Keeping it Fresh: The Farm-to-Table Experience

By Collin Breaux

The farm-to-table concept has grown popular in recent years, as restaurant customers now value health and sustainability as much as they do flavor.

In layman’s terms, farm-to-table means restaurants directly utilizing fresh-grown food grown naturally, as opposed to freeze-dried or other traditionally stored ingredients.

This approach has become particularly popular in Southern California, given the region’s interest in environmentalism and health. People are no longer just stopping in a fast-food drive-through for a processed and quick bite to eat or microwaving a frozen meal.

They want food they know is nutritious, natural, and sourced in their area.

South Orange County has its share of eateries utilizing the approach.

FLIGHTS & IRONS URBAN KITCHEN

SAN CLEMENTE

As a family-owned restaurant that serves what it calls “rustic American cuisine,” Flights & Irons uses seasonal ingredients.

The majority of its food is served in a cast-iron skillet, adding to the natural feel. Menu items include egg dishes, French toast, soups, and salads.

MAISON CAFÉ + MARKET

DANA POINT

Owner and chef Danielle Kuhn brings two decades of culinary experience to her venture, named after the French word for “home.”

Maison serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with an adjacent market full of items where customers can buy if they want to try their hand at replicating a dish. Hummus, salmon, and lentils are some of Maison’s offerings.

Maison also has a beer and wine list, thoughtfully collected from eco-friendly sources.

TREVOR’S AT THE TRACKS

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO

Trevor Baird—who, unsurprisingly, founded and owns the well-known Downtown San Juan Capistrano restaurant—of- ten touts the importance of the farm-to-table model and serving healthy food.

And, as Baird has said before, healthy food—vegetarian cuisine, in particular— can be tasty. That’s why Trevor’s tries to freshen up menu offerings so they have a new twist. The salads, for instance, aren’t just the usual house variety. The “no lettuce” salad, for example, is just that. It instead consists of tomatoes, snap peas, asparagus, and other vegetables.

A small garden yields fresh crops in front of Trevor’s, and Baird is looking to eventually harvest more fresh crops from a future farm area at the Northwest Open Space once development plans for that area get underway with San Juan developer Dan Almquist.

The Ecology Center

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO

While not a restaurant per se, this community center is all about farm-to-table— literally, quite often.

In fact, The Ecology Center is a working farm. The crops grown on it are often utilized for the center’s community dinner nights.

Those gatherings are held on Friday nights and feature visiting chefs who cook a multi-course meal using fresh ingredients harvested right off the farm. Since each night features a different chef, the food can vary in taste and texture. On any given night, diners may have an opportunity to sample salads, fruits, vegetables, tacos, and other assorted dishes. Water and adult beverages are served with the food.

Diners are seated at tables to encourage conversation, particularly about sustainability and where their food comes from. Dinner participants may be seated next to folks they already know or people they’ve never met before—the latter of which can be an opportunity to meet a new friend.

Such occurrences are part of The Ecology Center’s commitment to community. Along with the dinners, The Ecology Center also has a farmstand where people can buy food and drinks and where it hosts open strawberry pickings on the weekends, enabling families and other residents to come in and get their own fresh berries from the field.