organic dining experience.
Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm also grows beautiful lavender bushes and has a bee farm. At certain times of the year, you can taste a hint of lavender in the honey. Campo is by-reservation-only and is open Wednesday through Saturday from 5 pm to 9 pm. Campo suggests arriving 15-20 minutes early to enjoy a hand-crafted cocktail at Bar Campo.
2. Open Farm Community, Singapore
Open Farm Community is the first establishment of its kind in Singapore. Their goal is to shed light on the impacts of urban farming, understand and respect food and where it comes from, and nurture the relationship between people and nature. The open concept kitchen focuses on locally sourced, seasonal dishes. The restaurant is located on 35,000 square feet of land used for farming. OFC hosts a number of different activities, such as a monthly farmers’ market. They also have an extensive outdoor recreation space used for educational workshops for children and adults to promote living a balanced life. If you’re in Singapore and you’re looking for a farm to table experience, give OFC a whirl. Hopefully, their interesting model will inspire others around the world.
Singapore. Pixabay / Walkerssk
3. Craft London, London
Craft London is a culinary concept designed by Stevie Parle and Tom Dixon. Craft London is a restaurant, cafe, cocktail bar and shop all in one. They deliver quality products by collaborating with experts to create world-class coffee, smoked fish, beekeeping, meat curing, vegetable fermentation, and a unique on-site kitchen garden. All of their produce is purchased from British farmers and the contemporary yet sophisticated design is crafted from materials found throughout the island. Eating at Craft London will not only give you a one-of-a-kind dining experience, but you’ll also get to enjoy world-class products from curators who have a passion for their work.
4. Clover Food Lab, Massachusetts
Clover Food Lab is a restaurant chain in the Boston area that started out as a food truck. Clover’s mission is to “address global warming by building a better food future,” according to Ayr Muir, founder, and CEO. Clover sources almost all of its menu from local farmers and is strictly vegetarian to eliminate their carbon footprint on greenhouse gasses put out by the meat industry. Clover makes nearly everything from scratch every day; they also have a reputation for their hand-crafted drinks such as cinnamon lemonade, mulled cider, maple soda, hibiscus iced tea, and Barrington Coffee.
5. Sac-A-Lait, Louisiana
Known as the best farm-to-table restaurant in Louisiana, Sac-A-Lait can be found in a Cotton Mill in the Warehouse District of New Orleans. Everything about Sac-A-Lait is handcrafted, from the woodwork to the hand-crushed oyster shells that make up the bar. Sac-A-Lait’s ingredients are locally sourced, which means their menu changes daily. Despite the constant change, the menu usually consists of the same three categories; fish, hunt, and farm.
New Orleans. Pixabay / USA-Reiseblogger
6. De Kas, Netherlands
De Kas is a unique restaurant set inside a 1926 greenhouse which doubles as a dining room. De Kas sources most of its ingredients from their nursery, and what they can’t they get from local farmers. Gert Jan Hagemon, founder, and owner of De Kas, runs the nursery and provides fresh ingredients for his restaurant every day. Each morning, Hagemon and his chefs meet at sunrise to harvest their food for the day. From May through October, guests can tour the nursery and garden or attend workshops. In the summer, guests can also enjoy lunch and cocktails outside in the herb garden.
Eating farm-to-table is a great way to enjoy locally sourced food and support farmers and their communities. Farm-to-table restaurants are cropping up all over the world and are growing in popularity as more people begin to take an interest in where their food comes from. Dining at a farm-to-table restaurant will not only provide you with healthy food alternatives, but you will also learn to appreciate the ancient relationship between humans, food, and nature. During your travels, be sure to stop at a local farm-to-table restaurant. You may be pleasantly surprised!
