Florida Food & Farm - Winter 2015 by Florida Food & Farm

WINTER 2015

YOUR RESOURCE FOR LOCAL FOOD AND FARMS Free

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nas a n a B o G l l ’ You Mahi Mahi 2 pounds locally caught Mahi Mahi filet (blood lines removed)

Flour Salt and pepper ½ Cup white wine ½ Cup butter

3 Bananas cut lengthwise – about ¼” thick Chopped macadamia nuts MARINADE

Juice of 1 locally grown lemon Juice of 1 locally grown lime 3 Tablespoons soy sauce

Marinate Mahi Mahi for 2 hours. Combine flour, salt and pepper in bowl. Dredge Mahi Filets in flour to lightly coat. Sauté fish quickly on both sides in lightly oiled pan – just enough to brown, about 30 seconds each side. Melt the butter and combine with white wine. Place mahi in baking dish and cover liberally with bananas. Pour butter and wine over the fish and bananas making sure bananas are completely covered. Sprinkle with macadamia nuts. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until mixture starts to bubble. Do not overcook. Serve on a bed of fresh arugula from Paradise Farms. It will be love at first bite!

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www.chezgourmet.com 1716 Corporate Drive • Boynton Beach, FL 33426 (561) 740-9690 chez123@bellsouth.net

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Open daily for dinner Lunch Monday - Friday Brunch Saturday & Sunday 10 AM - 4 PM

(561) 249-7436 707 Lake Avenue Lake Worth, FL 33460 www.surirestaurant.com

Farm to Table Alt-American Cuisine

WHAT’S INSIDE Chef Rod Smith now forages for other chefs. Page 22.

STAPLES

WORD FROM THE 7 APUBLISHER

Farm- and locally grown mean something to this newcomer to Florida farming and publishing.

Why this magazine is important now — and for the future.

FEATURES

11 A R ROW HE A D BEEF

12 DA NIEL BOU LU D

“Happy cows” are grass-fed and free-range. They are a heritage French breed now raised in Florida.

Open Kitchen Flavors from our own Herb Garden

EDITOR’S LETTER

For this French farm boy turned celebrity chef, farm-to-table cooking is as natural as the beans in Swank’s Loxahatchee field.

S E A-T O -T A B L E

The Fontainebleau makes waves with live fish tanks for sea bounty, assuring diners of a true fresh catch.

36-37

K A I - K A I FA R M

Former sailors still find themselves at nature’s mercy now on land as they expand their Indiantown farm.

DR I N K S

Schnebly Winery and Orchid Island Brewery owners tap local fruit growers for their wines and beers.

Present this ad & receive

15 % Off your entire check. Applies to lunch, dinner or brunch Cannot be combined with other offers or promotions. Holidays excluded.

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BOUNT Y

40 R E G I O N A L L I S T I N G S

Family farms, CSA programs, green and farmers markets, U-picks and artisan food producers.

R ANTS, WINER IES AND 62 RB RE ET AWIEL RE RI ESS, , RNEOS NT AU - P R O F I T S , A N D F E S T I VA L S Stay connected to Florida Food & Farm online. Find more features, photos, and interactive listings.

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@FLFoodFarm

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A Word from the Publisher

The publisher’s farm in Brevard County, where farmers Lindsey Wightman and Theo Major are planting the initial crops.

am a third-generation Floridian. I was born here and spent my childhood here and in Arkansas. My dad’s oral stories of Florida’s water and land became my heritage — stories of an adventurous boy who spent his early life fishing in the crystal clear waters of Biscayne Bay and the Miami River, catching rattlesnakes in the Everglades and growing food in his backyard that would sustain his parents and sister during the Depression. Local, Florida food has always been more important to me than something to consume. When my great grandmother established a homestead in Miami in the late 1800s, means to travel or to develop a business were rudimentary. The Flagler railroad stopped at Palm Beach. After a freeze destroyed most of the orange crop north of what is now Broward County, two pioneers of South Florida, my great grandmother Sarah Banks Weaver and her closest friend Julia Tuttle, sent an orange, grown in Miami, to Flagler — indisputable proof of South Florida’s value. South Florida got a railroad and thrived . . . thanks to an orange. My own connection with Florida’s waters, land and food was far more removed than my father’s experiences, as pollution and profloridafoodandfarm.com

cessed foods became the norm during my childhood. I cannot recollect any image worth passing along when I ate sandwiches made with processed meats and Wonder Bread. But I can describe vividly those first bites of just picked strawberries, scooped up at roadside Arkansas farm stands. I became even more removed when I moved to New York City! I pursued a career and married my husband, who had the foresight to move us back to Florida. Reunited with Florida, I became even more interested in fresh, local produce. I didn’t know where local markets were. I thought it would be difficult to buy anything locally grown — except oranges. I began researching countries of origin. Mangoes came to us from Brazil and Central America. Organic produce I bought came from California, Mexico or Argentina. I doubt it was fresh. I wanted to eat local food. I was tired of spending time tracking down the food I wanted. I decided to start a farm in Brevard County. All those years in New York City did nothing to advance my knowledge of how to grow organic produce. So I hired the best growers I knew — Theo Major and Lindsay Wightman. For years they had dreamed of having their own farm. It was a perfect match. They nurtured the four acres I bought — strewn with trash and overgrown with non-indigenous species — and turned the land into a thriving farm, part hydroponic and part raised bed. Recently, I returned to Arkansas.

In the entrance to a friend’s restaurant was a publication that caught my eye: Arkansas Food & Farm. It was filled with contact information for farms, ranches, artisanal food, farmers markets, green markets, CSAs, wineries and restaurants. All are in Arkansas, and all grew or served local, fresh food. I wondered if we had a resource like Arkansas Food & Farm in Florida. I wanted our farm to succeed, and recognized the importance of developing my farm within a community that supported what we needed to grow and flourish. I found nothing. So, I called the publisher of Arkansas Food & Farm, and started Florida Food & Farm. Today, I am meeting farmers, learning about local food and eating at restaurants that feature local foods. It’s not easy tracking down so many in our local food community. But, I come from a long line of pioneering women with a love for Florida and an interest in seeing it flourish. I believe that everyone in Florida should have access to fresh, local foods. With the help of our sponsor, the Florida Department of Agriculture and our advertisers, we hope that Florida Food & Farm becomes an important resource for our local farmers as we seek markets that provide fresh, local foods from Florida. All of us at Florida Food & Farm hope you enjoy reading and benefiting from our first issue as much as we enjoyed creating it for you. –

Daphne Weaver FOOD & FARM 7

Editor’s Letter

ithout hesitation, everyone we’ve approached about our new Florida Food & Farm magazine has been enthusiastic. “We’ve needed something like this!” we hear repeatedly – from consumers to chefs and of course, from the farmers. We’re delighted — because our mission is to connect the small farmers and the fruit growers, the ranchers and fishermen, and others helping grow our local food community to those they feed: chefs, food artisans and all of us everyday cooks and diners. Our listings of small farms within driving distance and food artisans who value Florida’s bounty are meant to pull the curtain between the farms and the tables. Everyone eats – yet not everyone knows about their local farmers or fishermen or ranchers trying to make it in a world of corporate and “factory” farms. Shaking hands with

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a farmer is a reality when you buy local – not so when your beans come from a grocery store via Mexico. You might be unaware there are local alternatives to potatoes from Idaho, or onions from Georgia, or blueberries from Michigan. Florida is one of the largest agricultural states in the lower 48, and its heritage in farming, ranching, and fishing is long and rich. As a food journalist covering the state for more than 30 years, I’ve met a number of families who date back to pre-statehood working Florida’s land and herding cattle. The tradition is being continued by today’s farmers with only a few acres growing heirloom tomatoes that taste like a tomato should. Pigs with hundred-year-old pedigrees can be found on a small farm not far from Sebring’s international raceway. Fresh pineapples, once a staple crop in South Florida, are growing on a slice of Paradise (Farms) in Miami. The pineapples, the pork, and those tomatoes find their way on to menus created by chefs like Michael

Schwartz in Miami, Daniel Boulud in Palm Beach and Mike Perrin in Jensen Beach. What they know: Seeking foods from their back yards helps shrink a footprint that is wreaking havoc on the very earth that supports all of us. Sustainable and eco-minded farming practices are critical to the small farmer who can’t afford to be careless with the land. The farm-to-table movement isn’t a trend. It’s here to stay — and we’re all better for the awareness. We’re hoping our passion for connecting you, the consumer, to local food that’s better for your health and your environment will bring success for all. We need more farmers, but even more, we need people to support them. So pass it on. Help us spread the word – tell others about Florida Food & Farm. Share the stories of our local growers, and suggest those we’ve missed. Let’s grow a better food community together. –

Jan Norris

floridafoodandfarm.com

FOOD & FARM 9

IN SEASON

Beets are a fall and winter crop in South Florida. Look for fresh greens or green stem ends, and a firm root when buying fresh beets. Varieties include red, yellow and orange, with candy stripe and variegated roots sometimes available. The green tops are delicious chopped in salads, or sautéed with garlic then drizzled with sesame or walnut oil.

WINTER 2015

Stone crabs, the darling of Florida waters, are now being considered for a listing in Slow Food’s Ark of Taste. The sustainable seafood is in season through May 15. Medium and large sized are as tasty as the jumbo, and often preferred by claw aficionados. Cheaper claws, known as “lights” or “floaters” are recently molted, have thinner shells, and less meat that pulls away from the shell easily. Know your crab fisherman!

Art Director | Kevin Waltermire For advertising information, please contact Cassie Peters at 561.331.4586 or email Cassie@floridafoodandfarm.com

ABOUT THE COVER Growing up on a farm in Lyon, France, chef Daniel Boulud is at home among the rows of beans at Swank Specialty Produce in Loxhatachee. He prepared a brunch on site this fall to highlight his commitment to sourcing local foods.

We are supported by Fresh from Florida.

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At Arrowhead Beef, Grass-Fed Cattle are

‘Happy Cows’ by Susan Nefzger

ho would have thought a vintage breed of French cattle once reserved for noblemen would be found in Chipley, Fla.? Known for yielding very lean and tender beef, the proper name for this unique cow is le Parthenais, (pronounced parthany). The cattle thrive in northwest Florida and its temperate pastures. The breed was first listed in herd books in 1893, and fair photographs of the breed dating from the 1860s still exist. Now available in the United States, Parthenais registries are also kept in Ireland and Canada. In Florida, there are several farms that breed and process grass-fed beef in locales across the state. Tom Pellizzetti, co-owner of Arrowhead Beef, says: “We believe that great beef comes from great cows, and great cows must have a sustainable, humane life for their entirety. We never ship our cows to feedlots or any industrial beef production. We have happy, pasture-raised cows – it’s as simple as that.” This means that after weaning from their mother’s milk, the cows are fed a completely grass and forage (harvested grasses) diet for their entire lives. Pellizzetti’s explanation for the claim that grass-fed is better is that the genetics of the heirloom breed

George Fischer oversees the small ranches that raise cattle for the Arrowhead Beef brand.

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Parthenais cattle are a French breed dating to the 1800s.

COU R T E S Y PH OTOS

provide what he terms a “consistent product profile,” so much so that the muscle fibers are different from those in other breeds. Having smaller muscle fiber in meat helps to provide a more tender and flavorful product after processing. “There is much research that leads us to believe that grass-fed beef provides more health benefits than its grain-fed counterpart,” says Pellizzetti. For example, there are no added hormones, no antibiotics, and they do not eat grain. The beef contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, CLA, (conjugated linoleic acid), beta carotene, vitamin E and vitamin A. Another factor that affects the cows is their lifestyle. The owners and managers of Arrowhead Beef believe in the “herd life harmony” concept wholeheartedly, and maintain that the lack of industrialization along with the humane slaughter and two-week dry-aging process is why the meat is so much better. They bypass feedlots and homogenization during processing, thereby retaining the special identity of the meat.

The farm is a local operation involving a cooperative of three to four local owners who raise the cattle on approximately 800 acres on small farms in Chipley. George Fisher is the overall manager overseeing the local beef processing to ensure that it occurs in small batches. The processing takes place at a USDA-inspected plant in the neighboring town of Westville. The beef, once processed, is dry-aged for two weeks, which enhances its flavor and tenderizes the meat, Pellizzetti said. Staying as “farm-direct” as possible through sales directly from Arrowhead ensures the integrity and quality of the beef.

Where to buy it: Arrowhead Beef is available at a number of butcher shops and retail stores or can be ordered directly from the company online (arrowheadbeef.com) or by phone; shipping to the lower 48 states is available. The meat is sold in a number of cuts and packages. Along with premium steaks, roasts and ground items, they also offer a raw pet food blend. Retailers that carry Arrowhead Beef include: • Marando Farms, Fort Lauderdale • The Butcher Shoppe, Stuart • Nature’s Garden, Naples • Living Green Fresh Market, Oakland Park The beef can also be found at a number of farmers markets and green markets throughout the state.

FOOD & FARM 11

Daniel Boulud brings farm heritage to the table by Jan Norris

PH OTOS SPECI A L TO FLO R I DA FOO D & FA R M

aniel Boulud stood among the rows of beans in the farm field, a just-picked bunch in his hands, and for a moment, a wistful look passed over his face. “Yes, I’ve picked a lot of beans over the years. It’s a lot of work,” he said, laughing. The acclaimed chef, sporting a royal blue “apprentice” apron, jeans, and sunglasses against a brilliant fall sky, was at Swank Specialty Produce in Loxahatchee, putting on a farm-to-table brunch to showcase his commitment to local foods. The woven basket of beans he picked and lettuces he chose from the hydroponic beds at Swank would be used in the family-style farmhouse meal prepared on site. “It doesn’t get any fresher,” he said. “These are beautiful.” After a stop for herbs in the shade house, and lettuces plucked with a root ball still attached, he’d gather with his restaurant chefs, the farmers, and media following all the action to get cooking. Over a charcoal grill, fresh fish would

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be grilled and a rustic meal served al fresco in a new pole barn built just for Swank’s monthly seasonal farm dinners. Small, peeled turnips were arranged in a pot with staranise, lemons and kaffir lime leaves, then roasted simply with olive oil and sea salt. Salad featuring the red- and green-leafed lettuces grown hydroponically at Swank were tossed with the freshly picked beans and a sherry vinaigrette, then topped with braised chicken livers. Fresh curly parsley and mint were chopped for a citrusy tabhouli to accompany a whole fresh snapper grilled over charcoal on site. The meal represented menus at his restaurants, Café Boulud in Palm Beach and db Bistro Moderne in Miami – models for chefs who source foods locally. From vegetables to meats to seafood, the products come from someone the chefs know personally. Boulud is recognized as one of the top toques in the country. This way of eating and provisioning the restaurants is floridafoodandfarm.com

CHEFS & FARMS

butter. And making cheese. We had young cows we raised for consumption. There was everything – chicken to duck to guinea hen, goose, squab, rabbit, turkey.” Rapeseed oil was produced from the cabbage-like rape plants, and walnut oil came from a yearly harvest shelled by the whole family called in just for the event. “We only produce 10 bottles of oil a year,” he said. It’s a luxury item meted out only to the family, and served in the fall over Boulud’s favorite salad of yellow chickory.

was bringing – that’s what we would take,” he said. It was a large spread. “We had 15or 20-foot tables and the truck behind us. It had everything – all the goat cheese, chickens, rabbits and vegetables. In the summer, zucchini and haricots verts; potatoes, onions, leeks. We could grow anything.” Soon, the Boulud clan grew and the farm was used to provide for the family.

“At my family’s farm, from when I was a kid, we were doing everything.”

At a rustic brunch he prepared on the farm, Daniel Boulud shared tales of a rural life with Jodi and Darrin Swank and the media.

nothing new to him. It’s how he grew up: using foods just picked or cooking with those preserved from his family farm’s bounty. This lifestyle is always with him, he said, driving his cuisine and shaping his career. Connecting with farmers and learning about seasonal nuances in foods should be part of every chef’s education, he said. Not many have the advantages he did growing up in a food-centered family. His grandfather ran the original Café Boulud in Lyon and his father farmed. “At my family’s farm, from when I was a kid, we were doing everything. We had vegetables – many varieties – and were raising live animals, goats and cows, to produce milk and floridafoodandfarm.com

“They don’t know how to grow that here,” he said, referring to U.S. farmers. “It is laborious – you have to let the chickory grow out with no freeze, and cover it with hay so it gets no light. The leaves turn yellow and Boulud, db bistro Miami chef Jason Pringle, and farmer Darrin Swank inspect tender.” It is served with fromage blanc – a seedlings in the shadehouse. fresh goat cheese – and small roasted It’s a culture that is fading, howpotatoes. “The warm potatoes, the ever, the chef said. The farm-to-table cold chickory and walnut oil, with a movement is highlighting the absence little chive and white wine vinegar. of local, family-owned farms today. Salt and pepper, of course. It is deliPostwar industries had much to cious – my favorite thing.” He lights do with their demise, he said, both up, remembering. in France and, more so, the United On the farm in Lyon, France, he States. worked with his siblings and parents, “The factories popped up in the planting and harvesting foods and suburbs, and who were they gocaring for the animals, then watching to get to work? The farmers and ing as his grandmother and mother children of farmers. All the village cooked and canned the seasonal around us used to be farms. They had harvests. Meats were cured and preto be diversified – my parents made a served. Nothing went to waste. great living. But they worked hard. In the beginning, the farm was a “But many people didn’t want to business. The farm’s location on the work so hard. They wanted to work hilly side of the region made it easy for eight hours a day and go home.” growing most things except grains. There was a slowdown in farm“We were very diverse – my father ing in France as a result, he said. Still, was smart at business. We could not there wasn’t the move to corporate do only one cultivar – we had to make farming as there was in the U.S. a living. He applauds Jodi and Darrin “Every Saturday morning, my Swank, owners at Swank Specialty father would take the vegetables Produce and hands-on farmers who and meats to the market in Lyon,” have grown their business from just he said. “All the vegetables – it was three plants – basil, arugula and letvery seasonal. Whatever the harvest tuce – to a full-fledged farm today. FOOD & FARM 13

The chef readies ingredients just picked at Swank, and others brought in for the brunch.

“Nature is much more challenging than we think. It’s important to study, study, study.” “Farming is hard work. People who are smart enough are doing something else. But you have to be very intelligent to farm, too,” Boulud said. To do it, “you have to understand nature and anticipate well enough to plant and harvest with the seasons. Nature is much more challenging than we think. It’s important to study, study, study,” he said. “Today, it’s not always a farmer who has done it from generation to generation. It’s a new kind of farmer. Nobody wants to do it the old way anymore – bending and picking and planting.” Farmers are growing with new methods to make it easier and get better yields. “There are many things to help do a better job than long ago.” Specialized farms are replacing the plant-it-all traditional models, too. Some, like Swank, start with specialty crops such as microgreens or certain lettuces, and then diversify as they grow and as chefs demand more. Boulud admits Florida’s odd growing patterns are a mystery to him. “It’s difficult for me to under14 FOOD & FARM

stand the process. I’m not yet ready to advise these farmers.” Boulud was among Swank’s first restaurant customers years ago, says farmer Jodi Swank. The Boulud chefs in Palm Beach and Miami remain loyal buyers of lettuces, microgreens and a variety of vegetables delivered fresh from the farm to the kitchens. Though other farms are coming up, Boulud said they can’t compete with the established farms working for him and other chefs in Manhattan. At his flagship restaurant, Daniel, he gets deliveries from growers who are harvesting specific products at his direction. “There are the most active amount of farmers there,” he said – and they have a ready audience. “They are all around in almost six states who can sell to the restaurants.” The farmers are beginning to eye Florida, he said. His suppliers from New York, Eberhard Mueller and Paulette Satur, have begun farming in wintertime at Satur Farm in Indiantown – a branch of their New York operation . Even Boulud is considering a farm – maybe doing something here eventually but for sure in New York. What will he raise? “Rabbits,” he said. “The ultimate sustainable food.”

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A drizzle of olive oil dresses fresh roasted beets and turnip roots studded with lemon, kaffir lime leaves and star-anise. floridafoodandfarm.com

FOOD & FARM 15

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Really fresh catch at the

Fontainebleau by Jan Norris

ome dining advice: When the restaurants at the Fontainebleau feature a fresh catch, take them up on it. At the famed Miami Beach resort, far below the restaurants, down a maze of corridors leading to warehouse rooms and next to a butcher shop with a meat aging room, sits Water World – otherworldly acrylic aquariums built in stacks. These house the fresh, live seafood set for the daily menus of the restaurants inside the resort. Call it sea-to-table. It’s a fantasy setup: Walls that surround the six 300-gallon tanks, stacked three-deep, were painted dark blue as sea murals by a local artist. Lights are kept low and set on a timer to replicate natural patterns of sun and moonlight in the ocean. The room is dim, and relatively quiet. Water, brought in through trucks that pump fresh seawater into the tanks, is kept at an appropriate temperature for the sea creatures within: 50 degrees or chillier for Maine lobsters, and around 70 degrees for the yellowtail snapper which flash around in a school of yellow and silver in the tanks. “We want to keep it as close to their natural environment as possible,” said Thomas Connell, the Fontainebleau’s executive chef. “The less they’re stressed, the fresher they taste. We want them to taste like the sea – just like they’re supposed to.” A variety of fish are kept in the tanks, but on the day we visited, yellowtail, a small shark, and a lone grouper were the only fishes. floridafoodandfarm.com

COU R T E S Y PH OTO.

Chef Thomas Connell of the Fontainebleau oversees the Water World tanks under the resort.

Maine and Florida lobsters were scrambling around on the bottom of two tanks. A giant Florida lobster – at least 10 pounds - was being readied for its close-up for a photo shoot with the chef. It’s not just the tanks, but hotel fishermen – now working on the boat owned by the Fontainebleau that provide the fresh seafood. The resort owner, Jeffrey Soffer, has made a financial commitment to getting and using top quality products throughout the hotel, the chef said, and though no figures were released about the cost, the tank setup was billed at $100,000 and the fishing boat said to cost well over $400,000, not including crew. The boat, dubbed the Bleaufish, fishes early every day that nature allows. Connell and his staff all have gone out with the fishermen to reel in some fish and learn even more about the seafood they serve. “It’s great. I go every chance I can,” Connell said. “It gives the chefs another connection to their food so we encourage all the chefs to do it.” The chef’s workers meet the boat at the docks and bring the fish back to the hotel immediately.

“It’s critical to get the fish back into the water as soon as they bring it in,” Connell said. “The chefs come down, and order what they want for that day.” Demand is there and growing as word gets around. The boat supplements the live fish in the tanks with big grouper, stone crab claws, dolphin, kingfish, and tuna that is iced and filleted that day in one of the restaurants, but popular yellowtail is swimming around live till the chefs net them and take them to their kitchens to prepare. Other seafood is still bought from purveyors – at least 60 percent must be supplemented by non-Florida seafood that diners demand: Maine lobsters, cold-water mussels, clams and oysters, and fish such as salmon. The Fontainebleau has four main restaurants that “shop” the fish: Gotham Steak, Hakkasan, Scarpetta and Michael Mina 74. The chefs there go through close to a half-ton of seafood daily. Demand is there, Connell said. “People want fresh and local today – and we can provide the freshest seafood that I know of other than catching your own.” FOOD & FARM 17

Diane Cordeau and Carl Frost have sailed around the world, but creating an organic farm is proving much more challenging, yet still rewarding. PH OTO BY JA N N O R R IS

Kai-Kai Farm in Indiantown: From Sails to Kale Pair of former sailors expanding organic farm as demand takes off. by Jan Norris

here are few vestiges left of the former lives on the high seas of sailors Diane Cordeau and her spouse, Carl Frost. The name of their organic farm, Kai-Kai Farm, in Indiantown just west of Hobe Sound, is one. “We had seen the vegetables growing on coral rock in the Malaysians. Every time we would visit an island, the tribe’s chief would say, ‘Let’s kai-kai.’ It means ‘go gather food,” Cordeau said. Now, landlubbers, the pair grow more than 50 crops at Kai-Kai - all organically. The couple were round-the-world sailors for years, when Frost spotted a plot of land that was previously a citrus grove along west Kanner Highway. They bought the 40 acres in 2003 and decided to become farmers — more or less on a whim. Cordeau, in a typical “uniform” of jeans and long sleeves against dropping temperatures, talked as she directed workers packing coolers of lettuces to fill a large order from The Breakers resort. “They want everything we grow — they’re our biggest client,” she said. “We have to really work to keep up with the demand.” The couple were inspired to farm by the Pacific Islanders 18 FOOD & FARM

growing their own foods on a rocky island. They figured if coral rock could be farmed successfully, real land should be no problem. But, she said, there was a bigger learning curve than they imagined. As an entymologist with the University of Florida’s IFAS program, she had a leg up on pests, but not actual farming. “I apprenticed with Nancy Roe (at Farming Systems Research Inc.) for a year. But this is a different climate here, we’re in a little cooler zone.” The couple experimented with different varieties and crops until they found what worked in their area. They quickly found even if following Zone 9 suggested varieties, crop failure is still an option. “We have to adjust every day. There’s something new to deal with every day.” Last year, hot weather meant lettuce was a problem crop. It bolted early, she said. The plant put out leaves at first, then suddenly shot up a flowering stalk, going to seed. This summer, she added a 1-acre shade house to relieve some of that problem, and now grows lettuces and leafy greens — mache, mustards and other delicate plants – under the shade to protect the tender leaves. “Beans like it too – they’re happy there,” she said. The wind damage is reduced under cover as well. It was a success and production was high in a typically off-season for farmfloridafoodandfarm.com

MEET YOUR FARMER

ers. “It definitely kept me going over the summer,” Cordeau said. Another ¼-acre darker shade house was just finished in mid-December, and she was just setting out cucumbers – another finicky plant dependent on good weather. Asian greens – tat soi, bok choy and mizuna – are crops that have done well for Kai-Kai from the beginning. They’ve expanded to a much wider variety of lettuces – bibb, romaine, buttercrisp, red lola rossa, oak leaf – that the chefs love. They grow several varieties of kale as well as dandelions for people who juice the greens. More medicinal herbs, and greens intended for juicing raw are the trend today, she said. “They’re becoming a big thing, and we’ll be planting a lot more next year. You must follow the demand.” Daikon and traditional radishes, squash, eggplant, snow peas, blackeyed peas, okra, collards and a few English peas are among other crops. “We’re growing tons of radishes,” she said. “The chefs love them.” Melons in summer and corn and hot peppers fill out the seasonal rotation. But a tiny leaf broccoli that’s more like a broccolini, called Happy Rich, is all the rage. “I can’t keep it – everyone is lining up for their tiny broccoli.” It’s a hybrid of tiny traditional broccoli and a Chinese variety, gai lan. “I had to plant more and more,” she said. “Café Boulud wants their broccoli!” Other chefs from top restaurants like The District Table and Ian’s Tropical Grill in Stuart, and Café Chardonnay, The Cooper, and Coolinary Café in Palm Beach Gardens, also seek out her produce. The Breakers orders massive quantities of the all-organic greens. But her 150 CSA subscribers get priority. “They’re loyal and we have to take care of them,” she said. In this area, choices for sourcing from small farms are limited. Cordeau says government rules have made it extremely difficult for start-up farmers. “Regulations stop you at every turn. We had to get permits from the floridafoodandfarm.com

PH OTO BY LI BBY V ISIO N .CO M .

Diane Cordeau is the hands-on overseer of the 15 acres now planted at Kai-Kai.

South Florida Water Management District. We already had drainage but it’s a big problem for people just starting out. And all the paperwork and permits. It’s very hard.” With communities abutting most farmland here, cities have their own rules as well. A farm stand is now operating on the property twice a week. It’s the result of another hurdle they had to jump with zoning before opening in a refrigerated trailer. “It can only be a 20-by-20 foot stand and has to be 600 feet off the road,” she said. She sells excess crops there, but customers are beginning to find out about it and she is exploring the possibility of offering other local farms’ produce and some fruits here. Most of the farm rules favor big farmers, she said. As an all-organic farm, she has double the trouble to meet the strenuous inspections required to earn the label. “We have to do a lot of maintenance. We’re not yet profitable, but eventually we’ll get around the corner.” Cordeau credits the burgeoning demand from both chefs and consumers, who want to know where their food comes from, for the farm’s expansions. “Every day, chefs want more and more. And my farm customers come in and tell me, ‘Your name is all over the place on all the menus,’” she said, laughing. The CSA also is growing, and is broken into 8-week “seasons” that can be bought separately as a smaller subscription commitment. The late winter season starts February 1. She’s already expanded into the

back 20 acres – a total of 15 will be in farmland this year. “I’m planting more Brussels sprouts, more broccoli, beets, that kind of thing. Deep purple spring onions. Oh, and those tiny carrots with the tops on them – chefs love them.” A second packing house also is in the works. “That way we aren’t on top of one another.” More workers will be hired to help cut the greens and pack the produce that typically goes out within hours of picking. It all turns on a dime. Crops only need one bad storm or a hard freeze to destroy not just a season but a whole year’s work. Still, they won’t go back to sailing, Cordeau said. “This is our last life. At sea, when you’re sailing and looking out forever on the water, you could lose your life on any day. Here, you lose a crop. You can keep on trying again.”

If you go: Kai-Kai Farm, 8006 S.W. Kanner Highway, Indiantown 772-597-1717 Kai-Kai Farm sells fresh produce from their farm stand on property on Wednesday and Saturday, noon-5:30 pm; at the West Palm Beach GreenMarket and The Gardens GreenMarket, or by subscription through their CSA program. Contact them at kaikaifarm.com/csa.php FOOD & FARM 19

Michael’s Genuine chef Niven Patel, center, shops at Maria Corona’s produce stand with forager Chris Padin.

COU R T E S Y PH OTOS .

Local food a commitment for Miami chef Michael Schwartz The James Beard Award winner brings community ethos to the table every day by Jan Norris

ne of the Miami chefs whose reputation is entrenched in farm-fresh and local foods has forthright opinions about the farm-to-table movement. Michael Schwartz put his philosophy of “good food starts with good food” in his flagship restaurant’s name: Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink. His daily menu, stocked with products sourced from local farmers, fishermen and ranchers, has won numerous accolades from critics, and earned him the title of Best Chef in the South in 2010 from the James Beard Foundation. In a phone interview with Florida Food & Farm, he talked about the growth of local food sources, challenging summers here, and being on the high seas with a new pub concept. Does he think the new interest in farm-to-table is a fad? “I think it’s great,” he said. “I think anytime people are talking about it it’s a good time. As long as there’s a dialogue about it, it’s going to stick and they’ll carry it forward.” It’s not a trend, he said, but a commitment to a certain ethic. He had a word for those not following through on their claims. “What I don’t think is great are the ones doing the greenwash – that’s what I call it. Those that say they’re using

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local growers or organic or sustainable food – and they’re not. They’re using it as a marketing tool and they’re not being honest.” Schwartz, who turns 50 this year, said he didn’t come up in the restaurant business inspired by California food artisans – he’s an East Coast kid from Philadelphia who started in Italian restaurants there. Local foods were probably there, he said, but there was no emphasis on fresh products; rather, imported foods were in the pantries. The big distributors filled produce orders once a week. “I never really worked for farm-to-table movement people. At some point, when I moved down here, I began to take an interest in where the food comes from. I started to wonder about the people who grow the food, harvest it, make it or cultivate the land. “When I made that connection, those people became important to me. I wanted to see them succeed.” He nurtured relationships with farmers and artisan producers and started sourcing local whenever possible. But he was aware the smaller growers couldn’t eke out a living selling only to his restaurant and a few others. “It became my mission to make the products more acfloridafoodandfarm.com

cessible to other people,” he said. He shared his farmers’ crop list with peers and a few began to support the local small farmer. “Finally the bigger distributors got into the action. That didn’t mean ‘here goes the neighborhood,’ ’’ he said. “I urged my suppliers to take on local suppliers. “More growers started to pop up,” he said. “There were people growing different things.” The chefs were slow to buy local at first, but over time, the growers had new markets, and in turn, were able to expand. New products spurred creativity and changing menus. It was win-win, Schwartz said, for growers, and chefs and their diners. Florida’s winter growing season is a boon for diners from the north, he said. “They come down in January where it can be freezing cold and we have fresh tomatoes and beans and all these greens.” Then there’s summer, he said, laughing. “It’s in summer when it’s bad news - if you can call it that. It’s a challenge. We only have mangoes, lychees, passion fruit.” Schwartz has several restaurants

for local producers to support – Michael’s Genuine, the 8-year-old flagship in Miami’s Design District that was recently revamped to include a raw bar and a between-meals service in the afternoon. He owns Harry’s Pizzeria, also in the Design District, and has restaurants on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas and Allure ships that sail from Miami. His growers supply farm-fresh foods aboard just for his kitchens. Another Michael’s Genuine is in the Cayman Islands where his style has had an impact on small farming there. Initially, the chef wasn’t sure if he could get enough fresh food on the island for a restaurant, but managed to find a few sources. Over time, he has fostered a number of small farmers and artisan food makers. “The movement has grown tremendously on the island. There are many more producers today,” he said. On the ships and in his newest outpost, Michael Schwartz at the Raleigh, sourcing everything local is not always realistic. “With all the menus interconnecting, the in-room dining and the others, changing those menus frequently

is a little harder,” he said. He still believes these foods should be accessible to all. For that, he partnered with the organization Wholesome Wave. The group doubles the value of food stamps when they’re used to buy local, fresh food. The Miami branch is called Roots in the City, and operates at a farmers market in Overtown. There, the chef also has “adopted” an elementary school where he helps plant food gardens, harvest the crops and cook nutritious meals using the foods. He has kids of his own, he said, and it’s important to him that their generation reconnect with their food from the ground up. Though it’s not always possible, supporting local food communities is the right thing to do, he said. And it’s advantageous to a chef no matter how much experience is in the kitchen. Knowing the person behind the food can make a difference in how it’s used. “It’s like when you make connection with the winemaker and learn about the wine directly from the person who made it. You learn their nuances and things you may not have discovered before.”

On January 27, Slow Food Miami honors Schwartz at an annual dinner recognizing those who help promote native ingredients. Slow Food Miami president Michele Benesch said, “The Ark of Taste Benefit Dinner is a chance for us to champion our native ingredients and we are proud to be honoring the legacy of Chef Michael Schwartz and his team’s commitment to doing so as a normal course of business.” The dinner, to propose stone crabs as an Ark of Taste heirloom food, is at Paraiso Bay, where Schwartz will open a new restaurant. Michael Schwartz floridafoodandfarm.com

Tickets are $195 and available at miamisarkoftaste.brownpapertickets.com. FOOD & FARM 21

Chef Finds New Role in Foraging, Linking Fellow Cooks With Growers by Jan Norris

PH OTOS BY JA N N O R R IS .

Fractal broccolini and fresh mushrooms, along with eggplant and peppers, are among farm-fresh products delivered to restaurants by foragers Rod and Peg Smith.

he business of foraging – picking up fresh produce from local farms and delivering it directly to the chefs – is growing as fast as the farm-to-table movement. Rod Smith, co-owner of the foraging company Farms to Chefs in Boynton Beach, says this way of doing business is not really new at all – it’s how farmers and chefs have worked for centuries. “This is old-fashioned, the way we used to do it,” he said. “It’s an old business that’s been reborn – the way it should be.” Farmers used to bring their produce and dairy products and meats to the kitchens of local restaurants, where buying and selling to the chef took place at the back door. The ingredients were fresh-picked, not warehoused, Smith said, and the chef knew the farm and farmer who delivered. The advent of corporate farming and shipping nationwide caused that model to fade as chefs were able to order from any source anywhere in the United States – and globally. A new demand for locally grown products has brought back the old model, however. Farms to Chefs is a company that delivers fresh produce and dairy items straight from local farmers to their clients – chefs at clubs, restaurants and institutions. Smith says his was the first com-

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pany in the area that he knows of to help chefs and local farmers connect directly without a distributor or warehouse in between. Though the foraging business has grown, “there still are not that many of us,” he said. “I just got an email from someone in St. Petersburg wondering if we go over there.” It started back when Smith was a chef, looking around at all the agriculture in the region and wondering why his produce ordered from a distributor was coming from California or Michigan. He said it dawned on him that there was a potential for a successful business connecting local growers and ranchers with other chefs. Smith started the business five years ago. “The first years we were growing slowly,” he said, but he noted his business has increased 300 percent in just three years. “There’s a huge demand. We can’t keep up – the farms are planting twice as much and it’s still not enough,” he said. He says there are several reasons. “The local produce scene is at the top of everyone’s list. People are concerned and want to know where their food is coming from now, and more and more chefs are buying local and putting it on their menu to satisfy the customers.” The prices are sometimes steep-

er, but diners are willing to pay for and be assured of fresher foods than the imports grown on questionable farms, he said. Still, he said, “We have to be competitive. More and more mainstream distributors are adding local produce to their lists, though their definition of ‘local’ is vague – it can be Florida, Georgia or Tennessee. “I just asked one of the Publix guys where they get eggplant. They said it’s from Honduras. I told him to look at his back door – the fields out there are full of eggplant. But the big stores have to buy a container full – not a crate here or there.” It’s easier and cheaper to put one shipment on a truck from California making several stops, than to pick up at numerous local farms and have four trucks going in different directions. But therein is the freshness difference. “We don’t have a warehouse. We bring everything directly from the fields to a customer. Nothing is warehoused. We go to the grower, two to three or sometimes five times a week and put it right on the trucks to deliver the same day.” There are more local farmers popping up to meet demand, he said, but some are too small to effectively sell much. “Every season we pick up one or two more growers. Some of the smaller growers – I call them floridafoodandfarm.com

hobby farmers – they understand growing but not packaging. Packaging is a huge expense to many of the growers. But if you don’t pack correctly, it’s ruined by the time it gets to the chef.” Specialty products are favorites of the chefs – things like Romanesco, the fractal-shaped green cauliflower, and shishito peppers. “We get a great leaf spinach they like,” Smith said. “It’s the old-fashioned kind, a broad leaf with curly edges – very colorful. The chefs are eating it up,” he said. “One of the club chefs in Jupiter said one of his toughest diners, a club member, came up and told him it was the best kale she had ever eaten. It was our baby red Russian.” Rod and his wife and fellow owner, Peg, are both chefs with combined experience of more than 70 years in professional kitchens. Smith worked in country clubs around South Florida, while Peg worked in New Orleans restaurants. In summer when growing is dormant in South Florida, the pair work at a summer camp in Massachusetts, cooking 500 meals three times daily for the campers and counselors. Their kitchen acumen gives them an edge in choosing products from the farmers to sell to the chefs on their route that runs from Miami to Jupiter Island. A number of his old country club buddies are now customers. “We sell to Old Marsh, Loxahatchee Club, Pine Tree, Boca Grove – lots of them are now buying from me. “We know what the chefs want and how they want it,” he said. “We’re a company for chefs by chefs.”

COU R T E S Y PH OTOS .

For more information about Farms to Chefs, contact the company at 561-633-9389, or see their website, farmstochefs.com. floridafoodandfarm.com

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PH OTOS BY JA N N O R R IS .

Dr. Nancy Roe Uses Green Cay Farm for Research and Mentoring Other Farmers by Jan Norris

all her the small farmer mentor. Nancy Roe, the primary grower at Green Cay Produce in Boynton Beach, has helped a number of now-successful farmers in South Florida. There’s no denying that farming in a tropical climate where there is no respite from bugs and pests, and in sandy soils, is a challenge. But Roe, an agricultural scientist, is a researcher who’s found answers to many of the problems that plague novices and small farmers determined to farm without chemicals or at least use organic ones minimally. Green Cay is one of the oldest small farms in the Palm Beach County area selling to the public through subscription shares and selling to chefs. Originally set up as a CSA – a community supported agriculture farm – the 10 acres planted in crops is run by Roe and her husband, Charlie Roe. She met us on the farm one day last year after a heavy rain that drenched the fields. “We did all right,” she said. Good drainage on the property that was long held as farmland helps. The land is rented from Ted and Trudy Winsberg, progressive farmers who had 350 acres there dating to the 1950s. The land was divided when they retired in the early ‘90s – some going to wetland preservation and some to developers. The rest was rented to small farmers and plant nurseries. In an area increasingly urban pavement, it’s an oasis of healthy soil with rows of vegetables and tables of microgreens thriving in the full sun. Her CSA business started by word of mouth, as people 24 FOOD & FARM

found out about Green Cay Produce and the subscription services she offered. By buying a share of the crops before planting, subscribers can pick up a box of fresh produce each week during growing season, filled with selections from that week’s harvest. Tomatoes, beans, corn, lettuces, peppers, eggplant, bitter greens, cabbages and squashes rotate through her fields during the August to May season. The money from subscribers, an average of $25 a week, is reinvested into the farm. It’s not enough to sustain Green Cay, though making residents aware of local growers is key, Roe said. She’s one of a handful of those she calls “admirable” – little farmers trying to eke out a living in Florida’s fickle soil and climate. The weather dishes up a host of headaches, she said: high winds, flooding rains, and the oppressive Florida summer heat. “Certain things like the heat, but a lot of the crops want a milder temperature.” Last year’s lettuce bolted – went to seed – immediately – but she’s worked around it for a solution. “Arugula can take some heat, but I’ve started to plant later – I don’t want to fight it.” Bug invasions last longer in the heat, and the rains bring bacterial pests. It’s a constant battle in Florida fields, she said, and a farmer has to be there 24/7 to tend them. Roe doesn’t grow organically, but much of what she uses and her practices are all natural. She is confident in the safety of the chemicals she says are needed to get crops to survive in South Florida’s bug- and fungus-ridden soils. floridafoodandfarm.com

“Obviously if you’re eating locally, you’re not going to have everything all the time, and some things just don’t grow here.” “I’ve been in agriculture in Florida for more than 40 years,” she said. “Yes, I use synthetic fertilizers. But the chemicals we have today are nowhere near as potent as before. People think of Rachel Carson when they think of fields being sprayed. The stuff we have today is nothing like those old ones – they are banned in the U.S. and not sold here anymore. “The new ones, though, don’t last nearly as long, so I have to spray more often. The old chemicals would kill everything in sight; these are much more specific.” She uses the abundant wildlife around her as a tell. “To me, it’s evident there are no problems with them. There were no rabbits here 20 years ago. They were totally wiped out by the big farmers. Now, we have so many problems with rabbits, they’re out of control. I put in a whole crop of lettuce and it’s gone the next day.” The wetlands the farm abuts are full of wildlife and migratory birds, and she says she’d notice immediately if anything was affecting them. Though not a vegetarian, Roe and her spouse Charlie eat the just-picked produce every day, and buy very little at the market – only things she doesn’t grow: potatoes, asparagus or fruits occasionally. “Obviously, if you’re eating locally, you’re not going to have everything all the time, and some things just don’t grow here,” she said. Northern transplants expect foods like asparagus and English peas, though, and grocers must carry them. But most of the other staple crops of vegetables do fine in Florida. Despite a near year-round growing climate, there are the seasons to deal with. The winter and its chillier nights mean there won’t be as much available for her clients as crops thin or go dormant. But she is always trying new things, and discarding crops that consumers don’t like while plantfloridafoodandfarm.com

ing more of popular varieties. Right now, she’s got rows of kale – the dark leafy green continues to be popular among juicers and chefs working it into all their menu items. “I’m growing 30 times the amount of kale we grew three years ago. It’s really popular. They’re even putting it in dog food, I heard,” she said, shaking her head and laughing. Today, restaurants, hotels and private clubs are her biggest buyers – and sources for what they want are limited. “Chefs recommend us, and word spreads. We’re really lucky – we’re the only one down here in this part of the county and we have a route down into Broward to the south and in Palm Beach, Delray.” She’s seen the demand created by the farm-to-table movement take off in the last few years. “We can’t keep up now – I can’t plant enough to satisfy the chefs. Kids coming out of culinary schools, too, are being taught about local products, and tour the farms.” Roe said chefs around the county have found her. “Nick Morfogen of 32 East has been buying from me since we opened. We have several other restaurants now who buy from us – Max’s Harvest, The Breakers, Addison Reserve Country Club, Pizzeria Oceano, and of course, Rod Smith (a forager) who has several customers of his own.” Some chefs dabble at sourcing locally, asking for a specialty food, but it isn’t feasible for her to sell only a small box of fancy lettuce or a few squashes – or to plant a crop of a certain trendy vegetable just on spec. “We have to have minimums or we lose money. If I plant something and they can’t use it, I am stuck with it. I’ll pack it in the CSA boxes if it doesn’t sell.” She still values her CSA customers. Her subscribers will be treated to a pot luck lunch on the farm in early February as an appreciation for their support, she said. “It’s a way to thank them and to let them see what we’re doing – a know-your-farmer day.” Introducing people to small farming and connecting them to their food is key to her and other farmers. “There are a lot of people who live here who’ve never been west of (U.S.) 441.” She referred to the expansive agriculture preserve in the western part of the county. “They have no clue about the farmers here or what we do.”

FAQ on CSAs Many of the small farms in South Florida offer Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscriptions for their foods. By buying a share of the crops to come, subscribers can pick up a box of fresh produce each week during growing season, filled with selections from that week’s harvest. One of the first CSAs in Palm Beach County was created by Nancy Roe, PhD., of Farming Systems Research Inc. Working with Green Cay Produce in Boynton Beach, she offered subscriptions to the farm’s harvest pre-planting. Today, tomatoes, beans, corn, lettuces, peppers, eggplant, bitter greens, cabbages and squashes rotate through her fields during the August to May season. The money from subscribers, an average of $25 a week, is reinvested into the farm. It’s not enough to sustain Green Cay, though making residents aware of local growers is key, Dr. Roe said. Other CSAs are offered by Swank Specialty Produce in Loxahatchee, Solace Organic Farm in Boynton Beach, and the Community Caring Kitchen in Boynton Beach, which works with a number of farms. Some who raise chickens or goats also take orders at green markets for future deliveries; these programs all support the local farmer who can then plan ahead for food production, sharing expense as well as bounty. FOOD & FARM 25

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grew on the 1,500-acre Boynton Beach farm were shipped up the East Coast to Canada. “We never got to see someone actually eating what we produced,” she says.

Localecopia Farm-to-Chef Program Rooted in Posh Breakers Resort by Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley Localecopia continues to grow thanks to the efforts of Geoffrey Sagrans, co-founder.

atthias Radits was executive chef at The Breakers Palm Beach in 2001. The resort’s fine dining venue was called L’Escalier, and it had a five-diamond reputation. “This was a time when we were all into heavy sauces and plenty of calories,” recalls Richard Hawkins, The Breakers’ Director of Materials Management who procures everything from bar soap to bananas for the Palm Beach resort. Radits went to Hawkins and asked, “Why can I go into my back yard and pick sweet, juicy mangoes from trees but I can’t get them for my restaurant?” That question became the impetus for Localecopia, says Geoffrey floridafoodandfarm.com

Sagrans, who came to work with Hawkins at The Breakers in 2001. Today, Localecopia is a nonprofit agency independent of The Breakers that is working to make farm-totable produce a reality for everyone. At the time Sagrans joined the procurement team at the resort, South Florida farmers weren’t set up to sell to local outlets. Most area chefs got their produce through large distributors working with an international group of growers. The mangoes typically sold in local eateries were imported from Central America. Marie Bedner, operations manager at Bedner Growers Inc., remembers those days well. Just about all the cucumbers and peppers they

Taking It To The Masses That’s why Sagrans and Hawkins decided to work with producers in the area to bring local, sustainable produce to their hotel’s restaurants. They even worked with hotel groundskeepers to plant an organic garden on the property. But they didn’t stop there. “We wanted to bring what we were doing to the masses,” says Sagrans. So in 2008, they helped start Localecopia (a portmanteau word using “local,” “ecology” and “copia”). They signed up members, including The Breakers, Bedner’s Farm and chefs such as Jon Greening of Deck 84 in Delray Beach. Today, Localecopia has about 60 members as it continues to promote working relationships between chefs and local food producers. One popular activity is the semiannual Meet and Greet where members can display what they produce and the public, including chefs, can sample and ask questions. “We are trying to bring people back in touch with their food,” says Sagrans. The Meet and Greets also help inform buyers about what’s available locally and where to find it. By 2010, Localecopia was doing a good job of getting the word out about the availability of local produce. But Sagrans and Hawkins realized it was time to put their money where their mouths were. That’s when they bought a 28-foot used refrigerated truck, insurance and licenses in order to start the Localecopia Marketplace. An affiliate of the original organization, the Marketplace acts as the middleman between its member growers and buyers. “It’s one-stop shopping for chefs,” says Sagrans. Today there are about a dozen growers regularly participating. “We had the producers saying we can grow things and the chefs asking ‘What do you have?’ So we created Marketplace to be in the middle, to connect the dots - to be a conduit,” says Sagrans. Biweekly Deliveries In Season Up to twice weekly in season, chefs place their produce orders with logistics director Mike Guenther, who works for the MarketFOOD & FARM 27

Local sweet potatoes and lettuce as well as other vegetables fresh from the farms are delivered to The Breakers twice a week in season.

Kim Erickson displays avocados and carambola along with photos of her summer’s mango crop at the fall Localecopia Meet and Greet.

place. Next, he checks in with the member farms to see what they have available before putting buyers and sellers together. Then he turns to driver Phil Myers, who in a typical week during harvest season will pick up the truck where it’s kept in Lakeland the day before deliveries are scheduled. He heads for Dundee and Lake Hamilton, where he loads citrus. Then he drives an hour to Zellwood, where he collects mushrooms before turning south to Plant City. Here a number of small growers such as Armando Rodriguez, who farms 30 acres, provide crops including okra, yellow squash, zucchini and string beans. The truck also picks up the most coveted strawberries from Wish Farms before heading back to Lakeland, where the crops are kept in the refrigerated truck overnight. The next day, Myers heads out about 6 a.m. for Belle Glade to pick up lettuces as well as celery, sweet corn, parsley and green beans. “We only deal with Florida products,” says Guenther. In Boynton Beach, the driver gathers tomatoes, peppers, onions, cauliflower, broccoli or whatever they have available from two farms including Bedner’s. Now it’s time for deliveries to The Breakers Palm Beach, Max’s Grille and Bogart’s in Boca Raton as well as Burt & Max’s and Deck 84 in Delray Beach. From mid-October through mid-May, Deck 84 chef Greening gets the bulk of the produce on his 28 FOOD & FARM

Localecopia deliveries from farms north of Lake Okeechobee through Belle Glade wind up at The Breakers in Palm Beach, as well as other area restaurants.

menu from the Marketplace. For its commitment to Florida-grown products, Deck 84 was awarded the Fresh from Florida badge as promoting Florida’s agriculture. The service has also made deliveries to Mar-A-Lago and the Four Seasons in Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens Resort and Spa. With an eye to the future, they are just beginning to supply Florida strawberries and citrus to 186 schools in Palm Beach County. Ask Hawkins why he’s so dedicated to Localecopia and making farm-to-table a way of life, and he’ll tell you. “The more people care about local, sustainable farming, the better off our city, our county, our state and the world are going to be. It’s the right thing to do,” he says . PH OTOS BY JA N N O R R IS .

Membership in Localecopia Membership in Localecopia, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is open to everyone for a $100 annual fee. Members can display their wares at the biannual Meet and Greets where they can talk to chefs and the public. A monthly e-mail newsletter is filled with information provided by members detailing what they have for sale and current events on their farms. Another benefit of membership: Founders Richard Hawkins and Geoffrey Sagrans are happy to give personal assistance to any member who requests it. “We are a conduit. If we don’t have the answer, we probably know somebody who does and we can put our members in touch. It’s like adding us to your Rolodex,” Sagrans says. Members also can participate in the Localecopia Marketplace (a low-profit limited liability company) that is a pickup and delivery system to get Florida produce to local restaurants. To join, visit localecopia.org or contact Geoffrey Sagrans at Geoffrey.sagrans@localecopia.org. floridafoodandfarm.com

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Bee Unique Store Sweet Success for Owners by Janis Fontaine

ichard Spinale didn’t grow up wanting to be a beekeeper, but he did. Now, 42 years later, he’s just as enthusiastic about honey as he was in the beginning Spinale’s brother-in-law actually got him interested in the business. Bill Rhodes came from dairy farming but wanted to try something new with the acreage he owned near Mount Dora. He decided on bees and started the Bill Rhodes Honey Co. in the 1970s. Rhodes has become one of the premier beekeepers in the United States, Spinale said. He was profiled in the 2009 documentary, The Vanishing of the Bees. Spinale fell in love with the business. “I love that we’re back to nature. You’re working with the bees and they’re so productive!” That’s an understatement. The company has 15,000 hives and produces 3 million pounds of honey each year. “We’re one of the largest commercial apiaries in Florida,” Spinale said. Most of the company’s business is commercial – it sells honey in big barrels that weigh more than 700 pounds – but about three years ago, Spinale and his wife, Wendy, decided to go retail. At 55, Spinale was

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PHOTOS BY R ICH A R D CO LLI ER

ready to leave the grueling work of beekeeping to the younger guys and gals. They started at the West Palm Beach GreenMarket, and got such an enthusiastic response, they decided to open a store. The store, Bee Unique Everything Honey & More on Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach, also sells related products: beeswax candles, honey soaps and moisturizers, honey hot sauce and barbecue sauce. Business (they also sell online) is doing well. “Business continues to grow, month after month, year after year,” he says. They still sell at the GreenMarket on Saturday mornings. Spinale touts the unique food that honey is — hence the name Bee Unique! He says it’s one of the only foods that never spoils. It has antiseptic qualities. It changes over time; it will solidify, but if you warm it up it goes back to liquid form. “They found 2,000-year-old honey in the Egyptian tombs!” Spinale says, laughing.

“I think it’s because we take a lot of personal pride in our product,” Spinale said. “When people come in to the store, they know we’re vested in the product. We’re proud. There is real value to what we’re selling.” The honey sold by the Spinales is 100 percent pure honey. Nothing is ever added. In Florida, the law says it has to be pure if you say that on the label, “but it’s not enforced,” he said. In some other states, there are no regulations about purity. Commercial honey can be cut with corn syrup or sugar water, Spinale said. Bee Unique’s honey is the same as it was on day one, he said. Another thing that hasn’t changed, Spinale said: “Bee stings still hurt.”

If you go: Bee Unique Everything Honey & More 3311 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach Info: 561-379-4404; 786-227-4147; worldsfinestrawhoney.com Monday-Friday 10 am-5 pm Saturday 2-4 pm floridafoodandfarm.com

Christopher’s Kitchen Elevates Plant-Based Cuisine to Mainstream Tastes by Jan Norris

e g a n , ve g e t a r i a n – b ot h buzzwords for cuisines that are trending as health food and healthier lifestyles come into their own for a new generation and an aging one that remembers the ’60s and its back-to-nature movement. Christopher Slawson is stepping up those terms for his cuisine on a plant-based menu at Christopher’s Kitchen in Palm Beach Gardens. The restaurant, owned by his uncle Richard Slawson, features vegetarian, vegan and raw foods prepared to appeal to all diners. “I think everyone wants to feel great,” Christopher said. “Right off the bat, people want food that tastes good. No matter what you’re making, it has to taste good or people aren’t going to try it,” he said. But more than half of his customers are not vegetarians. “Most of them consume animal products on a regular basis, but they come here because the food’s fresh and they like the vibe,” he said. Though several pro athletes are frequent diners, it’s mostly women who seek out the restaurant. “The male clientele are not really as educated about food. They’re accustomed to a meat-heavy diet. Once they learn that eating plants makes you feel great, then it’s OK.” Slawson, 32, adopted a vegetarian lifestyle in high school. After college, he moved to Santa Monica, Calif., where vegan and other plantbased diets are “the heartbeat of the area,” he said. “I really connected with it.” He learned about a raw diet as well – foods not really cooked. These are plant-based foods not heated beyond 115 degrees so as not to kill their living enzymes. As he learned more about these diets, and began cooking them for floridafoodandfarm.com

COU R T E S Y PH OTO

Patrons enjoy drinks at the wine bar at Christopher’s Kitchen.

private clients, he decided he wanted to open a restaurant. “I had 25 clients I was making food for. It became too much work, so that’s how Christopher’s Kitchen was born.” But the menu’s not only vegetarian, which sometimes includes dairy and eggs, or the stricter vegan (nothing but plant-based foods) here. “The reason we’re successful is we embrace all lifestyles of food. We’re here to share, not to tell them what to eat.” He sees a variety of diners come in to try the foods – wraps, sandwiches, pizzas, salads and main dishes. “People’s food choices change all the time. You can have someone who says, ‘I’m going to eat fish for a week.’ Then the next time they come in, they’re eating steak. But they’re here. We’re saying, ‘That’s OK.’” The most popular things on the menu are the fresh juices he blends. “It’s a tie between Passion and Vitality. Passion is pineapple, strawberry, ginger, orange and trace minerals. Vitality has cucumber, pineapple, olive juice, and E3Live – a wild algae. It’s a superfood. We sell it by the shot, too.” CK tacos are another favorite. “We make a tortilla shell from nuts, seeds and vegetables. They’re dehydrated, then cut into the shell. It’s labor-intensive.”

The cold-pressed juices made daily feature six or seven ingredients each. “We bottle everything ourselves,” he said – again, a lot of work. For this reason, some of the foods are more expensive than their mainstream counterparts, but, Slawson adds, “everything on the menu is less than $20.” He’s committed to the restaurant and its workers, as well. “We believe in taking care of the people who work here, so that plays a role.” At the organic grill and wine bar next door, CK Express, he expanded on the hot foods served at Christopher’s Kitchen. “We have gourmet pizzas, pad Thai coconut curry – we don’t use any tofu or soy, though. We stay pretty clean with our foods.” The wines served also are befitting the lifestyle – either organic, sustainable, bio-dynamic or all three. He likes that he’s got a niche. “It really comes down to living a plant-based lifestyle. We hear from customers there’s nothing like this anywhere. How many plant-based kitchens do you see?” He’s happy for the success that its brought. “We’re doing really well. We’ve tried to listen to our customers and give them what they need and want. We hope to grow the business and open more locations – that’s the plan.” .

If you go: Christopher’s Kitchen 4783 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens 561-318-6191 www.christopherskitchenfl.com Monday-Saturday 11 am-9 pm Sunday 11 am-3pm FOOD & FARM 31

Gabriele Marewski shows off an edible blossom to guests at one of the Paradise Farms dinners. COU R T E S Y PH OTOS

Miami’s Paradise Farms Lives up to Its Name for Owner, Visitors, and Chefs by Jan Norris

abriele Marewski believes that in the future, there will be more smaller farms like hers set amid urban areas in South Florida. “From what I see, there are a lot more people getting into farming,” she said. Paradise Farms, the 15-acre farm she created from an abandoned avocado grove in Homestead, is one of the original sources in the Miami area for chefs buying directly from a farmer. “The future is going to be more urban farming. The food will be more accessible and grown where the people are,” she said. Both chefs and consumers are helping create a demand for more farm-fresh foods. “I think there is more emphasis today on locally grown. But I think it’s equally important for it to be organic.” Her farm doubles as a bed and breakfast and an event destination for dinners and brunches where local chefs showcase their menus using her foods. Diners from around South Florida have been introduced

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One of the four bungalows available for rental provides a calming respite for urbanites.

to farm-to-table cuisine at the Dinner in Paradise series (see sidebar). At the on-farm stays, guests can book a room by reservation only at one of the four bungalows on the property that sits just minutes from the Everglades National Park, then help work for 15 days or more on the farm – or just relax and soak in the feng shui that was used for the farm’s design.

Marewski, born in Germany’s Black Forest region, moved to Maryland as an adult and developed her love for farming there. Making her way to Florida, she was involved in county government and worked for a traditional fertilizer company before buying the acreage in south Dade. The farm is all organic, and all farmed by hand. Her growth, she floridafoodandfarm.com

DINNER IN PARADISE

Chefs Angelo Masarin and Sergio Sigala prepare for a Paradise Farms dinner.

said, is in special events at the farm and in the bed and breakfast aspect, as well as a few specialty and customized products the customers want. She’s now growing finicky oyster mushrooms. “We’re the only people doing oyster mushrooms down here. It’s very intense – very dependent on the knowledge of people doing the growing. Definitely not something anybody can do. It’s a huge investment but part of the business I see that we can grow more. “It’s an art and a science. Isn’t that true of all farming?” She continued, “It’s that reading, noticing and responding. We don’t have control, we just do the dance.” Though she’s still learning, she has advice for first-time farmers and is writing a book for them. “It’s important not to be problemfocused. In Florida, we have the best growing conditions. The secret is learning what you can grow when.” “I think it’s one of the best times ever to be in farming because there’s so much interest coming from consumers. I guess it’s the most important profession – because everybody eats. Ultimately we all want to eat really well, and our food is our medicine. The more people who want to grow their own food the better.” As for other lessons you can glean from farming? She says, matter-of-factly, “I can back up a trailer really well!” . Paradise Farms, and its bungalows, are open to the public by reservation only.

Dinner in Paradise is the name of the on-the-farm supper club that takes place each season on Gabriele Marewski’s Paradise Farms. Dozens of chefs who purchase Paradise foods for their restaurants have appeared over the years at the farm, using her just-picked produce and other locally sourced foods to prepare the meals, open to the public. Marewski’s relationship with chef Michael Schwartz of Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink inspired her to offer the series of organic farmto-table dinners, now a tradition in season on the farm. The visiting chefs, this year chosen from up-and-coming toques in

the Miami area, prepare a multicourse meal using local organic products, which are served al fresco at the farm for a unique dining-under-the-stars experience. Guests get a feel for the farm, as well – they arrive at 6 p.m. for a reception, followed by a farm tour at 6:30 p.m., and dinner at 7 p.m. Three brunches also are planned in a more casual setting. The elaborate meals not only showcase the skills of the best local chefs, they also help local charities. This win-win idea is right in line with Paradise Farms’ philosophy that sustainable, healthful organic food leads to a stronger community.

Paradise Farms 2015 Dinner Schedule JANUARY 25 Chefs are Gabriel Ortaand Elad Zvi of 27 Restaurant & Bar; Kris Wessel of Oolite Restaurant & Bar; and Diego Oka of La Mar at Mandarin Oriental. FEBRUARY 1 Chefs are Adrianne Calvo of Chef Adrianne’s; William Crandall of Azul at Mandarin Oriental; and Andrew Gilbert of The Seven Dials. MARCH 1 Features a special plant-based vegan dinner by Keith Kalmanowicz of Love & Vegetables; Enrique Ruiz and Temple Kitchen; and Billy Devlin of Basil Park. MARCH 14 Features an edible flower dinner by the Toro Toro team of chefs Eric Do and Jose Luis Flores, along with mixologist Matt Phillips.

MARCH 29 Chefs are Aaron Brooks of Edge Steak & Bar; Mike Pirolo at Macchialina Taverna Rustica; and Gabriela Machado of Contrabando. APRIL 12 Chefs are Sean Brasel of Meat Market; Timon Balloo of Bocce Bar/ Sugarcane; and Dena Marino of MC Kitchen. APRIL 19 Chefs Danny Grant of 1826 Restaurant & Lounge; Najat Kaanache and Piripi Miami; and Jacob Anaya of OTC. APRIL 26 Nicolas Cabrera of Coya Restaurant & Bar; Jodrick Ujaque of Chefs on the Run; and Richard Torres at Bread & Butter wrap up the series.

Brunch Brunches, served family-style, are scheduled for Sunday, April 5 (Easter); Saturday, May 9 (day before Mother’s Day) and Sunday, May 10, Mother’s Day. Chefs to be announced.

If you go: Paradise Farms is at 19801 S.W. 320th St., Homestead Dinner reception is at 6 pm, farm tour is at 6:30 pm and dinner begins at 7 pm. Tickets are $165.50. Those who buy a table of 10 get one seat free. There is a $25 cancellation fee; reservations are required. Brunch reception is at 11 am, with a farm tour at 11:30 am, and brunch begins at noon. Tickets are $53 for adults and $15 for children under 12 (under 2 are free). Reservations are required. For more information or reservations, contact Paradise Farms, 305-248-4181; or visit paradisefarms.net.

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Clifford Morris (shown) and son Steven founded the Fellsmere company.

Shrimp Raised Sustainably at Fellsmere Farm by Susan Nefzger

lorida Organic Aquaculture is the brainchild of the Morris family. “Happy, healthy shrimp” is the motto of the Fellsmere aquaculture operation founded by Clifford Morris and his son Steven, from South Africa. As an entrepreneur in his native country, he would watch various trend analyses, and noticed that sustainable food production was a fastgrowing market. As he researched the field, he became excited and motivated to begin an aquaculture operation in the United States. When Morris came to the U.S. to meet with university researchers who were providing the latest technology for aquaculture in South Africa, he identified with the farm-totable concept and became passionate about providing a higher quality of product for consumers here. The current shrimp consumption in the U.S. is 1.8 billion pounds a year, 90 percent of which is provided by importers. According to John Billian, business development manager for the company, “Local small purveyors are not the majority

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of providers in Florida.” Morris began working with Tzachi Samocha, a professor at Texas A&M University, known as the “aquaculture guru.” An innovator in the field for 20 years, he developed the commercial system and Biofloc technology that is used at Florida Organic Aquaculture. Biofloc is a feeding system that utilizes fresh saltwater from aquifers 2,300 feet below the farm, plus healthy bacteria and molasses that condition the water and provide food for the shrimp. Similar operations use saltwater from the ocean. The aquifer water is a pristine source that has not been used or disturbed for thousands of years. The species the Morrises cultivate is known as Pacific white shrimp, which are grown to a very large size and under strict waterquality controls. They are the highest “sushi grade,” delivered fresh, never frozen, with a light, nutty and slightly buttery flavor, Billian said. The brand new, full-size production plant is on 120 acres in Fellsmere.

The plant holds 20 raceways that grow out the shrimp. A raceway is like an Olympic-size pool with a wall in the middle that houses an aeration system known as the recirculating system. The shrimp just laze along in the pool eating and floating.

White shrimp at the organic farm grow large quickly. floridafoodandfarm.com

Production at the plant is projected to be 1 million pounds per year, a small amount compared with future demand. Only two farms in the U.S. produce shrimp using modern recirculating water systems. This technology is advantageous because it yields approximately 10 times the shrimp productivity. It also eliminates chemicals and germs that degrade and destroy the natural taste of shrimp. It enables shrimp to grow faster, making it practical to sell jumbo and colossal-sized shrimp that command twice the price of commodity size shrimp. The main effort by the Morris operation is to provide “quality and sustainability” in Florida for farmraised shrimp that are healthful to eat. The shrimp “do not contain any chemicals, antibiotics or farm contaminants,” said Billian. “This concept is important to the future of our shrimp and seafood consumption, because the demand is going to outpace the supply of our

fisheries and we cannot continue to rely on importers.” Known as the “blue revolution,” the industry is expected eventually to reach several hundred aquaculture operations in the U.S. Other offerings at Florida Organic Aquaculture are oysters and sea asparagus. Sea asparagus are also known as sea bean, salicornia, samphire, sea pickle and glasswort. The saline water in which shrimp thrive adds a delicious salty flavor to sea asparagus, which helps maintain a thriving nutrient balance within the aquatic system. Billian proclaims that reports from the company’s vendors and clients are that the “shrimp taste amazing and are without fail the best ever eaten!” More information about the farm and product availability is available online, flaquaculture.com, or by calling 772-783-5103.

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The raceways at the shrimp farm provide an organic environment for growing the shrimp. floridafoodandfarm.com

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DRINKS SCHNEBLY WINERY Trailblazers in agricultural tourism in Florida, Peter and Denisse Schnebly have been making specialty and table wines from locally grown fruits in the Redland area of South Florida since 2003. They began inviting people to tour their 96-acre farm of tropical fruits and vegetables many years ago. Among the crops grown are mangoes, avocados, guavas, passion fruit, coconuts, lychees and carambolas. At their setting in Homestead, about 20 miles southwest of downtown Miami in an unincorporated area dubbed “Redland” – named for pockets of red clay that used to mark the land - they operate Schnebly Redland’s Winery and Brewery. It has a wine tasting bar open daily and offers winery tours on weekends. Drawing on the Biscayne Aquifer, the area’s soil is suitable for growing produce that cannot be cultivated anywhere else in the United States. It provides the fruits that flavor the winery’s many varieties. More than a decade has passed since the Schneblys started making wine in their garage. It’s not easy doing so from fruits that aren’t grown in

Peter and Denisse Schnebly

a vineyard. Friend and fellow vintner Doug Knapp, former owner of Knapp Winery in the Finger Lakes region of New York, shared his experience making wine from tropical fruits with the couple as they were starting out. Schnebly told the Miami Herald that “making wine out of fruit is ridiculously more difficult than making wine out of grapes.” The winery, which sells vegetables and fruit through its produce company Fresh King Inc., uses sustainable farming methods, and its website says that when it comes to making wine, “each mango, lychee, guava, passion fruit and carambola is personally picked for fermentation.” Now Schnebly is a destination winery. Thousands of visitors – local, national and even international – come each year to visit and sample the

fruit wines at the public tasting room. In 2014, TripAdvisor named one winery worth traveling for in each of the 50 states, and Schnebly was its top choice in Florida. The trend of opening gardens, vineyards and farms to tourists has caught on. In 2013, the Florida Agritourism Association was founded by volunteers passionate about drumming up business for folks such as the Schneblys who want people to see where their beverages and foods originate. More and more, wineries and other businesses are serving up “experiences” along with their products. The winery’s tasting room, with its double doors and ceiling mural, rivals more elegant places, but most bars don’t have a courtyard and natural coral waterfalls. There, Schnebly offers Ultimate (five unique wines) and Special (five specialty wines – dessert and sparkling) tastings for $9.95, which includes an etched Schnebly wine glass. In 2011, the Schneblys opened Miami Brewing Co., which also incorporates fruits in its beers. The first commercial brewery in Miami, it offers beers with coconut, coffee and citrus flavors and, in season, pumpkin beer. Beer tastings are $14, which includes a signature pint glass.

Chipotle Cultivate 10 Winners In a partnership with Localecopia Inc., Chipotle Mexican Grill announced its Chipotle Cultivate 10 winners. The Cultivate 10 program is aimed at helping farmers connect to local businesses by sponsoring their membership in the Localecopia organization. The 10 winners are: Abundant Harvests, Bruce’s Ghost Pepperz, Erickson Family Farms, Grown Clean, The Tomato Store, Farmer Jay Pure Organics, NK Lago Farms, Farming Systems Research Inc., Perez Farm, and Armando Rodriguez Farms. In the photo from November’s Localecopia Meet and Greet are: (back row) Caria Hawkins, Abundant Harvests; Stacey Ollis, Bruce’s Ghost Pepperz; Kimberly Erickson, Erickson Family Farms; Scott Simmons, Grown Clean; Brian Patterson, The Tomato Store (Front row) Krista Ammirato, Chipotle; Jason McCobb, Farmer Jay Pure Organics; Bruce Ollis, Bruce’s Ghost Pepperz, Kiley HarperLarsen, NK Lago Farms, LLC; Mrs. Patterson, The Tomato Store; Eric Frame, Chipotle; Nancy Roe, Farming Systems Research Inc.; Katie Guerin, Farming Systems Research Inc.; Geoffrey Sagrans, Localecopia.

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DRINKS ORCHID ISLAND BREWERY

Taproom at Orchid Island Brewery in Vero Beach

The Treasure Coast has its own new entry into the growing craft beer market with the opening of Alden and Val Bing’s Orchid Island Brewery. It opened Labor Day weekend at Portales de Vero on the barrier island. The couple carefully infuse their brews with oils made from world-renowned Indian River County citrus, some of it organically grown. Alden Bing said their three-barrel microbrewery, which uses a six-barrel fermenter, pays tribute to the history of Orchid Island (the barrier island extending south from the Sebastian Inlet), Vero Beach, and the region in creating beer recipes. “All of the fruit, the local citrus that we source, is from family-owned and operated farms,” Bing said. Whether they’re able to use organic citrus oils, he said, “depends on which farm we source a specific type of fruit from; for instance, last year, we did a batch from organic grapefruit. “We only use the peel; we don’t use the juice. It’s the same method that the Belgian Trappist monks have used for centuries.” The brewery’s website touts the famous fruits of Indian River County, part of a seaboard area that produces premier citrus fruits, most notably, floridafoodandfarm.com

the Indian River grapefruit. The Indian River Citrus District, a label recognized worldwide since the 1930s, is a league of growers only who protect the brand. Orchid Island’s location has everything to do with the fruit’s production. Its proximity to the ocean and the Indian River Lagoon serves as protection against destructive freezing. Cold temperatures are needed for groves to sweeten the ripening fruits, but a flux to freezing levels can be devastating. During the worst winter cold fronts, the ocean and river have a warming effect over the island. The result is great-tasting citrus. Those fruits are what contribute to the beer’s distinctive flavor, Bing said. Some of the beers are named for the citrus featured. “One is called Star Ruby, our flagship beer; and there’s Imperial IPA – that’s made with Indian River County Ruby Red grapefruit. Another is Citron, a Belgian-style Saison, which is driven primarily by what’s available during that harvest season; right now, we’re using lemons in that one,” Bing said. “Also on tap right now is one called Jungle Trail, named after an old trail that runs up and down Orchid Island

and was used by citrus packers. That’s an imperial black IPA, made with Indian River honeybell oranges.” The Bings, both graduates of Vero Beach High School and Florida Atlantic University, have been working to establish their brewery since 2011 while keeping their full-time jobs. Alden is a regional branch manager with a Florida bank, and his wife is a teacher at the Imagine School. The idea for the brewery came to them six years ago after Alden’s bachelor party when friends of his created a special brew for the event. He’d like to open a larger production facility on the mainland so they can distribute their creations more widely, but right now, Bing said, “We have two rooms; one is the brew house, and one is our tavern, and we can seat up to 150 people.” Along with their own beers, Bing serves other Florida microbrews. Orchid Island Brewery is at 2855 Ocean Drive in Vero Beach; the taproom is open Tuesday-Thursday 2-8 pm, Friday and Saturday 2-11 pm. Reach them at 772-321-1244, visit their Facebook page or email alden@orchidislandbrewery.com for more information.

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D fo og r q ea ui r t ck hi re s p fe ag re e nc e!

FIND YOUR FARM To see your farm or local business listed in upcoming issues and on our website, submit the details at floridafoodandfarm.com. It’s free and easy.

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MIAMI-DADE | MONROE

MIAMI - DADE | MONROE Farms, Green & Farmers Markets, Artisans

LI STIN GS FARMS

Alger Farms 831 N.W. 21st Terrace, Miami 305-247-4334; algerfarms.com This family farm specializes in fresh sweet corn, snap beans and landscape materials. All of the sweet corn is harvested by hand, using a mule-train crew, and packaged into wooden bushel crates. From 500 to 600 acres of green beans are grown after the sweet corn harvest. Sold in stores from March until early May. Wholesale. All Locally Grown Produce 20025 S.W. 270th St., Homestead 786-243-1714; 305-216-2336; teenaspridecsa.com Teena Borek runs this farm known for its CSA, Teena’s Pride, a fresh produce delivery service. Tomatoes, arugula and spring lettuces, squash, cucumbers, herbs, heritage eggplant, and peppers are grown. Vegetables also sold at a farm stand (147th Avenue and 192nd Street, Miami) on Saturdays in season. No onfarm sales. CSA. Wholesale. Bee Heaven Farm (aka Pikarco) Bauer Drive at Redland Road, Miami 305-247-8650; beeheavenfarm.com A small, certified organic family farm offering organic produce, dried tropical floridafoodandfarm.com

fruit, and raw farm honey. Also operates a tri-county, multi-farm CSA, with certified organic eggs, avocados, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers. Find them at Pinecrest Gardens Farmers Market at Red Road and Killian Drive on Sundays. No on-farm sales. CSA. Green/farmers market vendor. Burr’s Berry Farm 12741 S.W. 216th St., Miami 305-251-0145; burrsberryfarm.com Burr’s grows strawberries and offers a variety of vegetables. Tomatoes and peppers are grown in a wheel-chair friendly vertical U-pick garden. Prepared foods for sale include jam, chocolate-covered strawberries, strawberry yogurt and traditional strawberry shortcake. U-pick. On-farm sales. Fullei Fresh 400 N.E. 67th St., Miami 305-758-3880; fulleifresh.com A USDA Certified Organic farm focusing on bean and soy sprouts in addition to more than a dozen varieties of green sprouts. All are grown hydroponically indoors. Products sold at numerous retail markets such as Whole Foods. No on-farm sales. Wholesale. Gaby’s Farm 25905 S.W. 197th Ave., Homestead 305-246-7702; gabysfarm.com Exotic fruit growers known for their gardens and tropical fruit ice creams. Gaby’s wholesales to Whole Foods and

local restaurants. No on-farm sales. Wholesale. Glaser Organic Farm 19100 S.W. 137th Ave., Miami 305-238-7747; glaserorganicfarm.com Growers specializing in tropical fruits: mangoes, papayas, lychees, bananas, avocados and rare and exotic tropicals, winter vegetables and herbs using organic growing practices. Prepared artisan vegan foods sold at the Coconut Grove Saturday Organic Market, online for pickup or shipping, and at their farm store Monday-Saturday 11 am-6 pm. Wholesale. On-farm sales. Green/farmers market vendor. Green Gardens Organics 2950 N.W. 72nd Ave., Miami 305-444-9830; greengardenorganics.net Growers and sellers of organic wheatgrass, sunflower greens, pea and buckwheat greens, legumes, custom herbal tea combinations, and pure essential oils. All indoor grown. Found at Florida Whole Foods markets. Wholesale. Green Groves Organic Farm Bauer Drive at Redland Road, Miami 305-247-8650; beeheavenfarm.com A small family farm in the Redlands, near Homestead, specializing in certified organic lychees and other tropical fruits. This farm is a unit of Bee Heaven Farm. Wholesale.

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MIAMI-DADE | MONROE

Guara Ki Eco Farm 22150 S.W. 272nd St., Homestead 305-323-8858; earth-learning.org A 3-acre, organic tropical fruit tree grove with lychee, longan, mamey, sugar apple, custard apple, sapodilla, mango, avocado, papaya and bananas at the farm. Sells mainly through CSAs, buyer co-ops, farmers markets and the Harvest Hub, an online marketplace and distribution network for local, sustainably grown food. Green/farmers market vendor. CSA. Homestead Organic Farm 27450 S.W. Krome Ave. (177th Ave.), Homestead 305-298-5788; redlandorganics.com A wholesale grower, packer and shipper of produce with more than 100 acres of certified organic fields and groves. Grows avocados, mangoes, lychee and longan. A member of Redlands Organics, a collection of growers. Grows sustainably and naturally, using no GMOs, pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers. Wholesale. Katie’s Going Bananas 24401 S.W. 197th Ave., Homestead 305-247-0397; going-bananas.com This nursery/grove is devoted to the banana, growing nearly 100 varieties of banana plants and some cultivars of tropical lychee trees. Sales via catalog, at local plant shows and on site. Tours available with advance notice. On-farm sales. Guided tours. Keez Bees 85 Calle Ensueño, Marathon 305-798-7633; keez-beez.com America’s southernmost professional beekeepers control more than 500 hives around Long Key, Grassy Key and Marathon Key that produce 100 percent pure raw honey. The Keys flora produces unique honeys: mango, avocado, sea grape, palm, and Jamaican dogwood, among others. Khemara Farms 28000 S.W. 212th Ave., Homestead 305-300-2410 Family-owned and operated farm growing exotic Asian fruits and vegetables. Ships direct. Also offers U-pick and farm tours by appointment. See Facebook page. U-pick. Guided tours. Little River Cooperative Nursery 115 N.E. 76th St., Little Haiti, Miami 786-991-4329; littlerivercooperative.com 42 FOOD & FARM

Little River Cooperative – formerly Little River Market Garden – comprises two small vegetable, cut flower and herb gardens as well as a plant nursery. Members use only organic and sustainable practices, focusing on compost, covercrops and no-till methods. They produce 40 varieties of annual vegetables and herbs, have an active CSA and offer backyard organic garden start-up supplies. Sales at the Upper East Side Farmers Market at Legion Park Saturdays through April 2015, and Grove Green Market at the Coconut Grove Playhouse Thursdays, also through April. CSA. Green/farmers market vendor. Martha’s U-Pick at Corona Farms 15755 S.W. Krome Ave. (177th Ave.), Homestead 786-299-0821 This family farm offers U-pick of their crops: strawberries, radishes, onions, bell peppers, and eggplant as well as heirloom tomatoes. Though not certified organic, it uses natural growing methods and natural pest control. See Facebook page. U-pick. On-farm sales. Paradise Farms 19801 S.W. 320th St., Homestead 305-248-4181; paradisefarms.net A USDA Certified Organic farm specializing in microgreens, baby greens, edible flowers, oyster mushrooms and tropical fruits grown for restaurants. Offers series of on-farm dinners and brunches January through May. Portion of proceeds benefits local charities. Sales at Pinecrest Gardens Farmers Market and Coral Gables Farmers Market. Farm stays available at their four-unit bed and breakfast. Wholesale. Guided tours. Rachel’s Eggs Bauer Drive at Redland Road, Miami 305-247-8650; beeheavenfarm.com

with an animal area, picnic grounds, live entertainment (weekends) and a splash park. They grow a large portion of what they sell, others they buy from local farmers and artisan producers who have been in the Homestead area for generations. Open daily 8 am-7 pm, November through Labor Day. Farm stand. Three Sisters Farm 18401 S.W. 248th St., Homestead 305-209-8335; threesistersfarm.com An organic 5-acre farm in the heart of the Redlands, South Florida’s agricultural district, it grows a variety of tropical fruits, roots and vegetables year-round, using natural farming techniques. Guided farm tours available; produce sold at farm stand. Farm dinners offered in the spring. Guided tours. Farm stand. Verde Community Farm and Market 12690 S.W. 280th St., Homestead 305-257-2005; verdefarmandmarket.com This 22-acre USDA Certified Organic farm grows a large variety of tropical fruits and vegetables: carrots, lettuce, kale, broccoli, cherry tomatoes along with specialty greens, microgreens, and sunflower shoots and herbs. Fruits include several varieties of bananas, plus papayas and dragon fruit (pitaya). Products sold at local farmers markets and on farm. EBT dollar-matching program; SNAP accepted. On-farm sales. Green/farmers market vendor.

LIST INGS

RMERS MARK EN & FA ETS GRE

Rachel’s certified organic egg farm is part of Bee Heaven Farm, located in the Redlands area of Miami-Dade. The hens are fed certified organic feed and pastured in moveable, bottomless cages. Eggs are available through Bee Heaven’s CSA (beeheavenfarm.com/csa), and at Pinecrest Gardens Farmers Market on Sunday mornings from January through mid-April. They also sell Countryside Organics certified organic feed. CSA. Green/farmers market vendor.

Coconut Grove Saturday Organic Market 3300 Grand Ave., Miami 305-238-7747; 305-794-1464

Robert Is Here Farm and Market 19200 S.W. 344th St, Homestead 305-246-1592; robertishere.com

Find organic fruit and produce, prepared food, artisan foods at this yearround market. Saturday 10 am-7 pm.

This family-run fruit stand and farm has grown into a family-friendly destination floridafoodandfarm.com

MIAMI-DADE | MONROE

Doral Farmers Market 9655 N.W. 41st St. (Stet Boulevard at 92nd Street), Doral 786-553-6929

Islamorada Green Market Southwinds Park, MM 82.1 Oceanside, Islamorada islamoradafoundation.org

Civic Center Metrorail Station 1601 N.W. 12th Ave., Miami 305-531-0038 Monday 9 am-5 pm.

This community market with both produce and artisanal crafts draws about 30 vendors. All prepared foods and merchandise must be handmade. Sunday, 10 am-3 pm. See Facebook page.

Sponsored by The Islamorada Foundation, a nonprofit organization, this market has three produce vendors and artisanal foods including cheeses, breads, meats and seafood. Monday 9 am-2 pm.

Collins Park 2100 Collins Ave., Miami Beach 305-775-2166 Sunday 10 am-4 pm.

Farmers Market at Miami Children’s Hospital 3100 S.W. 62nd Ave., Miami 305-318-6148 This market has grown from a small market servicing hospital employees to one serving its local community. It’s a go-to for fresh produce and a variety of artisan foods. Wednesday, 8 am-3:30 pm. See Facebook page. The Grove Green Market Coconut Grove Playhouse Parking Lot, 3500 Main Highway, Miami 305-608-9020; coconutgrove.com Fresh, locally grown vegetables, artisan foods and live entertainment. Seasons Farm Fresh CSA available here. Thursday 2-8 pm.

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Liberty City Youth Stands 6161 N.W. 9th Ave., Miami 786-873-0526 Youth Stands! is a market stand that supports a training program teaching young people how to plan and operate a farm-stand business. Fruits, vegetables sold in season. Wednesday 10 am-noon, Friday 10 am-3 pm, Saturday 10 am-1 pm. See Facebook page. The Market Company manages the following markets, selling locally grown vegetables—some organic— plus fruit and artisanal and prepared foods. Info: themarketcompany.org The Arsht Center 1300 Biscayne Blvd, Miami 305-775-2166 Monday 4-8 pm.

Dadeland North Metrorail Station 8300 S. Dixie Highway, Miami 916-470-0785 Wednesday 9 am-5 pm. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables 305-606-7644 Saturday 9 am-2 pm. Government Center 101 N.W. First St., Miami 916-470-0785 Tuesday 9 am-5 pm. Lincoln Road Lincoln Road between Washington and Meridian avenues, Miami Beach 305-439-8901 Sunday 9 am-5 pm.

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MIAMI-DADE | MONROE

Museum Park 1075 Biscayne Blvd., Miami 305-775-2166 Saturday 9 am-2 pm. Normandy Village Marketplace 7802 Rue Vendome, Miami Beach 786-319-8510 Saturday 9 am-5 pm.

L IST ING S ARTISANS

South Pointe Street Market Marjorie Stoneman Douglas Park, Ocean Drive, Miami Beach 305-775-2166 Saturday 9 am-5 pm. University of Miami on Coral Gables Campus 1320 S. Dixie Highway, Coral Gables 305-775-2166 Wednesday 9 am-3 pm (closed during summer). University of Miami on the Jackson Campus 1601 N.W. 12th Ave., (Civic Center), Miami 305-775-2166 Thursday 9 am-5 pm, year-round. Pinecrest Gardens Farmers Market Pinecrest Gardens Park, 11000 Red Road (S.W. 57th Avenue), Pinecrest 786-367-8274; greenmarketco-op.org This market, limited to 60 vendors, is run by the nonprofit Green Market Co-op. Sells produce from sustainable farms, local artisan foods. Sunday 9 am-2 pm. Teena’s Pride Farmers Market 20025 S.W. 270th St., Homestead 786-243-1714; teenaspridecsa.com Once a month, this farm hosts a local farmers market, raw vegetable tastings and farm tours. Crops, grown using sustainable growing practices, include tomatoes, arugula and spring lettuces, aromatic herbs, heritage eggplant and peppers. The farm offers special pricing for local chefs. First Sunday of month 1-4 pm. Upper East Side Farmers’ Market at Legion Park Legion Park, 6599 Biscayne Blvd., Miami 786-427-4698 This market is run by the nonprofit Urban Oasis Project, which supports local farms and gardens, and offers skills workshops in food production. See Facebook page. Saturday 9 am-2 pm.

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Fireman Derek’s Pies 2818 N. Miami Ave., Miami 786-449-2517; firemanderekspies.com Derek Kaplan, a Miami firefighter who started baking as a child, created a business making desserts – from pies to cheesecakes and homemade ice creams. His products are now sold online as well as in South Florida restaurants, including Brother Jimmy’s BBQ, El Jefe Luchador, Finnegan’s Brickell, La Camaronera, My Ceviche, Umami Burger and Wall’s Ice Cream. Miguel Bode, Beekeeper Miami 305-562-2631; redlandrambles.com Bode keeps bees at local farms (Paradise Farms, Bee Heaven Farms) and sells raw honey, royal jelly, fresh pollen, honeycomb, creamed honey, and shaped beeswax candles. Special orders and custom packaging are available. Sold at the Coral Gables Farmers Market, and on Redland Organics website. Om Nom Nom Cookies Miami 786-351-2284; omnomnomcookies.com Anthea Ponsetti spent years perfecting her cookie recipes, drawing from her family’s baking secrets and eight years of professional culinary experience. Om Nom Nom Cookies are vegan. Online sales; sales locations on the website. Proper Sausages 9722 N.E. Second Ave., Miami 786-334-5734; propersausages.com Danielle Kaufmann and Freddy Kaufmann started Proper Sausages to produce what they couldn’t find: British sausages. After initial trials, they continued to experiment with different ingredients until they had mastered 20 varieties, handcrafted of heritage meats, as well as organic and sustainable ingredients.

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PALM BEACH | BROWARD

PALM BEACH | BROWARD Farms, Green & Farmers Markets, Artisans

LIS TIN GS FARMS

561-422-9906; goodnessgraciousacres.com

Alderman Farms 11103 Townsend Lane, Boynton Beach 561-369-2801; aldermanfarms.com A 300-acre USDA Certified Organic farm producing organic and conventionally farmed produce. Organic crops include green beans, eggplant, bell peppers, mini-sweet peppers, sweet corn, yellow squash, green squash, cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, grape tomatoes and round tomatoes. Wholesale. Bedner’s Farm 10066 Lee Road, Boynton Beach 561-733-5490; bedners.com Brothers Charles, Bruce and Steve, along with grandson Jesse, carry on founder Art Bedner’s legacy for farming. An on-site farm market sells fresh produce and artisan foods. On-farm sales. U-pick. Green/farmers market vendor. Criswell Farms 24 N.W. Sixth Ave., Fort Lauderdale 954-667-7611; criswellfarm.com This grower produces beets, broccoli, cabbage, kale, eggplant, lettuce, herbs, bok choy and cucumbers. On-farm sales. Delilah’s Dairy at Goodness Gracious Acres Farm 14817 97th Road N., West Palm Beach

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Delilah’s Dairy is both a farm and artisan producer. Products include raw, unpasteurized goat’s milk by the quart, kefir and colustrum (also known as “first milk”), and cheeses including the dairy’s popular European-style feta cheese. Soaps, fresh eggs and honey are available as well. Sales by appointment, or via Etsy.com. On-farm sales.

The Fancy Chicken 7765 Lyons Road, Lake Worth 706-490-5156; thefancychicken.com This farm raises and sells egg-laying chickens, fertile hatching eggs, baby chicks and ducks, plus feed and poultry supplies. Find them at the Lake Worth and Jupiter farmers markets. Part of Solace Organic Farm; farm tours are given by appointment. Green/farmers market vendor. Guided tours.

Edward L. Myrick Produce 1255 W. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach 954-946-4991

Farmer Jay Pure Organics Delray Beach 561-396-0210; myfarmerjay.com

A longtime wholesale grower and seller at the State Farmer’s Market. Grows 35 to 40 varieties of fruits and vegetables, and at its Plant City site, citrus, strawberries, blueberries, melons and potatoes are farmed. Products sold in major chains and independent groceries. Green/farmers market vendor. Wholesale.

Garden design consultant Jason McCobb (aka Farmer Jay) specializes in sustainable agriculture and urban gardening, and built sustainable gardens for a number of area chefs. He grows fruits and vegetables, raises free-range chickens and has developed a program for children called Farmer Jay’s Jr. Sprouts. Wholesale.

Erickson Farm 13646 U.S. 441, Canal Point 561-924-7714; ericksonfarm.com

Flagler Village Farm 601 N.E. Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale 954-854-8788; fortlauderdalevegetables.com

This family-owned and operated business carries on a family tradition growing “Mr. Dale’s brand tropical specialties,” including avocados, curry, lychee, mango, paan, sapodilla, carambola, longan, papaya and vegetables. Open Sunday through Friday in mango season. Other seasonal produce is available. Online sales. Guided tours by appointment. Contact: kim@ericksonfarm.com. Farm stand. Guided tours.

Produce grower and seller, offering training, education and seminars about urban farming and edible landscaping, plus farm and garden supplies, and farm and garden designs and execution. Site rented for events. Farm market selling vegetables open Wednesday 5-8 pm, Saturday 9 am-1 pm. CSA. On-farm sales.

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PALM BEACH | BROWARD

Flamingo Road Nursery 1655 S. Flamingo Road, Davie 954-476-7878; flamingoroadnursery.com Nursery sells plants, while farm stand sells locally made and fresh foods, including herbs and vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes and lettuce. A selection of cheeses, fresh eggs, pastries and pies also are available. Entertainment facility on property; open daily 8 am to 6 pm. Farm stand. The Girls Strawberry U-Pick 14466 S. Military Trail, Suite 3, Delray Beach 561-496-0188; thegirlsstrawberryupick.com Tomatoes, string beans and strawberries are grown on property and sold in a gourmet country store. Hydroponic strawberries are grown in vertical containers for U-pick. U-pick. On-farm sales. Got Sprouts? 1880 W. Tenth St., Suite 104, Riviera Beach 561-689-9464; gotsprouts.com This organic farm sells USDA Certified Organic wheatgrass sprouts, sunflower sprouts, pea greens, sprouted bean mix, and buckwheat lettuce sprouts. It also sells a variety of seeds and beans, food supplements and home juicing equipment. Farm stand. Wholesale. Green Cay Produce and Farming Systems Research, Inc. 12750 Hagen Ranch Road, Boynton Beach 561-638-2755; veggies4u.com Environmentally friendly growing systems are developed on this farm adjoining Green Cay Wetlands and Nature Center. Not certified, but organic methods are used in growing microgreens and diverse crops such as tomatoes, squash, eggplant and peppers. Sustain46 FOOD & FARM

able practices, compost, clear mulch, drip irrigation and non-GMO seeds are used. The farm operates a CSA and wholesales to restaurants and others. CSA. Wholesale. Harpke Family Farm 2781 S.W. 36th St., Dania Beach 305-528-3777; harpkefamilyfarm.com A member of the Broward Food System Cooperative and supporter of Slow Food USA, the farm grows microgreens and micro-herbs including arugula, red Russian kale, premiere kale, red garnet amaranth, purple kohlrabi, broccoli calabrese, pea tendrils, radish and carrot greens. CSA. Wholesale. Heritage Hen Farm 8495 S. Haverhill Road, Boynton Beach 561-767-9000; heritagehen.com Marty and Svetlana Simon, husband and wife farmers, run this farm that sells locally raised eggs, raw milk and other dairy products. This American Livestock Breed Conservancy farm raises heritage, Old World chicken breeds on 15 acres. Find them at their Tres Fresh Farm Gate Store: Tuesday-Friday 5-7 pm, Saturday 10 am-1 pm. Farm stand. On-farm sales. Homegrown Herbs and Heirlooms Palm Beach Gardens 561-312-5666 Small urban farm specializing in heirloom tomatoes and other organically grown herbs, vegetables and vegetable plants. Grown to order. Pinecrest Gardens Farmers Market sales and phone sales. Green/farmers market vendor. Kenari Groves 3160 D Road, Loxahatchee 561-313-7202 Tropical fruit growers of mangoes, apples, sapodilla and bananas. See Facebook page. Wholesale.

Marando Farms 1401 S.W. First Ave., Fort Lauderdale Farm 954-713-6441; office 954-294-2331; marandofarms.com Hydroponics and aquaponics are used to grow a wide variety of vegetables at this urban farm. They also established the Eat Real Food Community Garden. CSA available. Tours conducted Tuesdays, Thursdays and some weekends by reservation. Green market open daily. CSA. On-farm sales. Guided tours. Farm Stand Natural Wonders Landscaping and U-Pick Produce Garden 5461 Johnson Road, Coconut Creek 954-421-0108; 800-805-0108; mynaturalwonder.com U-pick fresh strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, spinach, kohlrabi, romaine and buttercrisp lettuce, from more than 30,000 hydroponically grown plants. Seasonal. Call ahead or check website for updates. On-farm sales. U-pick. Pero Family Farm 14095 U.S. 441, Delray Beach 561-498-4533; perofamilyfarms.com Century-old farming family growing organic vegetables, including minipeppers, green beans, cucumbers and squash. Wholesale sales to local groceries. Wholesale. Salâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Acres 5075 S.W. 73rd Ave., Davie 305-343-4418 (Sal); 954-849-0230 (Elena) This 5-acre farm sells white Peking ducks, guineas, peacocks, ringneck pheasants, turkeys, white Chinese goslings, chickens and orchids, as well as white and brown chicken eggs and quail eggs. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re also an exotic bird rescue facility. Farm tours offered by appointment. Guided tours. Wholesale. floridafoodandfarm.com

PALM BEACH | BROWARD

Scooby’s Organic Farm 2230 S.W. 139th Ave., Davie 954-309-8319; scoobysorganicfarm.com

seeds, hot pepper seeds and papaya plants and, in late summer by appointment, offers U-pick grapes, as well as papaya fruit. U-pick. Wholesale.

Florida-grown free-range, pastured and organic chickens, dairy goats, raw goat and sheep dairy products including milk, cheese and yogurt; chicken eggs; organic produce; seasonal ducks, turkeys and live chicks. Open Wednesday 3-6 pm for CSA pickup and sales; tours offered Sunday 2-5 pm (call first). Pickup locations also in Boca Raton and Hollywood; deliveries to Broward County. Farm-to-table brunches and farm dinners also offered. CSA. Guided tours. On-farm sales.

Swank Specialty Produce 14311 North Road, Loxahatchee 561-202-5648; swankspecialtyproduce.com

Solace Organic Farm 7777 Lyons Road, Lake Worth 561-229-6885; solaceinternational.org Solace operates as an organic CSA. Subscribers receive half-bushel of organic produce weekly, which may contain cherry tomatoes, eggplant, mixed lettuces, mixed greens, cucumbers, bok choy, broccoli, green onions, cilantro, dill, radishes, grapefruit and squash. Boxes can picked up at the farm on Fridays, or at the Lake Worth Farmers Market Saturdays. Also sells free-range chickens by pre-order. CSA. Guided tours. On-farm sales. Wholesale. Sons & Daughters Farm & Winery 7001 Lantana Road, Lake Worth 305-310-6820; sd-farm.com This family-owned and operated, sustainable 16-acre farm opened in 1982. It grows assorted fruits and vegetables as well as specialty herbs. Crops include figs, pomegranates, sorrel, bananas, carrots, passion fruit, kale, broccoli, chickpeas, tomatoes and okra. Available at Heritage Hen Farm’s Tres Fresh Farm Gate Store. They also make wine and are producing a hibiscus fruit wine. Wholesale.

A hydroponic farm using natural methods, owned and operated by Darrin and Jodi Swank. More than 280 varieties of vegetables are produced; sold at the West Palm Beach GreenMarket, and wholesale to local chefs in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, and in Orlando. “Dinners on the farm” scheduled monthly January to May. Green/farmers market vendor. Guided tours. Wholesale. The Sweet Habañero Wellington 561-506-8482; pbraw.com/rawfarmers.html Organic methods are used to grow and produce a variety of fresh and dried medicinal herbs, organic seeds and plants. Its specialty is Anamu (guinea henweed), a tropical medicinal herb. A limited number of heirloom peppers and hot peppers available. Distributors of incubators, brooders and coops for chickens. Phone, online sales; shipping available. Wholesale. Treehugger Organic Farms 1975 S. Flamingo Road, Davie 954-471-5907; treehuggerorganicfarms.com Treehugger Organic Farms is a 4.8-acre permaculture farm growing bananas, microgreens and a variety of vegetables. Farm tours offered. On-farm sales Friday and Saturday in season. CSA. Green/farmers market vendor. Guided tours. On-farm sales.

Tropical Acres Farms 1010 Camellia Road, West Palm Beach 561-358-8566 A tropical fruit tree farm and nursery specializing in mangoes and avocados, with other fruit trees. Not certified, the grove uses only organic methods, no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. The farm, which also sells fruit trees, harvests avocados in the fall and mangoes from April through August. Sold at West Palm Beach GreenMarket. Green/farmers market vendor. On-farm sales. Universal Living Sprouts 6238 Royal Palm Beach Blvd., West Palm Beach 561-795-2554; ulsprouts.com A USDA Certified Organic grower specializing in wheatgrass, sunflower, lettuce, pea greens and buckwheat sprouts. On-farm sales Monday-Friday; products also sold at Woolbright Farmer’s Market, and at Carmine’s and Nutrition S’Mart stores. Green/farmers market vendor. Wholesale. On-farm sales. Yagnaparush Farms 6450 190th St. N., Loxahatchee 561-784-7860 YP Farms, as it is known, is a 20-acre family farm in Loxahatchee. Exotics include Thai bananas (namwah), various types of lychee and jackfruit. They also provide curry leaves, kaffir (lime) leaves, betel leaves (paan), banana leaves, mango leaves, mangoes, banana flowers and banana stems. Wholesale, but bananas are available to farms with CSAs. Wholesale.

South Florida Urban Farms Eucalyptus Garden, 2430 N.E. 13th Ave., Wilton Manors 954-629-3996; soflaurbanfarms.com This urban farm produces vegetables, fruits, eggs and honey grown in a sustainable way. CSA memberships are offered, with farm pick-up or at designated hubs. CSA. Southern J Ranch West Palm Beach 561-312-6205; southernjranch.com This third-generation family-owned farm/ranch sells tomato plants and floridafoodandfarm.com

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PALM BEACH | BROWARD

L ISTING S

RMERS MARK EN & FA ETS GRE Broward Health Medical Center Farmers Market 1600 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale 954-831-2752 Acreage Green Market Acreage Community Park, 6701 140th Ave N., Loxahatchee 561-723-3898; acreagegreenmarket.com This year-round market is run by a team of volunteers. All profits stay in the community, or are donated to families and others in need. Fresh eggs, chicken, pork and produce, plus feed, soap and crafts are available. Sunday 9 am-2 pm. Boca Raton Green Market Royal Palm Place, 400 S. Federal Highway at South Mizner Boulevard, Boca Raton 561-299-8684 This Boca downtown market is celebrating its 18th season. Find more than 40 vendors selling local produce, a variety of locally made foods, handcrafted art items, and flowers. Saturday 8 am-1 pm.

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This market serves BHMCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 3,200 employees and the families of patients but is also open to the public. The market features fresh-picked local, organic and exotic fruits and vegetables. Every other Tuesday 8 am-3 pm. Community Farmers Market of Plantation Volunteer Park, 12050 W. Sunrise Blvd., Plantation 954-540-6593; 954-452-2558 Produce, artisan foods, plants and art items are at this market that comes under the umbrella of Community Farmers Markets of South Florida. See Facebook page. Saturday 8 am-2 pm. Community Farmers Market of Tamarac Veterans Park, 7825 Southgate Blvd. at University Boulevard, Tamarac 954-540-6593

under the umbrella of Community Farmers Markets of South Florida. See Facebook page. Sunday 9 am-2 pm. Delray GreenMarket Old School Square Park, 95 N.E. First Ave., Delray Beach 561-276-7511; delraygreenmarket.org This downtown Delray market features nearly 65 vendors selling a variety of prepared food, local produce, seafood and meats, and other goods, plus live entertainment. Saturday 9 am-4 pm. The Gardens GreenMarket City Hall Municipal Complex, 10500 N. Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens 561-630-1100; pbgfl.com/greenmarket More than 120 vendors of seasonal vegetables and fruits, herbs, honey and homemade breads, pies, cheeses and sauces, plus live entertainment. GreenMarket Annex features crafters, jewelers and businesses indoors at the Burns Road Recreation Center, 4404 Burns Road, Feb. 1, March 1, and May 3. Sunday 8 am-1 pm.

Produce, artisan foods, plants and art items are at this market that comes floridafoodandfarm.com

PALM BEACH | BROWARD

Green Market Pompano Beach 50 S.W. First St., Pompano Beach 954-786-7830; greenmarketpompano.com

Las Olas Sunday Market 333 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale 954-214-9933; lasolassundaymarket.com

Affiliated with the Pompano Beach Historical Society, this open-air market features fresh, local fruits and vegetables, plus artisan foods including baked goods and gourmet prepared foods. During season, it hosts a variety of special activities and events including antique car shows, nutritional workshops and holiday celebrations. Saturday 8 am-1 pm.

During season, this market has 50 to 60 vendors selling fresh produce and prepared foods, along with artisan crafts. They offer matching money for SNAP buyers. Sunday 9 am-2 pm.

J & J Farms 2777 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach 954-421-8650; jandjfarmsfl.com It is owner Jon DiLapo’s 32nd year selling local fresh produce at this farm stand. Find farm-fresh produce, organic olive oil, fresh lemonade and fresh-squeezed juices, fresh bread, local honey, shelled nuts, jams, salsas and other artisan foods. Season is from November through June. They also sell herb and vegetable plants and edible flowers. Monday-Saturday 9 am-6 pm, Sunday 10 am-5 pm. Jupiter Farmers Market Harbourside Place, 200 U.S. 1, Jupiter 561-935-9533; harboursideplace.com Fresh local produce and artisanal foods at the new Harbourside complex. Sunday 9 am-2 pm. Jupiter Riverwalk Green & Artisan Market 150 S. U.S. 1, Jupiter 203-222-3574; harrysmarkets.com This popular market is kid- and dogfriendly, and is both a green market and an artisan market. Located under the Indiantown Road bridge, east side. Sunday 10 am-2 pm. Lake Worth Farmers Market Old Bridge Park, 1 S. Ocean Blvd., Lake Worth 561-283-5856; lakeworthfarmersmarket.com Next to the Intracoastal bridge across from Lake Worth Beach, this petfriendly market has dozens of vendors of artisanal foods, local produce, plants, novelty items and gifts. Prepared foods on site, including breakfast specials. Saturday 9 am-1 pm. Lake Worth High School Flea Market 1701 Lake Worth Road, Lake Worth 561-439-1539 Local produce vendors, with part flea market. Saturday and Sunday 5 am-3 pm. floridafoodandfarm.com

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Farmers Market El Prado Park, 4500 El Mar Drive, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea 561-714-2745; 954-540-6593 More than 30 vendors sell fruits, vegetables and prepared foods made with local products at this market run by Community Farmers Markets of South Florida. See Facebook page. Every other Sunday 9 am-2 pm. Marando Farms Market 1401 S.W. First Ave., Fort Lauderdale 954-294-2331 This daily market features a range of seasonal locally grown, organic, pesticide-free produce, plus dairy, meats and nursery plants. Monday-Friday 10 am-6 pm, Saturday and Sunday 9 am-5 pm. The North Boca Raton Green Market The Wick Theatre parking lot, 7901 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton 772-345-3797 or email communitygreenmarkets@gmail.com More than 50 vendors of fresh produce, artisan and prepared foods. Sunday 9 am-2pm. Nova University Farmer’s Market At Nova University, 3301 College Ave., Fort Lauderdale 954-540-6593 This market operates during the school year from September to May, and offerings vary from week to week. Shoppers may find pineapple, tomatoes, oranges, carrots, melons, mango, eggplant and peppers. Artisan crafts and prepared foods also are available. See Facbook page. Wednesday noon-5 pm. The Palm Beach Zoo’s Produce Stand The Palm Beach Zoo, 1301 Summit Blvd., West Palm Beach 561-547-9453, ext. 216, or email mscrima@palmbeachzoo.org

outside the zoo gates. First and third Saturdays of month, noon-5 pm. Parkland Farmer’s Market Parkland Equestrian Center at Temple Park, 8350 Ranch Road, Parkland 954-757-4120 The focus of this market is on green, organic and gluten-free foods. Dog-friendly, with activities for kids as well. First and third Sundays of month 9 am-1 pm (in April, second and fourth Sundays). Royal Palm Beach Green Market & Bazaar Commons Park, 11600 Poinciana Blvd., Royal Palm Beach 561-792-9260; rpbgreenmarket.com At this market, everything must be grown, raised or produced by the vendor. Prepared foods must use locally sourced ingredients. Sunday 9 am-1 pm. Tequesta Green Market Constitution Park, 399 Seabrook Road, Tequesta 561-768-0476 Vendors with locally grown vegetables, fruit, meat, farm products, arts and crafts. Third Saturday of month 9 am-2 pm. Wellington Green Market The Mall at Wellington Green, 12100 Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington 561-283-5856; wellingtongreenmarket.com Around 60 vendors selling a wide variety of food, produce and other goods. (No resellers for produce; only farmers.) Saturday 9 am-1 pm. West Palm Beach GreenMarket Waterfront Commons, 101 N. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach wpb.org/greenmarket More than 70 vendors selling produce, baked goods, plants and home goods, plus free kids’ activities. Antique market adjacent. Free parking in the Banyan and Evernia garages during market hours. Saturday 9 am-1 pm. Wilton Manors Green Market Hagen Park, 2020 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors 954-531-5363 Fresh produce, locally grown, some organic, plus artisan foods; eggs, fresh fish and seafood also sold. See Facebook page.

Locally grown produce and other sustainably harvested items. Vendors wanted. This produce stand operates

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Honeybells Are A Heavenly Hybrid, Not An Orange By Chris Felker

Miami Children’s Hospital’s Farmers Market More and more hospitals and medical centers are practicing what they preach by improving the foods they serve to patients and staff, offering fresher, healthier options bought from local food producers. Some facilities are even growing some of the food they serve in their cafeterias in hospital gardens. Miami Children’s Hospital has had an edible garden for more than three years, and in 2013 the hospital opened a full farmers market, selling to employees and others extra herbs and vegetables. They also bring in outside vendors, and now have more than 30 vendors to serve more than 3,000 employees. From produce to prepared foods, herbs to preserves, they offer a variety of foods. The convenience factor of having farmers markets on hospital grounds for employees to shop while at work is a big hit. So much so, when hospital visitors and patients’ families discovered the market, they also wanted to buy there, so business increased. The message is on point with hospitals’ nutritionists teachings: A real-life change takes place when people are offered the convenience of an on-site market with foods that impact health. Diane Imrie, a registered dietitian at Fletcher Allen Health Care, said: “The truth is people do embrace this kind of change. It’s the right thing to do.”

Holiday and seasonal tourists or newcomers to Florida often mistakenly ask vendors for “Honeybell oranges,” and many big, bright bags of the fiery sunshinecolored, juicy fruits are sold at roadside stands or online for shipping as gifts during the Thanksgivingto-Valentine’s Day period they’re available. (I was one of those people, long ago.) But they’re not oranges; rather, they’re tangelos. The first was developed from a cross between a Dancy tangerine and a Duncan grapefruit by a USDA scientist in 1911 and cultivated as the Orlando, or Lake, tangelo. The Minneola tangelo, later to become known as the Honeybell tangelo, was added to varieties grown here by another USDA scientist 20 years later, this one developed at the Horticultural Research Station in Orlando, and was named after the nearby town of Minneola. A true Honeybell tangelo is a hybrid-cross between a Thompson tangerine and a pomelo (or

grapefruit). They’re grown in many family farm orchards and commercial orchards across north-central to south-central Florida. The Orlando, cultivated farther north and sometimes sweeter than the true Honeybell, peaks earlier and has a tighter, harder-to-peel and somewhat pebbly rind. Its sibling, the Minneola, is bigger, rounder and sometimes with a pronounced bell shape but often a dome at the blossom end. Both varieties are very juicy and have distinctive tangerine flavor and sweetness, with colorful pulp that is not too acidic. The Minneola, or Honeybell, is deep orange to sometimes red-orange with a smoother, looser peel. Each has a rich and aromatic but slightly different flavor, which former tourists discover when they become half-natives and Honeybell connoisseurs – that is, when they don’t believe Honeybells are oranges anymore.

If you go: Miami Children’s Hospital’s Farmers Market Wednesdays, 8 am-3:30 pm., year-round Miami Children’s Hospital, in the courtyard between the emergency room and ambulatory care, 3100 S.W. 62nd Ave., Miami 50 FOOD & FARM

floridafoodandfarm.com

PALM BEACH | BROWARD

Woolbright Farmer’s Market 141 W. Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach 561-732-2454; produceandplants.com

Banana Nut Heads 8116 Seventh Place S., West Palm Beach 561-452-8481

Find organic produce, artisan foods, fresh herbs and vegetable plants. They also ship fruit (call the order hotline at 800-964-3728).

Penny Brumbaugh and Anita Gierok bake and distribute dozens of loaves of banana bread with walnuts; pineapplebanana nut bread; pumpkin nut bread; and cranberry-orange nut bread. The loaves are sold at Kobosko’s Kreamery in Wellington, Farmers Emporium in suburban West Palm Beach, Morgan’s Country Kitchen in Royal Palm Beach and Coco Orange Produce Market in The Acreage. See Facebook page.

Yellow Green Farmers Market 1940 N. 30th Road, Hollywood 954-513-3990; ygfarmersmarket.com This year-round, under-roof market has100,000 square feet of space and offersfruits, vegetables, fresh herbs, freshcaught local fish and shellfish, localhoney and prepared artisanal foods. Oneof the largest in South Florida. Saturdayand Sunday 8 am-4 pm.

LI STIN GS ARTISANS

Bee Unique Everything Honey & More 3311 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach 561-379-4404; 786-227-4147; worldsfinestrawhoney.com Bee Unique produces five crops of honey each year. Each type of honey is named based on the plant and flower that provides the nectar. Their honey is never flavor-modified, adulterated, tainted, heated or filtered. It is 100 percent pure, all-natural, raw honey, characterized by anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, antiseptic, antibiotic, anti-microbial and antioxidant proper-

ties. Find it at their store and at the West Palm Beach GreenMarket. Bruce’s Ghost Pepperz Wellington 561-309-3719; brucesghostpepperz.com Purveyor of ghost pepper plants and seeds along with a variety of products made from the chile: powder; mixes, rubs, dips, sea salt; ghost pepper hot sauces and hot sauce kits; ghost pepper bloody mary mix; jams and relishes; curry powder; fish fry mix and gift packages. Sold at the West Palm Beach GreenMarket, The Gardens GreenMarket, as well as Bedner’s Farm Fresh Market in Boynton Beach. Also sold online. Christy’s Bakery 3141 Fortune Way, Suite 13, Wellington 561-422-0028 Christy’s Bakery sells a wide variety of baked goods, including cannoli, cheesecake, cookies, assorted pastries, quiche, chocolate strawberries, chocolate candies, chocolate marshmallows, grain pie, and muffins. Find her selling at the Acreage Green Market at Acreage Community Park from 9 am to 2 pm Sundays. See Facebook page.

A&J South Florida Jerky 5604 Georgia Ave., West Palm Beach 561-202-9968; ajjerky.com This company starts with top round beef, sliced, marinated, dehydrated and vacuum-packed with a low oxygen transfer rate, which results in a jerky with a 12-month minimum shelf life. The process is USDA inspected and approved. The jerky is low-fat and highprotein, making it a good survival food (pack some with hurricane supplies). Apura Juicery & Coffeehouse Palms Plaza, 22191 Powerline Road, #20B, Boca Raton 561-430-3596; apurajuicery.com Makers of cold-pressed juices, coldbrewed coffee and handmade nut “mylks” (non-dairy), and featuring plant-based, minimally processed cuisine. All its artisan foods are free of dairy, GMOs, soy and gluten, and made with organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible. Monday-Friday 7 am-6 pm, Saturday 8 am-5 pm, Sunday 9 am-4 pm.

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Tomato Facts

The darling of backyard gardeners these days is the Everglades tomato. A wild plant found in the Everglades and producing fruit year-round, it’s believed to have come to Florida via native Americans, but as with most natives, it’s impossible to say just how it got here. The tiny cherry-sized red tomato on vine-like bushes is sweet tasting and full of flavor that is reminiscent of true heirloom varieties. Unlike hybrid tomatoes, this fruit will grow from seedsand the preferred planting method is to lightly crush one

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into the ground. Seeds take readily in most soils – you must thin the plants for a good yield, though one plant can produce nearly a bushel of fruit a week. Cuttings also can be used to grow more plants. To save seeds, wipe a crushed tomato onto a paper bag and let the seeds dry; plant paper bag and all once the seeds are ready, or “file” the bag for later planting. Everglades tomatoes grow and produce practically yearround. For seeds, contact localharvest.org.

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PALM BEACH | BROWARD

Emil’s Sausage Kitchen Buenavista Plaza, 124 N. Federal Highway, Deerfield Beach 954-422-5565; european-sausage.com European delicatessen selling old-country artisan foods (more than 120 foods are made on site), including sausages, cold cuts, smoked meats, paté and frozen and prepared offerings such as stuffed cabbage and pot pies. The French House 821 Lake Ave., Lake Worth 561-345-2559; frenchhousecafe.com A bakery specializing in house-made products, with vegetarian options, using organic ingredients. The team – a mother and two daughters – visits local farmers markets and on-farm markets for ingredients to make their quiches and pastries, cakes and brownies. Milk, sugar and butter are all organic. The chocolate comes from Belgium. Some non-organic products – including macaroons, cheeses, bread and pastries – are imported from France. Gran Forno Las Olas 1235 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale 954-467-2244 gran-forno.com Gran Forno makes almost 800 ciabatta loaves of varying sizes daily. An awardwinning bakery owned by Leone Padula, a partner at Gran Forno for 18 of its 23 years. They make artisan breads, pastries, cakes and take custom orders. McCoy’s Sunny South Apiaries 1586 D Road, Loxahatchee 561-798-1120 Provides local farm stores, produce markets and restaurants with raw, local honey. The farm is not open to the public. Find honey and honey products in Palm Beach County outlets: Farmer’s Daughter One Stop Garden Shop, Red Barn Feed & Supply, Rorabeck’s Plants and Produce, J & J Farms, Bedner’s Farm Fresh Market, Farmers Emporium, Nelson’s Family Farms and The Peddler. Mozzarita 5392 N.E. 13th Way, Pompano Beach 954-426-5115; mozzarita.com Fresh Italian-style traditional cheeses, following years-long traditions brought directly from Italy. Among those made fresh are Mozzarella Fior di Latte, Fior di Latte (smoked), Ovolini, handmade Trecce Braid, handmade Nodini (Knots), Scamorza, fresh ricotta, Ciliegine Cherry, Sfoglia di Mozzarella, Bocconcini, burrata, and Mozzarella di floridafoodandfarm.com

Bufala. Mozzarita’s Fiore di Latte (cow’s milk mozzarella), ricotta and burrata start with pasteurized milk. Organic milk from a Florida dairy is used for making these cheeses, popular with area restaurants and chefs. Available at area retailers including Whole Foods, Milam’s Market, Norman Brothers, and online. Oceana Coffee Roasters 150 N. US 1, Ste 1, Tequesta 221 Old Dixie Highway, Suite #1, Tequesta 561-401-2453; oceanacoffee.com Oceana Coffee is Palm Beach County’s only specialty-grade coffee roaster with a focus on small-batch bean roasting. Educating customers about the coffee and the geographical location of origin as well as how to properly prepare, store and taste coffee is part of the company’s mission. Beans and coffee sold at their offices/cafes Monday-Friday 8 am-6 pm and Sunday 8 am-noon, and Sundays at the Jupiter Farmers Market and The Gardens GreenMarket. Old School Bakery 45 N. Congress Ave., Delray Beach 561-276-0013; oldschoolbakery.com Wholesale bakery produces breads including loaf and pan breads such as foccacia; sandwich rolls, dinner rolls, flatbreads, cracker breads and crisps also available. Outlet store on premise open daily. Wholesale. Sun Moon Kitchen Sun Moon Kitchen 1010 S.W. First Way, Boca Raton 561-368-6824; sunmoonkitchen.com Their all-natural miso dressing recipe is a family secret, with a long tradition. Sold by several retailers including more than 100 Whole Foods, Fresh Market, local gourmet food and health food stores in Florida. Also found in several restaurants. Only gluten-free, vegan, low sodium, GMO-free products are used, with no sugar added. Would you like to see your farm, market or artisan business listed here? Send your info, including a contact number, to Janis Fontaine, directory editor, at Janis@FloridaFoodandFarm.com. Search the list at floridafoodandfarm.com.

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BREVARD | INDIAN RIVER | ST. LUCIE | MARTIN

BREVARD | INDIAN RIVER ST. LUCIE | M ARTIN Farms, Green & Farmers Markets, Artisans

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no chemical pest control. Farm tours offered. Produce sold at Wednesday Green Market in Fort Pierce, and at Tradition Green Market on Sundays. See Facebook page. Guided tours. Green/ farmers market vendor. On-farm sales. 710 U-Pick 25801 S.W. Warfield Blvd., Indiantown 772-597-4510 Family-owned and operated. Crops include strawberries, tomatoes, eggplant, sweet peppers, hot peppers, collard greens, mustard greens, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, okra, zucchini, onions, black-eyed peas, and pole beans. See Facebook page. Onfarm sales. U-pick. B&W Quality Growers 7798 County Road 512, Fellsmere 772-571-0800; bwqualitygrowers.com This farm specializes in baby greens, including watercress, red wild watercress and baby arugula. The farmers practice sustainable methods and “smart farming,” which reduces chemicals used by more than 50 percent. B&W cello packs are sold in Fresh Market, Publix, Wal-Mart and Whole Foods stores. Wholesale. Brown Family Farm 1871 S. Jenkins Road, Fort Pierce 772-971-8480 A Fresh from Florida member growing organic kale, radishes, Swiss chard, rhubarb, broccoli, chia, organic wheatgrass, sunflower sprouts, pea greens, coconut oil, potatoes and garlic. GMO-free; 54 FOOD & FARM

Circle Bar C Goat Dairy 16650 S.W. Morgan Street, Indiantown 772-597-1218 An American Dairy Goat Associationregistered dairy goat herd providing raw goat milk, raw goat milk chevre, raw aged hard cheeses, goat milk kefir and goat milk soap, as well as eggs and goat meat. All raw dairy products and farm eggs are licensed for pet consumption only. Sales at Stuart Green Market on Sunday. See Facebook page. Green/ farmers market vendor. Cracker Box Palace 860 N. Tropical Trail, Merritt Island 321-453-7769 Pineapples are grown on the USDA Certified Organic farm. Other varieties of tropical fruit, from bananas to gooseberries, as well as vegetables and nuts are grown organically. Sales to local co-ops and elsewhere. Wholesale. Crazy Hart Ranch 12416 91st St., Fellsmere 772-913-0036; crazyhartranch.com Linda Hart raises Narragansett heritage turkeys, hormone- and antibiotic-free; fed with conventional grain. She also raises chicken, Cornish game hens and ducks, and sells eggs. Sales at Heritage Hen Farm, Boynton Beach, and on site. On-farm sales.

The Farm at Rockledge Gardens 2153 S. U.S. 1, Rockledge 321-636-7662; rockledgegardens.com A vertical hydroponic farm. Plants are grown in a sterile medium using natural growing methods with no pesticides or chemicals. Crops include tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers, cucumbers, lettuces, mustards, kale, arugula, spinach, Asian greens, and strawberries. On-farm sales Wednesday and Saturday 10 am-2 pm. On-farm sales. FL Veggies & More 6755 37th St., Vero Beach 772-559-5641; flveggies.com Lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, collards, beets, broccoli, carrots and cabbage as well as herbs and microgreens grown using hydroponics and aquaponics. Partnered with the Treasure Coast Food Bank. A Fresh from Florida member. On site sales Thursday-Saturday. On-farm sales. Florida Fields to Forks 300 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne 321-431-7259; floridafieldstoforks.com Grass-fed and grass-finished Angus beef; pastured Berkshire and Mangalitsa pork; pasture-raised Katahdin lamb; pasture-raised Cornish Cross chickens; wild-caught seafood; raw milk from grass-fed Jersey cows, raw milk artisan cheeses; local honey. Funky Chicken Farm & Growboxes 3510 Hield Road, Melbourne 321-505-4066; funkychickenfarm.com

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Funky Chicken Farm sells supplies for those considering adding a sustainable garden or an animal to their homestead. Find composting worms (Red Wigglers), worm composters and grow boxes, plus rabbits, pigs and chicks. The farm also sells rabbit and chicken meats, beef and dairy products, local honey, farmfresh eggs and heirloom seeds. Sales at Rockledge Gardens Farm Market and the Brevard County Farmer’s Market. Green/farmers market vendor. Gibbon’s Organic Farm 3904 N. Kings Highway (State Road 713), Fort Pierce 772-564-1292 This USDA Certified Organic farm grows a wide variety of vegetables, including arugula, carrots, Chinese greens, collards, cucumber, eggplant, green beans, green onions, hot peppers, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard greens, okra, onions, papayas, peas, radish, sweet peppers, Swiss chard, tomatillos, tomatoes and winter squash. Sales to restaurants, caterers, farmers markets and health food stores. Wholesale. Grown Clean 12951 S.W. Paddock Lane, Indiantown 772-597-3231; grownclean.com This vertical, aeroponic farm never uses herbicides, pesticides, or GMOs. Crops include peas, peppers, chives, broccoli, cilantro, collard greens, cabbage, eggplant, red kale, Swiss chard, kohlrabi, wheatgrass, tomatoes, onions, and mustard greens. Available at Peggy’s Natural Foods in Stuart, Country Club Produce in Stuart, and Alternatives in Palm City. Online sales. Wholesale. Hise Farms 5465 Areca Palm St., Cocoa 321-403-1428; thegreenmarketplace. naturewiseplants.com Tim and Mary Hise own this small family farm, which joined forces with Nature Wise Farm and created a joint-venture green market for marketing their produce: The Green Market Place. Hise grows carrots, herbs, lettuce, peppers, spinach, tomatoes and strawberries. They sell direct to the public at their farm store, 3910 N. U.S. 1, Cocoa. Tours by appointment. Farm stand. Guided tours. Green/farmers market vendor Holland Farms and Blue Yonder Family Berries Farm Farm: 4400 Bougainvillea Drive, Mims 321-269-9502 Artisan studio: 4258 Arlington Ave., Mims floridafoodandfarm.com

YELLOW GREEN FARMERS MARKET

321-514-2370; blueyonderfamilyberries.com A 20-acre farm with 16 acres of blueberries. Products made from the family crop are sold at Blue Yonder Family Berries, and include jams, jellies, fruit jerky, vinegar, marmalade and seasonal products such as blueberry-cranberry sauce. Farm produce sold at DeLand Farmers Market in The Artisan Alley, Friday, and the Winter Garden Farmers Market, Saturday. Green/farmers market vendor. Kai-Kai Farm 8006 S.W. Kanner Highway, Indiantown 772-597-1717; kaikaifarm.com

Is having more than 300 booths at a single market a plus or a distraction? The Yellow Green Farmers Market in Hollywood bills itself as “a true farmers market,” providing a bounty of foods for shoppers brought to market at peak of freshness. The market is designed as a throwback to the days when people shopped daily for their dinner foods and based their menu on what was available – before refrigeration and air-expressed foods. But the sentiment endures; there’s something romantic about strolling through a market with a canvas bag of tomatoes and zucchini, with a fresh baguette and a bottle of good oil. At Yellow Green, shoppers can talk directly with local farmers to learn about their products. With 300 booths in a 100,000 square-foot space, there is a wealth of variety in the foods sold. Fresh produce, organic and traditionally grown, tropical fruits, artisan baked goods and foods, meats and seafood from local ranches, farms and fishermen, as well as packaged foods that complement the fresh offerings are available seasonally. In the past decade, the “eat local” movement is taking hold. Yellow Green provides the opportunity for shoppers to get fresher foods and meet those that grow and produce them. Shaking the hand of the farmer is possible here.

If you go: The Yellow Green Farmers Market When: 10 am-6 pm Thursday; 10 am-8 pm Friday; 9 am-5 pm Saturday and Sunday Where: 1940 N. 30th Road, Hollywood Info: 954-513-3990; ygfarmersmarket.com

Vegetables grown using sustainable and organic principles, though not certified organic. The soil is amended with locally produced compost, and all seeds are non-GMO. Crops include arugula, lettuce, radishes, baby carrots, cucumber, broccoli, tomatoes, endive, kale, collards, okra, onions, peas, beans, sage, spinach and squash. Sales by CSA; on-farm sales offered Wednesday and Saturday noon-5:30 pm. Also at The Gardens GreenMarket year-round, West Palm Beach GreenMarket and the Stuart Green Market from October to May. CSA. Green/farmers market vendor. Onfarm sales. Farm stand. Wholesale. Meadors Blueberry Farm 3685 Orlando Ave., Mims 407-383-6639 Blueberry U-pick; open mid-March to mid-May. When fresh blueberries aren’t available, frozen berries from the farm are available while supplies last, as well as jam and other artisan foods. Sales by appointment. See Facebook page. Upick. On-farm sales. Nature Farms 9150 N. U.S. 1, Sebastian 772-538-6066; localharvest.org/naturefarms-inc-M15622 Pineapples are the farm specialty and are sold exclusively at Chelsea’s on Cardinal in Vero Beach. Other produce including eggplant, strawberries, okra and avocado and other seasonal products are also sold. On-farm sales. Farm stand. Nature Wise Nursery 3911 N. U.S. 1, Cocoa 321-536-1410; thegreenmarketplace. naturewiseplants.com Two small family farms – Nature Wise and Hise Farms – united to create an onfarm market, The Green Marketplace, to sell their own produce and other local farms’ surplus on consignment. Nature Wise Nursery uses natural growing FOOD & FARM 55

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methods but they are not certified organic. They provide seedlings, including heirloom vegetables, edible flowers and herb plants, and organic garden supplies. The Green Marketplace, adjacent to Nature Wise Nursery, is open Wednesday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm. Farm stand. Green/farmers market vendor. Nelson’s Family Farms 875 W. Midway Road, Fort Pierce 772-464-2100; nelsonfamilyfarms.com For more than 65 years, the Nelson family has been providing fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs grown in their fields to consumers. Today they have the largest open-air produce market in the area. They also sell citrus trees, grow and roast their own coffee, and sell

artisanal foods made using local ingredients. They also sell wholesale. MondayFriday 8 am-6 pm, Saturday 8 am-5 pm, and Sunday 8:30 am-3 pm. Wholesale. Green/farmers market vendor. Nordic Acres Farm 2650 Grant Road, Grant 321-723-0653 Farm-fresh produce for sale, as well as potted herbs, hydroponic vegetables including tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and strawberries, and more. See Facebook page. On-farm sales. Osceola Organic Farm 6980 33rd St., Vero Beach 772-567-1530 This certified organic farm specializes in baby lettuce and field greens, as well as produce, herbs and edible plants, and has been a certified organic producer in Indian River County since 1996. Find them at the Farmer’s Market Oceanside. Green/farmers market vendor. Pure Produce 8875 Fleming Grant Road, Sebastian 772-664-3657; pureproduce.com Hydroponic family farm growing beefsteak tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, baby English cucumbers, Boston bib, butter crunch and red leaf lettuce. Produce sold at farmers markets in Brevard County, as well as in Vero Beach, Fort Pierce and Palm Beach Gardens. Green/ farmers market vendor.

offers U-pick during season and farm tours by appointment. See Facebook page to find out when berries are ripe. Guided tours. On-farm sales. U-pick. The Tomato Store 8290 Tommy Clements Lane, Indiantown 772-267-4121; thetomatostore.com Heirloom tomatoes and a wide variety of vegetables and greens are grown on this 50-acre farm, which is non-GMO. The tomatoes are sold in 10-pound, single-layer flats and are available from Thanksgiving until June. Online, phone sales; delivery and shipping available. Wholesale. White Rabbit Acres Organic Farm 7020 37th St., Vero Beach 772-486-1248 This farm sells locally grown produce from November through July, including sprouts, shoots, wheatgrass, greens, chard, beets, radishes, mustards, arugula and onions. On-site farm store sells organic produce, meats, dairy and grocery items. See Facebook page. CSA. Farm stand. On-farm sales.

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Rivers Run Apiary State Road 46, Mims 407-431-3715; riversrunhoneybees.com Missouri beekeepers John and Delores Sauls moved their business to the Space Coast, where they now sell bees and local honey. Bartering welcomed. Shadowood Farm 6220 S.W. Martin Highway, Palm City 772-781-5777; shadowoodfarm.com This community-style organic food garden is open to the public for retail vegetable/herb gardening supplies Tuesday 10 am-5:30 pm. Shadowood rents individual, raised garden plots to organic gardeners October through May. Open to the public Saturday 10 am-1 pm for produce and organic foods. On-farm sales. Farm stand. Sledd’s U-Pick Strawberries 3645 Burkholm Road, Mims 321-268-8978 Strawberries, blackberries, and a variety of vegetables are grown here using organic principles and standards. Sledd’s 56 FOOD & FARM

Brevard County Farmers Market Wickham Park, 2500 Parkway Drive, Melbourne 321-633-1702; brevardcountyfarmersmarket.com Produce, citrus, fruit, honey, dairy, poultry, prepared foods, artisan products. Vendors here must produce or grow at least 50 percent of their agricultural products. All growers are certified by Brevard County Extension agents. Held in the park’s equestrian area Thursday 3-6 pm. Farmer’s Market Oceanside Across from Humiston Park at 2901 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach 772-321-4145; verobeachoba.com A year-round market with nearly 50 vendors selling produce, citrus, seafood, floridafoodandfarm.com

BREVARD | INDIAN RIVER | ST. LUCIE | MARTIN

fresh breads, pastries, botanicals and herbs, plants, honey, spices, and homemade dog biscuits. Pet-friendly. Saturday 8 am-noon. Fort Pierce Farmer’s Market Marina Square, 101 Melody Lane, Fort Pierce 772-940-1145; fortpiercefarmersmarket.com Seventy vendors sell local produce and artisan foods between the marina and the library. Saturday 8 am-noon. The Green Marketplace 3910 N. U.S. 1, Cocoa 321-403-1428; thegreenmarketplace. naturewiseplants.com Hise Farms and Nature Wise Farms sell their produce at this on-farm market, along with the goods of other local farmers on consignment. The green market sells eggs, dairy, local honey, garden art, nutritional supplements and herbal remedies. Friday and Saturday 10 am-5 pm. Indiantown Farmers Market At the Seminole Inn, 15885 S.W. Warfield St., Indiantown 772-597-2184; seminoleinn.com Organic produce, goat’s milk and cheeses, artisan foods, quail eggs, and honey sold the last Sunday of each month, November through May. Brunch served inside the Seminole Inn, 9 am-2 pm; reservations required, call 772-597-3777. Stuart Green Market Stuart City Hall parking lot, 121 S.W. Flagler Ave., Stuart 772-233-0297; stuartgreenmarket.org Nearly 60 vendors of fresh produce, cut flowers, honey, freshly baked breads and pastries, hot sauces, handcrafted soaps and lotions, grass-fed/local beef, poultry, eggs, goat milk and cheeses, organic spice blends, artisan crafts and handmade jewelry. A long-running yearround market started in 1997. Sunday 9 am-1 pm. The Sunny Day Co–Op Shadowood Farm, 6220 S.W. Martin Highway, Palm City shadowoodfarm.com Fresh, organic vegetables and herbs, local raw honey, artisan baked goods and prepared foods, organic herbal teas, goat products, plus supplies for organic vegetable and herb gardening. Certain prepared foods and other items sold only to those who belong to the buyer’s club; one-time daily memberships are available. Saturday 10 am-1 pm. floridafoodandfarm.com

Wednesday Green Market and Food Co–Op Marina Square, 101 Melody Lane; Fort Pierce 772-465-5658 Raw foods, wheatgrass, raw milk, fresh produce sold by local growers - no resellers or wholesalers sell here. Wednesday 2-6 pm.

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The Butcher Shoppe 802 S.W. Federal Highway, Stuart 772-220-0439; bobbythebutcher.com Shop sells premium meat, cut to order, and offers family plans for bulk buying. USDA Prime and Choice Beef, dry-aged beef, Wagyu beef, Florida grass-fed beef, all natural cage-free chicken, natural veal and lamb. Monday-Friday 9 am5:30 pm, Saturday 9 am-5 pm. Mrs. Mango & Company 3500 S. U.S. 1, Rockledge 321-631-1194; mrsmangoandcompany.com A family-run herb shop that sells tea, local honey, herb plants and culinary and medicinal herbs and spices. Paradise Health 6300 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne 321-242-6040; paradisehealthdirect.com Supplements, herbs, organic dried foods and grains. Other locations at 1150 Malabar Road S.E., and 4270 Minton Road, Palm Bay.

Would you like to see your farm, market or artisan business listed here? Send your info, including a contact number, to Janis Fontaine, directory editor, at Janis@FloridaFoodandFarm.com. Search the list at floridafoodandfarm.com.

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DESOTO | HIGHLANDS | OKEECHOBEE | POLK | HILLSBOROUGH

DESOTO | HIGHLANDS OKEECHOBEE | POLK HILLSBOROUGH Farms, Green & Farmers Markets, Artisans

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Farmers Market. CSA. Green/farmers market vendor. Black’s Berry Farm 7548 Black Road, Lake Wales 863-398-4763; 863-644-3421 Aloe Organics 7798 Pine Island Road, Arcadia 561-385-2877; aloeorg.com Crops include broccoli, cauliflower, red butterhead lettuce, green butterhead lettuce, green romaine, fennel, Swiss chard, arugula, beets, sunflowers and kale. The grower sells to local restaurants as well as at Fruitville Grove, Global Organics, Detweilers Market and The Central Sarasota Farmers Market. Portions of this grower’s products are donated to families with children battling cancer through the Center for Building Hope (CBH) in Lakewood Ranch. Green/farmers market vendor. Wholesale. Big Bear Farms 7606 Kinard Road, Plant City 813-986-1152 Family-owned and operated USDA Certified Organic fruit and vegetable farm. Blueberries sold commercially; small orders accepted. Also sponsors Agriculture in the Classroom programs. Wholesale. Bilbrey Family Farm 6488 Bilbrey Nursery Road, Auburndale 863-206-2900 (Rodger) or 863-412-2008 (Carol); bilbreyfamilyfarm.com This certified-naturally grown CSA farm uses organic growing methods. Variety of crops sold by CSA and at the Lakeland

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Locally grown blueberries; fresh fruits and vegetables. On-farm sales. U-pick. On-farm sales. BMB Farms 4277 Old Eagle Lake Road, Bartow Office: 863-698-0239; farm: 863-412-1556 Blueberry U-pick, with locally farmed vegetables also for sale. Season runs from late April through the end of May. Farm sales in season daily 8:30 am-7 pm. Upick. On-farm sales. Chapman Fruit 4751 Notts Dairy St., Arcadia 863-773-3161 A heritage family-owned farm that produces peppers, cucumbers and squash. Wholesale. Cost-A-Lota Ranch 200 Commercial Court, Sebring 863-381-9356; costalotaranch.com A small, family-owned and operated farm raising beef cows, free-range chickens, lamb and rabbits. No growth hormones are used. Owner Roy Copeland offers consulting services on natural growing methods and sells farm equipment. Wholesale. Farmer’s Organic Blueberries 2737 Taylor Road, Winter Haven 863-967-1745 Charles Farmer, a citrus nurseryman and expert “budder,” has been growing

citrus for more than 30 years and in 2003 became an organic grower producing red navel oranges and blueberries. Online sales. Wholesale. Futch Family Farms 12500 Old Grade Road, Polk City 863-944-0125; futchfamilyfarms.com This 15-acre blueberry farm is also a rental space for special events. U-pick in season. Cash only; customers should bring grocery bags for picking. U-pick. GreenByrd Farm 11538 S.E. Shelfer Ave., Arcadia 305-207-7038; 305-310-0751; greenbyrd.com Family-owned, 5-acre farm produces organic, non-GMO, pasture-raised chicken and eggs. No antibiotics, hormones or preservatives are employed; environmentally sustainable and animal welfare practices are observed. Farm sales by appointment. On-farm sales. Wholesale. Green Ranch Corp. 6517 S.E. 33rd Terrace, Okeechobee 863-447-3499; green-ranch.net Green Ranch Corp. helps farmers with sustainable, clean agriculture solutions, including products and services from chemical- and irrigation-free specialty crop breeds; clean farming technology; and green farm development. Cultivated blackberry, mango, coffee, pomegranate, grapefruit, tangelo and orange plants grown to be clean and irrigation-free. Wholesale. Harvest Holler 950 Tavares Road, Polk City 352-895-8687; harvestholler.com

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DESOTO | HIGHLANDS | OKEECHOBEE | POLK | HILLSBOROUGH

A working family farm known for its fall corn maze. Hayrides and family activities as well as a U-pick pumpkin patch September to November. Local orange blossom honey also sold in on-site store. U-pick. On-farm sales. Pressley-Davis 1364 S. Lake Reedy Blvd., Frostproof 863-635-2360; pressleygroves.com The Pressley family produces, packages and ships their certified organic citrus. Custom fruit baskets with a personalized selection of citrus. Online sales. On-farm sales.

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Fellsmere Farmers Market & Mercado City Hall at 22 S. Orange St., Fellsmere 772-413-1784 This year-round market has 25 vendors selling locally grown fruits, vegetables and artisan foods. See Facebook page. Saturday 9 am-2 pm. Lakeland Farmers Market 2701 Swindell Road, Lakeland 863-682-4809

COMING SOON

A variety of produce, some organic, plus prepared foods and artisan foods. Petand family-friendly. Plant City Farm & Flea Market 708 W. Sam Allen Road, Plant City 813-752-4670; plantcitymarket.com One of the largest independent farmers markets in the Southeast. Fresh produce annually from area farms. Conventional and organic fruits and vegetables are sold wholesale; open to the public. Daily 7 am-2 pm. The flea market is open Wednesday only.

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The best hand-made mozzarella in the U.S.A!

9858 CLINT MOORE ROAD â&#x20AC;˘ BOCA RATON, FL 33496

www.mozzaritabar.com

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Edible Landscape Serves Culinary Students and Chefs at Miami’s Johnson & Wales University A step outside the back door at Johnson and Wales University in Miami is all the chefs and students at the culinary institute need to get a farm-totable experience. The school’s landscape has been turned into a botanical garden of tropical edibles. Chef Chris Wagner, director of culinary operations at the university, said the garden is relevant in today’s culinary classrooms, with the emphasis on local foods and farm-fresh ingredients now part of the curriculum. More than 150 plants are spread over the back of the university, and along the side beds next to parking areas. What appear to be hedges are natal plums, a common landscape plant that also is edible. Grapevines cover a trellis near a classroom window and pineapples sprout in a bed nearby. Exotic fruits like cherimoya and sapodilla as well as carambola and loquat

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are interspersed with herbs and berry bushes such as lemongrass, verbena, acai and annatto. Even coffee bushes are producing beans here. Figs, grapes, a wide variety of citrus, mangoes, bananas, papayas and longans are among the fruits that are thriving. The sheer number of plants makes JWU one of the top botanical gardens in South Florida. “We have more varieties of edible plants than Fairchild Gardens, we’re told,” Wagner said. Not as many as the Fruit and Spice Park in Homestead, but, he said, “That makes us No. 2 in South Florida in edible species.” The students can pick ripe fruits for use in classes, though many of the plants are still too young to bear a large crop. The Storeroom course at the school, which focuses on ingredients and identifying fresh products, makes the most use of the garden. It started small, with a few dozen

herbs and the more common fruit trees. Four years ago, the university committed to a major investment to add to it, and about 80 new species were brought in. The garden is maintained by the landscaping staff as well as the Edible Gardeners, a student organization that also hosts events in the garden. Groups from the community are invited in to learn about the garden, including elementary school students. It’s meant to inspire others to plant their yards with edibles and teach them that food can be grown in any space, according to Jordan Fickess, executive administrator at JWU Miami. The garden will continue to expand, he said, with the addition of a greenhouse in the future. “That will allow us to provide much more product for our culinary classes.” – Jan Norris

floridafoodandfarm.com

COLLIER | HENDRY

COLLIER | HENDRY Farms, Green & Farmers Markets, Artisans

LIS TINGS FARMS

LIS TINGS

RMERS MARK EN & FA ETS GRE

L ISTING S ARTISANS

Barnett-Partin Plants 1400 County Road 830A, Felda 863-675-1394

Pine Ridge Road Farmers Market 3370 Pine Ridge Road, Naples 239-200-4401

Food & Thought 2132 Tamiami Trail N., Naples 239-213-2222; foodandthought.com

Barnett-Partin Plants produces organically and conventionally grown vegetable, melon and herb transplants for farmers.

More than 80 vendors sell locally grown fruits and vegetables, organic produce, cut flowers, fruit trees, baked goods, seafoods, pickles, books, jewelry, arts and crafts. Pets welcome. Sunday 9 am-2 pm.

The café serves organic meals, juices and smoothies, the grocery store sells organic fruit and produce, and the garden center has supplies for vegetable gardeners.

Food & Thought Farm 7455 Sanctuary Road, Naples 239-213-2222; foodandthought.com/our-farm/ This Collier County farm uses sustainable methods to grow organic produce including a variety of lettuces, kales, spinach and other leafy greens, heirloom tomatoes, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and Chandler strawberries. No pesticides, no GMOs. Produce for sale at Food & Thought: The Organic General Store, which is the farm’s market/garden center/ café at 2132 Tamiami Trail N., Naples.

floridafoodandfarm.com

Third Street South Farmer’s Market 245 13th Ave. S., Naples 239-649-6707; thirdstreetsouth.com/farmersmarket/ Produce, seafoods, cheeses, prepared foods, baked goods and artisan foods are sold along with arts and crafts. Saturday 7:30-11:30 am.

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Alice’s Farm Fresh Foods 5800 Center St., Jupiter 561-768-9318; localfreshfoods.net This farm store sells local food – some organic – with no GMOs. Most of the produce is from small, noncommercial farms that use oganic and sustainable practices. The farmers are carefully selected, and they do not use harmful pesticides or fungicides. Monday-Friday 10 am-6 pm; Sunday 10 am-4 pm. Al’s Family Farms 2001 N. Kings Highway (State Road 713), Fort Pierce 800-544-3366; 772-460-0556; alsfamilyfarms.com A family business that grows, harvests, packs, and ships local fruit nationwide. Focus is on citrus, including navel oranges, honeybells, and Ruby Red grapefruit. The farmers market is open Monday-Saturday. Farm tours are offered Tuesday-Friday 10:30 am through April 15. Citrus and juices sold at Fort Pierce Farmers’ Market. Bedner’s Farm Fresh Market 10066 Lee Road, Boynton Beach 561-733-5490; bedners.com Farm market on site at the family-run farm, featuring farm-fresh produce and foods as well as specialty items. A special market monthly in the parking lot features crafts and local artisans. Family entertainment. Farm tours available. Upick strawberries in fall. The Bee 123 Datura St., West Palm Beach 561-651-9796; thebeewpb.com The Bee in West Palm Beach is part produce market, part juicery and part yoga studio. All products are organic and vegan. This shop has products ranging from kale to super foods, including nuts, beans, bulk foods, grains, seeds, vegan snacks and pastas. C&D Produce 3133 Lake Worth Road, Lake Worth 62 FOOD & FARM

561-969-2900; cdproduce.com 8195 N. Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens 561-775-7584 A West Palm Beach-based family business selling fresh fruit and vegetables. Also sells meat. Daily 7 am-8 pm. EZ Grow Green Hydroponic Gardening Center 604 S.W. Bayshore Blvd., Port St. Lucie 772-807-7755; ezgrowgreen.com Find supplies for home gardens from planting to maintaining and producing healthy and productive plants. Farmers Emporium Emporium Shoppes, 4619 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach 561-615-4224 Fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables, plus eggs, dairy, honey, bread and other artisan foods. See Facebook page. Fausto’s Food Palace 1105 White St., Key West 522 Fleming St., Key West 305-296-5663; faustos.com Founded by Faustino Castillo, a Cuban immigrant, the family-owned business is a specialty grocer. Fausto’s sells fresh tropical fruits. It’s a source for Niman Ranch meats and Florida Keys seafood from local fishermen. The Fish Peddler/PT Fish, Inc. 7794 N.W. 44th St., Sunrise 954-741-1933; thefishpeddler.com Indian River Seafood 633 Old Dixie Highway, Sebastian 772-589-8585; indianriverseafoodmarket.com Brothers Mike and Paul Twiss are commercial fishermen who operate a retail and wholesale seafood company delivering fresh fish and shellfish and other seafood sourced internationally. PT Fish Inc., is their wholesale arm, also in Sunrise. Phone or online sales; shipping available.

Fourth Generation Market 75 S.E. Third St., Boca Raton 561-338-9920; 4thgenerationmarket.com This 100 percent organic market caters to vegans, vegetarians and raw food lovers. Selling organic grocery, produce and prepared foods, including organic meats and seafood dishes, as well as supplements and nutritional products. Monday-Saturday 8 am-8 pm; Sunday 10 am-6 pm. Fresh Fruit Delivery 5051 N. Dixie Highway, Boca Raton 561-404-9874; fruitfreshdelivery.com This fruit delivery service brings fresh fruit to offices in South Florida. In 2013, it delivered more than 300,000 servings of fresh fruit. The company donates leftover fruit to an after-school program at the Caring Kitchen in Delray Beach. The Fresh Market Locations throughout South Florida 866-817-4367; thefreshmarket.com Meats, fresh seafood and local, organic produce with conventional and specialty grocery items. They have nearly 40 stores around Florida. Green Gourmet The Shoppes at Addison Place, 16950 Jog Road, Delray Beach 561-455-2466; thegreengourmetdelray.com Organic and all-natural prepared foods, plus bread, pastries, desserts, organic wines and micro-brewed beers. Seating for dining in, plus a juice bar. MondaySaturday 11 am-9 pm, Sunday noon-9 pm. Greenwise Market 21230 Saint Andrews Blvd., Boca Raton 561-544-2422; store.publix.com Legacy Place, 11231 Legacy Ave., Palm Beach Gardens 561-514-5175; store.publix.com Greenwise is Publix’s sustainable arm, with specialty products and organic foods, along with a premium selection of meats and seafood, wines, cheese and floridafoodandfarm.com

RETAILERS

baked goods. Conventional groceries also available. Kroegel Homestead Produce 11200 U.S. 1, Sebastian 772-589-8718; kroegelproduce.com Tim Timinsky, a fifth-generation Sebastian native, runs Kroegel Homestead Produce, a 50-year-old produce stand. He sells locally grown, organic and hydroponic produce. Laurenzo’s Italian Center and Farmers Market 16385 W. Dixie Highway, North Miami Beach 305-945-6381; laurenzosmarket.com This grocery, café, wine shop, and farmers market has been bringing authentic Italian products to Miami for 59 years. Full food grocery featuring dairy, meat, seafood, artisan foods, a deli and a wide assortment of fresh produce. MondaySaturday 9 am-7 pm, Sunday 9 am-5 pm. Farmer’s market Monday-Saturday 7 am-6 pm, Sunday 8 am-5 pm. Living Green Fresh Market 1305 E. Commercial Blvd., Oakland Park 954-771-9770; livinggreenfreshmarket.com Year-round market with café selling fresh produce and herbs, including locally sourced products. Specialty items include unique cheeses, artisan breads, pastas, oils, honey, and grass-fed meats. Soups, sandwiches, salads, pastries, and freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices are sold as prepared foods and served fresh in the café. Organic coffee and wine are available. Nature’s Garden Linens ‘n Things Naples Shopping Center 2089 Tamiami Trail N., Naples 239-643-4959; naturesgardenofnaples.com This family-owned and operated store features an organic green market; organic café and juice bar; non-GMO foods; organic grass-fed meat; wheat and glutenfree foods; dairy-free products and local organic honey; plus soups, salads, wraps and desserts. It also has an extensive inventory of vitamins and supplements. Monday-Saturday 9 am-9 pm, Sunday 10 am-8 pm. Norman Brothers Produce 7621 S.W. 87th Ave., Miami 305- 274-9363; normanbrothers.com Norman Brothers is family-owned and operated from the same location for more than 40 years. This grocer is full-service, with produce, meat, seafood and artisan floridafoodandfarm.com

foods, including baked goods and healthy meals to-go. Monday- Saturday 8 am-7 pm, Sunday, 9 am-6 pm. Nutrition Cottage 1815 S. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach 734-4626; nutritioncottage.com Find organic wine and beer, kombucha, gluten-free products plus supplements, vitamins and herbs, and prepared foods. Monday-Saturday 9 am-7 pm, Sunday noon-6 pm. Nutrition S’Mart 16250 N.W. 57th Ave., Miami Lakes 786-621-6006; nutritionsmart.com 12594 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines 954-437-0035 4155 Northlake Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens 561-694-0644 464 S.W. Port St. Lucie Blvd., Suite 107-113, Port St. Lucie 772-323-2222 An extensive selection of organic food and natural groceries, including 100 percent organic produce, wheat-free and gluten-free products, herbs, household products plus vitamins and supplements. Monday-Saturday 9 am-9pm; Sunday 10 am-7 pm. Organic Grown Direct Lee Road, Boynton Beach 877-565-3239; organicgrowndirect.com Fresh organic produce delivered to individuals. Paradise Health & Nutrition 6300 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne 321-242-6040; paradisehealthdirect.com 1150 Malabar Road S.E., Palm Bay 4270 Minton Road, Palm Bay

selection of artisan foods and gourmet grocery products. Its wholesale business caters to local restaurants and country clubs. They also host tasting events once a month. See Facebook page. Rorabeck’s Plants and Produce 5539 S. Military Trail, Lake Worth 561-642-3382; rorabecks.com 7820 N. Military Trail, Riviera Beach 561-881-9884 1053 S.E. Indian St., Stuart 772-463-4120 For more than 25 years, Rorabeck’s has been serving Palm Beach County with farm-fresh produce plus fresh flowers, plants, trees, landscaping tools, garden art and supplies in its Garden Center. The stores offer a wide selection of organic produce, and their wholesale department serves many local restaurants. Tunie’s 7170 Fairway Drive, Palm Beach Gardens 561-721-8787; tunies.com 5651 Coral Ridge Drive, Coral Springs 954-510-0410 Coming soon: 900 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale. One of Florida’s largest natural grocery, vitamin and nutrition stores, with more than 28,000 products, plus fresh produce and wine. Also sells online. Whole Foods Market Locations throughout Florida. wholefoods.com The supermarket chain specializing in natural and organic foods. Most buy from local growers. Locations on their website.

Supplements, herbs, organic dried foods and grains.

Buyers Club

Paradise Seafood & Gourmet Market 721 Bald Eagle Drive, Marco Island 239-394-3686; paradiseseafoodmarco.com

My Organic Food Club 300 Banyan Road, Boca Raton 877-832-8289; myorganicfoodclub.com

This market sells fresh seafood – more than 40 varieties – purchased directly from local fisherman and specialty purveyors, depending on the season and availability of the fish. It also sells gourmet groceries and prepared foods and desserts. Run by the Young family, including chef Scott Young. The Peddler Produce & Gourmet Market 12174 U.S. 1, Juno Beach 561-629-7703

This group pools its food orders together for delivery to neighborhoods in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Miami Beach. The group buys local, organic and farmfresh, sustainably grown foods.

Did we miss your retail food business? Send your info, including a contact number, to Janis Fontaine, directory editor, at Janis@ FloridaFoodandFarm.com. Search the list at floridafoodandfarm.com.

The Peddler supports local farmers and artisans by selling a wide variety of their fruits and vegetables, as well as a full FOOD & FARM 63

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WINERIES BREWERS

Miami–Dade | Monroe The Abbey Brewing Co. 1115 16th St., Miami Beach 305-538-8110; abbeybrewinginc.com The Abbey Brewing Company opened in 1995. Two decades later, it’s known for full-body, handcrafted beers. The Abbey beer recipes created by brew master Raymond Rigazio, company president, are brewed at the Florida Brewing Company in Melbourne. Usually on tap are four Abbey house beers and 10 guest draft beers. It has a Snail of Approval from Slow Food. Schnebly Redland’s Winery & Brewery 30205 S.W. 217th Ave., Homestead 305-242-1224; schneblywinery.com Since 2003, owners Peter and Denisse Schnebly have been making specialty and table wines from locally grown mangoes, avocados, guavas, passion fruit, coconuts, lychees and carambolas. Tasting bar open daily; winery tours on the hour on weekends. Schnebly’s craft production brewery features beers made using the same fruits, spices and herbs that go into the wines. Beers are on tap at local restaurants and bars. Taproom open daily, with entertainment on weekends. Titanic Restaurant & Brewery aka Titanic Brewing Co. 64 FOOD & FARM

5813 Ponce De Leon Blvd., Coral Gables 305-667-2537; titanicbrewery.com Brainchild of Kevin Rusk, Titanic opened in 1995. From light to amber, pale ale to oatmeal stout, bitter beer to nut brown ale, there are always six Titanic brews on tap, along with six guest brews. Events include karaoke, blues and brews, and open mic nights. The brewery has a Snail of Approval from Slow Food. Wynwood Brewing Co. 565 N.W. 24th St., Miami 305-982-8732; 305-640-5043; wynwoodbrewing.com This family-owned and run craft brewery produces beers including blond ale, IPA, Porter, Strong Ales and seasonal brews. Taproom open Tuesday-Sunday, along with 15-barrel brewhouse. Beers are distributed to restaurants and taprooms throughout South Florida.

Broward | Palm Beach Due South Brewing Co. 2900 High Ridge Road, Suite 3, Boynton Beach 561-463-2337; duesouthbrewing.com A husband-wife team created Due South to offer seasonal and year-round craft beers ranging from IPAs to stouts and are known for their Caramel Cream Ale.

Other Florida beers on tap. Its brews are distributed to local restaurants and other taprooms. Open Tuesday-Sunday; food offered by food trucks on site. Free tours at 1 and 3 pm weekends. Funky Buddha Brewery 1201 N.E. 38th St., Oakland Park 954-440-0046; 2621 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton 561-368-4643 funkybuddhabrewery.com This company brews its own beer and micro-brewed sodas, and offers 110 craft beers, over 40 loose leaf teas, a large wine selection, various mixed drinks, kava by the shell and snacks including housemade hummus and desserts. Hollywood Organic Brewery 290 N. Broadwalk, Hollywood 305-414-4757; organicbreweryhollywood.com Handcrafted organic German lagers and ales are brewed on site; all foods made inhouse. Outdoor patio with ocean views. LauderAle Brewery 3305 S.E. 14th Ave., Fort Lauderdale 954-214-5334; lauderale.com This brewery produces 20 barrels of beer per month, fermented in one of 10 stainless steel conical fermenters, using hops and grain grown in the United States and imported from the ancient beer regions of Europe. Used ingredients are donated to local farms. floridafoodandfarm.com

WINERIES

rotating seasonally. Taproom and beer garden open to the public; food available from food trucks.

patio is pet-friendly. At presstime, food service is planned.

Tequesta Brewing Co. 287 U.S. 1, Tequesta 561-745-5000; tequestabrewing.com

Desoto | Highlands Okeechobee | Polk Plant City

South Florida’s first microbrewery, where operating partner Matt Webster can be found pulling brews nightly or working the tanks. Der Chancellor, a Kolsh, and a hometown favorite, Gnarly Barley, along with Julio’s Weizen are among the brews. A silver medalist at the Great American Beerfest in 2011. Growlers filled here. Taproom open TuesdaySunday, with food from the next-door Corner Café. Beers available at restaurants throughout South Florida.

Brevard | Indian River Martin | St. Lucie

MIA Brewing Co. 10400 N.W. 33rd St., Suite 150, Miami 305-567-5550; miabrewing.com Recently opened craft production brewery in Doral, MIA Brewing (formerly Missing in Action Brewing) is producing Kolsch, IPA and Hefewizen beers. Sold in local restaurants and pizzerias. Taproom planned. Rosa Fiorelli Winery 4250 County Road 675 E., Bradenton 941-322-0976; fiorelliwinery.com Rosa Fiorelli Winery is a family-owned and operated winery. Rosa Fiorelli and her husband, Antonio, moved to Florida from Sicily, and started their business in the garage. Now, they have a fermenting/ bottling building, and another for tastings and sales. They offer mature grapevines for U-pick in early August to September. Tours include a discussion of winemaking, lunch and a wine tasting.

Endless Summer Vineyard & Winery 4200 Johnston Road, Fort Pierce 772-460-0500; 772-595-0699; endlesssummerwine.com Owner/vintner Gary Roberts opened this Certified Florida Farm Winery in 2009 and creates muscadine grape and tropical fruit wines at the 10-acre vineyard. Tasting room open TuesdaySunday; tours available by reservation. Picnics accommodated on the grounds; entertainment on site. Orchid Island Brewery 2855 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach 772-321-1244; orchidislandbrewery.com A three-barrel microbrewery that brews beers centered on local Indian River citrus. Other Florida craft beers are featured on tap. Owners are on hand to discuss the current brew. Tasting room open Tuesday-Saturday;

Keel and Curley Winery 5210 W. Thonotosassa Road, Plant City 813-752-9100 keelandcurleywinery.com Fusion fruit wines made from Florida blueberries, citrus fruits, peaches and grapes are made in this winery. Tasting room open to the public. Tours of winemaking facilities available; and the winery is available for event rental. Sold at the Saturday Morning Market, 8 am-1 pm, Stuart Park, Lake Placid. Henscratch Farms Vineyards and Winery 980 Henscratch Road, Lake Placid 863-699-2060; henscratchfarms.com A Certified Florida Farm Winery producing award-winning muscadine wine, grape jellies and jams, sauces and syrups. Tours available, along with grapes and free-range chicken eggs produced on the farm. The infused grape seed oils are a favorite of chefs. On-site sales; winery tours available. Open Tuesday-Sunday; check website for seasonal times.

Would you like to see your brewery or winery or distillery listed here? Send your info, including a contact number, to Janis Fontaine, directory editor, at Janis@FloridaFoodandFarm.com. Search the list at floridafoodandfarm.com.

SaltWater Brewery 1701 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach 561-865-5373; 561-450-9519; saltwaterbrewery.com A team of young Florida natives – most of them surfers – created this craft brewery with an ocean theme. Sustainable practices are used for brewing, including sending the spent grain to local ranchers for use as cattle feed. A number of charities are supported by the brewery, which produces a variety of beers, some floridafoodandfarm.com

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Miami–Dade | Monroe Area 31 270 Biscayne Blvd. Way, Miami 305-424-5234; area31restaurant.com Chef E. Michael Reidt at Area 31 delivers a menu of modern American cuisine using fresh seafood sourced from a specific region (Area 31), based on a catch of the day. Seasonal vegetables and fruits come from local farms whenever possible. Azul Restaurant 500 Brickell Key Drive, Miami 305-913-8254; mandarinoriental.com/ miami/fine-dining/azul/ Chef William Crandall sources fresh, local ingredients to make contemporary French-Asian fusion cuisine in this noted restaurant within the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Basil Park 17608 Collins Ave., Sunny Isles Beach 305-705-0004; basilpark.com From the team at Timo, Basil Park is a contemporary bistro focusing on sustainable foods, grass-fed meats and organic beverages. Some of the locally sourced produce and microgreens featured on the menu come from one of the owners’ farms. Batch Gastropub 30 S.W. 12th St., Miami 305-808-555; batchmiami.com

TAUR ANTS

Seafood dishes created by the chef are sourced from fish tanks under the hotel that hold live fish caught by the hotel’s fishermen. Farm-fresh vegetables and fruits sourced locally are part of the menu. The famed hotel follows environmentally friendly practices throughout the property. Cane Fire Grille Airport Marriott, 1201 N.W. Le Jeune Road, Miami 305-649-5000 An innovative Latin menu comes from chefs who source local products for the menu at this contemporary restaurant in the Airport Marriott hotel. Captain’s Tavern 9625 S. Dixie Highway, Pinecrest 305-666-5979; captainstavernmiami.com Almost everything at Captain’s Tavern is house-made - from salad dressings to desserts to a Scotch bonnet sauce, a nod to the owner’s native Jamaica. Captain’s chef purchases most of the locally sourced fish whole, to be filleted on the premises and cooked to order. Catch of the Day 1050 N.W. LeJeune Road, Miami 305-446-4500; catchofthedayrestaurant.com The chef uses local seafood for the catch of the day to add to the menu at this small, tropical-themed seafood restaurant.

Brickell’s neighborhood gastropub and goto spot for a locally sourced menu, Batch serves American fare and is open for lunch and dinner daily and brunch on weekends. The restaurant carries fair-trade certified ingredients and focuses on sustainable farm-to-table products.

The Dutch 2201 Collins Ave., Miami 305-938-3111; thedutchmiami.com

BleauFish at the Fontainebleau 4111 Collins Ave., Miami Beach 305-674-4772; fontainebleau.com

EDGE Steak & Bar Four Seasons Hotel Miami, 1435 Brickell Ave., Miami

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Chef Andrew Carmellini sources local ingredients to use in his dishes on the award-winning modern American menu.

305-381-3190; edgerestaurantmiami.com EDGE Steak & Bar is a modern take on a traditional steakhouse, featuring lighter portions paired with fresh farm-to-table accompaniments. Essensia 3025 Collins Ave., Miami Beach 305-908-5458; essensiarestaurant.com This South Beach restaurant embraces a farm-to-table philosophy and offers a seasonal selection of global, wholesome cuisine made primarily with locally sourced ingredients – including an on-property chef’s organic garden. The Federal 5132 Biscayne Blvd., Miami 305-758-9559; thefederalmiami.com Farm-sourced produce is turned into creative American dishes with international touches at this casual downtown Miami restaurant. Florida Cookery 1545 Collins Ave., Miami Beach 786-276-0333; florida-cookery.com Traditional Florida and Caribbean foods are made using local ingredients at this restaurant inside the James Royal Palm Hotel. Joe’s Stone Crab 11 Washington Ave., Miami Beach (305) 673-0365; joesstonecrab.com A tradition since the 1920s when stone crabs were first served here, Joe’s is still owned by the original family and turns out plates full of stone crab claws and other Florida seafood sourced from its own fleet of fishing boats. Khong River House 1661 Meridian Ave., Miami Beach 305-763-8147; khongriver.com Farm-fresh produce and artisan food producers provide the background for the floridafoodandfarm.com

RESTAURANTS

traditional and contemporary Thai dishes on the chef-driven menu here.

Broward | Palm Beach

M.E.A.T. Eatery & Taproom 88005 Overseas Highway, Islamorada 305-852-3833; meateatery.com

3030 Ocean 3030 Holiday Drive, Fort Lauderdale 954-765-3030; 3030ocean.com

M.E.A.T. is a contemporary diner featuring chef-crafted burgers and sandwiches, housemade sausages, natural sodas, a large selection of craft and microbrewed beers, fresh-made ice cream and milkshakes, along with condiments created from scratch

Executive Chef Paula DaSilva prepares farm-to-fork dishes that highlight local ingredients from South Florida’s farms and fishermen. Pastry chef Huma Nagi also incorporates tropical fruits and herbs in her desserts.

Meat Market Lincoln Road Mall, 915 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach 305-532-0088; meatmarket.net Chef Sean Brasel turns the traditional steakhouse around with creative meat and seafood menus, including offerings such as buffalo tenderloin with a chili-espresso rub, or a prime short rib and lobster risotto. Notable are signature sides and sauces. Locally sourced when possible. Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink 130 N.E. 40th St., Miami 305-573-5500; michaelsgenuine.com The restaurant’s menus and raw bar selections change daily based on what’s in season and arriving from local farmers, fishermen, ranchers and artisans. Unusual wines and craft brews also available. Seagrape at Thompson Miami Beach 4041 Collins Ave., Miami 786-605-4041; thompsonhotels.com/ hotels/thompson-miami-beach/eat-anddrink/seagrape The restaurant (and the plant it’s named for) are rooted in the coasts of South Florida and the Caribbean—where the Miami native and James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef Michelle Bernstein draws her inspiration. The communal restaurant features locally sourced seafood and produce as well as local artisan foods. Swine 2415 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables 786-360-6433; runpigrun.com Pork, of course, peppers the menu at this cousin to Yardbird—another Southernrooted restaurant focused on barbecue that sources locally and shops artisan products for its house-made fare.

32 East 32 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach 561-276-7868; 32east.com Chef Nick Morfogen changes his menu of contemporary American dishes daily depending on fresh, seasonal ingredients from local farms and fishermen and national food artisans. 3800 Ocean at the Marriott Singer Island 3800 N. Ocean Drive, Singer Island 561-340-1795 Caribbean and American dishes feature foods sourced locally at the hotel’s signature restaurant overlooking the ocean. The hotel follows sustainable and ecofriendly practices throughout its chain. 50 Ocean 50 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach 561-278-3364; 50ocean.com

The chef creates a menu that changes seasonally – and highlights ingredients that are fresh, sustainable and local, many of which come from the Bistro’s on-site garden. Blue Moon Fish Company 4405 W. Tradewinds Ave., Fort Lauderdale 954-267-9888; bluemoonfishco.com

Fresh, local seafood in creative preparations are the highlight at this ocean-view restaurant atop Boston’s on the Beach. Expect craft cocktails and regional brews at the bar noted for its décor.

Chefs Baron Skorisk and Bryce Statham aim to provide diners with a Florida experience at this fish house on the water. Fresh seafood is delivered daily to ensure the top quality of the local fare.

Avocado Grill 125 Datura St., West Palm Beach 561-623-0822; avocadowpb.com

Bogart’s 3200 Airport Road, Boca Raton 561-544-3044; bogartsofboca.com

Avocado Grill, developed by former Pistache chef Julien Gremaud, offers farm-to-table artisanal cuisine with global influences. Craft cocktails are made with local ingredients and infusions; an ecofriendly theme is carried out in decor with recycled woods and sustainable products. Billy’s Stone Crab Restaurant 400 N. Ocean Drive, Hollywood 954-923-2300; crabs.com

Yardbird Southern Table 1600 Lenox Ave., Miami Beach 305-538-5220; runchickenrun.com

Billy Hershey and his wife, Elena, run the restaurant as a family team. Stone crabs are the star of Florida waters – seasonal from October to May – and star on the menu that also features other Florida seafood.

Southern fare with contemporary twists is on the menu of this award-winning restaurant that uses local, farm-fresh products and artisan producers for its ingredients.

Bistro 1001 Palm Beach Marriott, 1001 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach 561-833-1234; bistro1001.com

floridafoodandfarm.com

Hearts of palm cake at Darbster.

Part of the Burt Rapoport restaurant family, which is committed to using Floridasourced products on all menus, Bogart’s is in the Premiere level of a movie theater complex. Eclectic, international menu is offered. Buccan 350 S. County Road, Palm Beach 561-833-3450; buccanpalmbeach.com Chef Clay Conley offers small and sharing plates utilizing farm-fresh ingredients from a progressive American menu that features Asian- and European-inspired foods. At next door Imoto, sushi is also prepared with local products. Café Boulud 301 Australian Ave., Palm Beach 561-655-5050; cafeboulud.com/palmbeach At Daniel Boulud’s Palm Beach outpost, the French-American menu parallels FOOD & FARM 67

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that of Café Boulud New York with a touch of South Florida and, in summer, a lighter Mediterranean menu. A longtime supporter of local farms, the chef and his team also showcase their foods at local farm dinners. Chillbar 1940 N. 30th Road, Hollywood 954-647-8505; hollywoodchillbar.com This organic, natural, eco-friendly and sustainable bar and bistro is set in the Yellow Green Farmers Market. Unique regional American menu items are housemade, including bar small plates, salads, sandwiches and main plates. Brunch, omelets served all day, and a full bar is offered. City Cellar CityPlace, 700 S. Rosemary Ave., West Palm Beach 561-366-0071; citycellarwpb.com The varied menu of hearth-baked pizza, dry-aged steaks, fresh pasta and seafood rotates with seasonal, fresh foods from Florida farms and fishermen. Hard-tofind artisanal cheeses also are available along with a noted wine list. The Colony Hotel Palm Beach 155 Hammon Ave., Palm Beach 561-659-8100; thecolonypalmbeach.com The Colony has two on-site gardens growing herbs and vegetables used in its three restaurants. Coolinary Café 4650 Donald Ross Road, Suite 110, Palm Beach Gardens 561-249-6760; coolinarycafe.com Chef/owners Tim and Jenny Lipman work with small local farms to create a new American seasonal menu at this small casual cafe in Palm Beach Gardens. Along with daily specials based on market-fresh foods, local craft beers and small-vineyard wines are on the menu. DaDa 52 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach 561-330-3232; dadadelray.com Chef Bruce Feingold creates an eclectic menu of American and international foods in a bohemian setting. The menu changes seasonally and daily specials feature local fresh items. Darbster 8020 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach 6299 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton 561-586-2622; darbster.com Vegan and vegetarian dishes from natural and organic foods sourced locally are on the menu at these small restaurants run 68 FOOD & FARM

by people who follow a “clean” lifestyle. The West Palm restaurant offers al fresco dining and is pet-friendly. Deck 84 840 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach 561-665-8484; deck84.com At Deck 84, longtime South Florida restaurateur Burt Rapoport brings casual dining to Delray, utilizing locally sourced products. The restaurant has earned the Fresh from Florida seal. DIG (Doing It Green) 777 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach 561-279-1002; digdelray.com At DIG, fresh, seasonal and organic produce and ethically tended meats are on the menu. The restaurant is environmentally friendly – and dogs are welcome. Farmhouse Kitchen 399 S.E. Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton 561-826-2625 Restaurateur Gary Rack replaced Table 42 with this farm-to-table concept restaurant featuring seasonal, sustainable and locally sourced foods. An American menu has vegetarian and vegan options along with more traditional foods, all made with healthy twists. See Facebook page. Farmer’s Table 1901 N. Military Trail, Boca Raton 561-417-5836; farmerstableboca.com The restaurant’s commitment to fresh food begins with sourcing “clean” natural and organic ingredients from local farms; the chefs have vetted them to know where and how foods on the menu are produced. The restaurant is part of the Wyndham Hotel, which also follows sustainable and eco-friendly practices. Fit Body Bistro 5440 Military Trail, Suite #1, Jupiter 561-627-5747; fitbodybistro.com There is more to nutritious quick meals than salad and yogurt. That’s the belief of Fit Body Bistro, a fast-casual restaurant that is redefining healthy, “clean” eating for busy people. The chef chooses local organic and natural produce for his dishes. Graze Four Seasons Resort, 2800 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach 561-582-2800; fourseasons.com/palmbeach/dining/ The resort’s poolside restaurant features tropically inspired menus created from locally sourced (sometimes from the hotel garden) fruits, vegetables and seafood. Relaxed and casual are the themes for this canopied al fresco space.

Green Fields Organic Bistro 4900 Linton Blvd., Delray Beach 56-501-4169; greenfieldsdelray.com Organic, vegan and non-vegan fare on the menu from the team that began DIG in Delray. Local fruits and vegetables and sustainable foods are featured in their menu items. Cold pressed juices and smoothies are available. Green Gourmet The Shoppes at Addison Place, 16950 Jog Road, Delray Beach 561- 455-2466; thegreengourmetdelray.com Organic and all-natural prepared foods, plus bread, pastries, desserts, organic wines and micro-brewed beers. Seating for dining in, plus a juice bar. MondaySaturday 11 am-9 pm, Sunday noon-9 pm. The Green Wave Café Plantation Village Shopping Center 5221 W. Broward Blvd., Plantation 954-581-8377; thegreenwavecafe.com This café specializes in organic, raw, vegan, gluten-free cooking, using locally grown ingredients or products made on site. Weekly meal plans are offered and the café hosts a green market open Monday 8 am-8 pm. Grommét’s Tavern & Eats 14137 U.S. 1, Juno Beach 561-855-2429; grommetstavernandeats.com Sourcing local products whenever possible, including local produce, seafood and exotic fruits, chefs here put a modern spin on traditional ingredients using a globally inspired menu. The Grove 187 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach 561-266-3750; thegrovedelray.com Locally sourced fresh foods and artisanmade ingredients go into dishes paired here with small production boutique wines. Menus change biweekly. HMF at The Breakers 1 S. County Road, Palm Beach 561-655-6611; thebreakers.com On the site of the historic Florentine Room, HMF offers a modern menu designed for combining, sharing and experimentation. Featured are a curated list of classic cocktails, an award-winning wine list and dishes created from local and international ingredients. Henry’s 16850 Jog Road, Delray Beach 561-638-1949; henrysofbocaraton.com Part of the Burt Rapoport group of restaurants that have earned the Fresh from floridafoodandfarm.com

RESTAURANTS

Florida seal. Local farm-fresh vegetables, Florida-grown meats and seafood from local fishermen are an the menu.

Little Moir’s Food Shack Jupiter Square, 103 U.S. 1, D3, Jupiter 561-741-3626; littlemoirs.com

Max’s Harvest 169 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach 561-417-5836; maxsharvest.com

Imoto 350 S. County Road, Palm Beach 561-833-5522; imotopalmbeach.com

Restaurateur/chef Mike Moir takes farmto-table a step further; he says his biggest farm is the ocean. He also brings a “live local” ethic to his menus at Little Moir’s and the adjacent Maxi’s Lineup, a tapas and live music venue.

Max’s chefs have created relationships with vegetable farmers from Delray Beach, Boynton Beach and Loxahatchee, as well as many other producers throughout the state, to put food on its tables for the American menu. Restaurant.

Market 17 1850 S.E. 17th St., Fort Lauderdale 954-835-5507; market17.net

M.E.A.T. Eatery & Taproom 980 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton 561-419-2600; meateateryboca.com

Market 17 seeks out producers who share its vision of “clean” food from sustainable sources, meaning no unnecessary pesticides, chemicals, hormones or products from animals raised in a cruel environment.

Continuing the legacy of handmade food that began at mile marker 88 in the Florida Keys, M.E.A.T. Eatery & Taproom is a modern meat palace. All its meats are smoked on site, the sausage is homemade, and even condiments are created from scratch. Large selection of microbrews.

Clay Connelly’s interpretations of favorite Japanese dishes - fresh sushi and sashimi, dumplings, tempura and wood-fired selections - are made with fresh ingredients from local and global producers. Jove Kitchen & Bar at the Four Seasons 2800 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach 561-533-3750; joverestaurant.com Using fresh local produce and seafood, the chef creates dishes that are a modern take on traditional Italian foods. The Four Seasons has a long involvement in the local food movement and has an edible tropical garden on site. Kapow Noodle Bar Mizner Park, 431 Plaza Real, Boca Raton 561-347-7322; kapownoodlebar.com Pan-Asian eatery for buns, noodles, small plates and creative cocktails, made using fresh, locally sourced ingredients in a hip, art-adorned space. La Sirena 6316 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach 561-585-3128; lasirenaonline.com

Max’s Grille 404 Plaza Real in Mizner Park, Boca Raton 561-368-0080; maxsgrille.com The food at Max’s Grille has its roots in the California movement, where food is grilled over mesquite and served with light sauces and reductions, emphasizing clean flavors, inventive combinations and the use of local products. The wine list has earned accolades from national titles such as Wine Spectator.

Meat Market 191 Bradley Place, Palm Beach 561-354-9800; meatmarket.net Chef Sean Brasel brings his contemporary steakhouse to Palm Beach with creative meat and seafood menus, including offerings such as buffalo tenderloin with a chili-espresso rub, or a prime short rib and lobster risotto. Notable are signature sides and sauces. Locally sourced when possible. My Organic Corner

The menu reads as a history lesson in Old World cuisine: rigatoni alla vodka, allegedly created at this restaurant, Cotoletta di Vitello alla Zingara, and zabaglione are some of La Sirena’s classic Italian dishes. Local seasonal products drive the specials here. Leftovers Café 451 University Blvd., Jupiter 561-627-6030; littlemoirs.com/leftovers “Live local” is the ethos at this restaurant in Jupiter that specializes in locally caught seafood prepared from a daily chalkboard menu. Sister restaurant to Little Moir’s Food Shack in Jupiter. Leila 120 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach 561-659-7373; leilawpb.com Leila’s menu features authentic Mediterranean regional dishes along with its specialty, a selection of mezze items: hummus, falafel, baba ghanouj, tabouleh salad and many more. Also available are combination platters of grilled meats, chicken or fish. Locally sourced foods are mixed with global ingredients.

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RESTAURANTS

127 Weston Road, Weston 954-888-4700; myorganiccorner.com My Organic Corner offers fresh, local and organic food and provides an avenue to support healthy choices. The eatery serves organic food and drinks made to order and follows eco-friendly practices throughout the restaurant. The New Vegan Café 528 N.E. Second St., Delray Beach 561-404-5301; thenewveganllc.com This eatery boasts a 100 percent vegan menu, including foods made without dairy, soy, wheat, gluten or GMOs. It offers meal plans and school lunches. A pre-made vegan burger mix available at the restaurant accommodates diners who want to make The New Vegan Café burger at home. Wednesday-Sunday, 10 am-10 pm. PB Catch 251 Sunrise Ave., Palm Beach 561-655-5558; pbcatch.com An authentic seafood house and raw bar supported solely by local and sustainable fishing. The chef’s “seacuterie” selection is a signature item. Paradiso 625 Lucerne Ave., Lake Worth 561-547-2500; paradisolakeworth.com Locally sourced fresh foods go into creative Italian dishes prepared by chefowner Angelo Romano, who brings his Amalfi Coast and Capri influences to the menu. A fine wine selection is a highlight, and a chef’s table is available. Pistache 101 N. Clematis St., #115, West Palm Beach 561-833-5090; pistachewpb.com Chefs here serve up timeless, authentic French bistro cuisine created from fresh local ingredients and quality imported products. Pizzeria Oceano 201 E. Ocean Ave., Lantana 561-429-5550; pizzeriaoceano.com This restaurant serves salads and ovenbaked specialty pizzas cooked over wood fire with ingredients procured from an array of local organic farms. Microbrews are served. Dining is on an umbrella-covered outdoor deck. Note: No take-out.

Miami Beach, this one offers a variety of popular American foods using locally grown produce and sustainable seafood. The Rebel House 297 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton 561-353-5888; lifetastesbetter.com Rebel House takes chances with dishes while putting twists on the old classics. Small plates and main courses inspired by regional American dishes are created from local farm fare; creative cocktails also get a chef’s treatment. Rustico Italiano 701 Lucerne Ave., Lake Worth 561-547-2782; rusticoitaliano.com Chef/owner Nino Annunziata offers up an array of authentic family recipes invoking Mediterranean influences learned in his hometown of Capri, Italy. Fresh foods and imported specialty items are used in menu items. S3 505 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort Lauderdale 954-523-7873; s3restaurant.com This restaurant offers fresh coastal cuisine sourced locally, including sushi. Chef Chris Miracola is a longtime supporter of local, sustainable foods. Sea Watch on the Ocean 6002 N. Ocean Blvd., Fort Lauderdale 954-781-2200; seawatchontheocean.com Fresh, locally caught seafood is on the menu at this oceanfront restaurant. The eatery, established in 1974, has recently undergone extensive renovations. The Secret Garden Cafe 410 E. Boynton Beach Blvd., Boynton Beach 561-752-8598; cccgbb-org.webs.com/ secret-garden-cafe The Secret Garden Cafe features foods from local artisans-in-the-making, culinary incubator clients who use the cafe’s kitchens to develop their products for wholesale and retail distribution. Sublime Restaurant & Bar 1431 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale 954-615-1431; sublimerestaurant.com

Rack’s Downtown Eatery + Tavern Mizner Park, 402 Plaza Real, Boca Raton 561-395-1662; racksboca.com

Celebrities and locals alike appreciate the creative vegetarian menu at this longestablished restaurant in Fort Lauderdale. Locally sourced and organic fare is used when possible on the menu that changes with availability.

Owner Gary Rack’s third restaurant after Farmhouse Kitchen also in Boca Raton, and Rack’s Italian Kitchen in North

Suri Tapas Bar 707 Lake Ave., Lake Worth 561-249-7436; surirestaurant.com

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Farm-to-table is taken to the next level at this small-plate American tapas restaurant. A roof-top herb garden is a part of the chef’s commitment to use locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. Tanzy at the iPic Theater 301 Plaza Real, Boca Raton 561-922-6699; tanzyrestaurant.com/boca The Amalfi Coast is the inspiration for the menu at this restaurant adjacent to the iPic Theater. Local products complement the array of quality imports used to produce the Italian menu here and at the noted bar. Tryst 4 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach 561-921-0201; trystdelray.com The menu at this casual restaurant is inspired by the bar culture of Europe, with an emphasis on seasonal, mostly local, farm-fresh ingredients. Tryst chooses products from handpicked artisanal producers and organic farmers.

Brevard | Indian River Martin | St. Lucie 11 Maple Street 3224 N.E. Maple Ave., Jensen Beach 772-334-7714; elevenmaple.com Chef/owner Michael Perrin prepares his signature dishes with meats raised humanely, locally sourced organic produce, and the best of both farmed and local seafood. Menu changes seasonally with availability. Conchy Joe’s Seafood 3945 N.E. Indian River Drive, Jensen Beach 772-334-1130; conchyjoes.com A tradition in Jensen Beach and noted for its conch chowder as well as other local seafood, this waterfront fish house features outdoor deck dining in an Old Florida setting. District Table & Bar 900 S.E. Indian St., Stuart 772-324-8357; districttableandbar.com An open, collaborative kitchen features chefs creating dishes with local ingredients based upon availability of the nearby farmers and fishermen. The evolving menu at this modern casual eatery has a Southern accent. Ian’s Tropical Grill 2875 S.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart 772-334-4563; ianstropicalgrille.com Chef Eric Grutka is known for combining local specialties, with fish forward on the floridafoodandfarm.com

RESTAURANTS

menu, to his traveled tastes from around the world. A special menu is created daily based on fresh ingredients. The Jungle Organic 2500 N. State Road A1A, Indialantic 321-773-5678; jungleorganic.com One of the only organic restaurants in Brevard County, The Jungle Organic also has a varied selection of gluten-free items in its organic/natural grocery, plus organic refrigerated and frozen foods, as well as vitamins, herbal supplements and homeopathic remedies. The store also carries organic and natural beer and wine and beauty items. The Organic Fountain (aka Maria’s Organic Fountain) 1880 37th St., Suite 5, Vero Beach 772-492-9812; theorganicfountain.com A restaurant serving all USDA Certified Organic food. Seafood is fresh, wild caught; meat is free-range, hormone-free and antibiotic-free, with no nitrates in the cured products. All dishes can be modified to dietary special needs, and menus change seasonally.

Randy’s Fishmarket Restaurant & Seafood Market 10395 U.S. 41 N., Naples 239-593-5555; randysfishmarketrestaurant.com On the menu here: Fresh-from-the-farm dishes, plus local seafood, and Randy Essig’s Famous Key Lime Pie, which is also available by mail order. Sea Salt 1186 Third St. S., Naples 239-434-7258 Chef/owner Fabrizio Aielli creates modern seafood dishes using fresh, local, organic and sustainable foods from area growers and day-boat fishermen. A winning wine list complements the foods here. Would you like to see your farm-to-table restaurant listed here? Send your info, including a contact number, to Janis Fontaine, directory editor, at Janis@FloridaFoodandFarm.com. Search the list at floridafoodandfarm.com.

Seminole Inn 15885 S.W. Warfield Blvd., Indiantown 772-597-3777; seminoleinn.com Fresh produce grown at nearby farms and beef from local cattle ranchers is on the country menu at this historic inn with an Old Florida setting. Florida products offered in the gift shop as well. Offers a noted Sunday brunch.

Desoto | Highlands Okeechobee | Polk Plant City Jaxson’s 443 Lake June Road, Lake Placid 863-465-4674; lprestaurants.com/jaxsons

The New Vegan is a family owned and operated cafe located in downtown Delray. Here at the The New Vegan, the food is not only vegan, but the whole menu is also Gluten Free, Soy Free, and contains No Wheat. Our goal is to provide a delicious, healthy meal for everyone to enjoy. Our motto is “you don’t have to be vegan to enjoy vegan”. Cooking Classes, Social Events, Catering, and so much more!

Committed to farm-to-table, chefs use locally raised fresh meats, locally grown produce, and herbs harvested from their own backyard garden. Specials created using seasonal foods.

Collier | Hendry The Local 5323 Airport Pulling Road, Naples 239-596-3276; thelocalnaples.com Organic, gluten-free and vegetarian offerings are on the menu at this restaurant where chefs prepare daily specials based on what’s fresh in the markets.

561-404-5301

528 NE 2ND STREET • DELRAY BEACH, FL 33483 www.thenewveganllc.com

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TIMO CHEF BRINGS HEALTHY MENU TO BASIL PARK by Jan Norris

we wanted to make it a restaurant first, and have the health aspect of it be the derivative,” he said. “We wanted it to be affordable, and approachable – and be able to say, ‘It’s good, but hey, look at the health benefits of it.’” A nutrition class changed how a wellknown chef in Miami cooks – and eats – and it’s proven a success. Tim Andriola of Timo fame has once more partnered with Rodrigo Martinez and a farmer, Tamer Harpke of Harpke Family Farm in Hollywood, in Basil Park – next door to Timo in Sunny Isles. The tag line for the restaurant is “Eat to Live.” “It was a challenge, putting together a menu that the everyday consumer would recognize and approach,” Andriola said. “But it would have been even more of a challenge to do this cuisine five years ago.” He describes the foods as being made with “intact food.” That’s mostly organic, locally sourced – and nothing processed. But labeling it a healthful cuisine is still risky. The stigma of “health food” restaurants serving tofu dishes, sprouts and substitutes for common dishes badly prepared still lingers, he said. “When we designed the restaurant, 72 FOOD & FARM

A Paleo-Diet Inspired Menu He explains this diet and his menu as following the Paleo diet that eschews processed foods and basically fulfills a hunter-gatherer food sourcing style. “Maybe everything, save the whole wheat pita, is designed to be what our bodies are fit to eat,” the chef said. He drew comparisons from wildlife: “We know what a polar bear is designed to eat: lots of red raw meat. And a hummingbird – you know they need lots of nectar. You can’t argue the human body has a design, too.” A class in nutrition at his spouse’s urging taught him the ways the body processes foods and absorbs nutrients. Raw foods, naturally raised meats and wild-caught seafood are among the foods he says humans need. Though he tries to source locally, some fish and meats aren’t readily available in Florida. “Today we have 40 pounds of steelhead salmon coming in from Alaska. And we use grass-fed beef from

Uruguay – it’s a staple on the menu from Day One.” Florida’s grass-fed beef producers are still starting out, and consistency isn’t there yet, he said. He hopes enough producers will see the value in connecting to chefs to start producing enough to make it viable for them and the chefs. “Grass-fed beef has great nutritional value. The tryptophan in it is good for your brain, so having it two or three times a week is actually beneficial to you, rather than traditional beef five to six times a week – it’s really bad for you. GMOs are used in its feed, too,” he said. The beef can be tougher than grainfed meat, however, so the restaurant owners brought in a plancha grill to cook it quickly over high heat. “We marinate some of the tougher cuts, and serve it with a nice chimichurri. The herbs, acid from vinegar – it’s all good for you,” the chef said. Local food producers are a boon for the country as a whole, he said, and he’s hoping to help others become aware of them. “We buy from Tamer, of course, but he’s still growing and can’t supply everything yet. We have to keep the price point reasonable, too. If you brought in all organic, we’d maybe price floridafoodandfarm.com

ourselves out of the market.” Kale, mustard, bok choy and microgreens come from Harpke. “It’s a great symbiotic relationship” having a farmer-partner, Andriola said. He notes that generally, prices of organic and locally grown produce are coming down with more abundant choices and a demand that’s growing steadily. “We have a good relationship with other farmers for not only vegetables. We buy some from Paradise Farms as well as a few others,” he said. “I’d love to see him (Harpke) grow everything for us. We move through so much, though: two to three cases of kale and lemons and apples a day.” While some raw food dishes are on the menu, they’re not as popular as expected so he has fun with specials in that category. “I think our raw food section will grow. I think there’s a market for it – but it takes time. But I’m glad we got into the ground floor with it.” The success has been quick – already the restaurant is doing more business than Timo, the more traditional Italian partner next door, and his and Martinez’s original critically acclaimed restaurant. But Andriola isn’t just a chef in all this–he’s a follower of his own cuisine. “I live by it now. Every once in a while, I splurge and have a pizza or pasta. And I crash afterward. “Our bodies can’t synthesize the processed foods like natural foods.” Giving up some favorites like those on the Timo menu next door is tough, he said, “but the positive effects (of the diet) far outweigh the negative ones. “I’m getting nutrients from food in the most true form. If you can get foodstuff at its nutrient peak, the better off you are in life and happiness.” Basil Park is at 17608 Collins Ave., Miami, and is open daily serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. 305-705-0004; basilpark.com floridafoodandfarm.com

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FESTIVALS

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FESTIVALS

Jupiter Craft Brewers Festival January 23-24, Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter jupitercraftbrewersfestival.com

Everglades Seafood Festival February 6-8, Everglades City 239-695-2277; evergladesseafoodfestival.org

In its ninth year, this festival celebrates craft brewers, and chefs who match foods to the beers. Popular is the Field of Beers, held in the dugouts of the baseball stadium, Friday night preceding the fest.

An Old Florida festival features fresh local Florida seafood, live music, arts and craft vendors, and activities for kids - all set in the heart of the Everglades. The festival is organized by the nonprofit group, Betterment Association of the Everglades Area.

Naples Winter Wine Festival January 23-25, Naples 239-514-2239; 888-837-4919; napleswinefestival.com Ranked among the top 10 arts and entertainment events in the U.S., and one of the most successful charity wine auctions in the nation, this gala brings the top vintners and chefs from around the country together with wine collectors and philanthropists for three days of dinners, tastings, and the highlight – the wine auction. Sunshine State Steak Cook-Off January 24, Ave Maria University, Ave Maria 239-280-2536; sssscookoff.com This fund-raiser for Rhodora J. Donahue Academy of Ave Maria is the largest annual cook-off east of the Mississippi. Offering more than 2,500 steaks grilled over hot coals and $2,500 in contest prize money, this family-friendly festival also features a silent auction, live entertainment and the 5K Ribeye Run. Florida State Fair February 5-16, 4800 U.S. 301, Tampa 800-345-3247; floridastatefair.com After 110 years, the Florida State Fair continues to bring the best of agriculture and entertainment to Tampa. Thousands of people of all ages come to the arena to compete, bringing more than 6,000 animals to the fairgrounds. The Agribusiness Department offers educational programs that highlight the importance of agriculture to Florida’s economy. A midway with more than 100 rides and games, headline entertainment and food you can find only at the fair will draw more than 500,000 people over 12 days. 74 FOOD & FARM

South Beach Wine and Food Festival February 19-22, South Beach, Miami 877-762-3933; sobefest.com SOBE Wine and Food Fest is a four-day event that showcases notable local chefs and culinary personalities, including stars of the Food Network. Dinners, afterparties, dine-arounds, brunches, tastings and seminars at local restaurants and on the beach are part of the oceanside festival, now in its 14th year. The Grand Tasting Village is a highlight. This is one of the nation’s largest food and wine fests annually, with hundreds of vintners and distillers pouring beverages and chefs showcasing their foods. Florida International University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management benefits. Swamp Cabbage Festival February 21-22, LaBelle swampcabbagefestival.org This festival honoring the cabbage palm draws 25,000 people annually to Hendry County’s tiny village of LaBelle, population less than 5,000. The activities include a huge parade, live entertainment, the 5K Swamp Stomp and food, focusing on the delicacy gourmets call “hearts of palm,” the core of the cabbage palm tree. Florida Strawberry Festival February 26-March 8, Plant City 813-754-1996; flstrawberryfestival.com Acclaimed as one of the top family festivals in the Southeast, the 11-day event features prime entertainers, arts and craft vendors, a midway and children’s activities, and the star crop: strawberries displayed from the local berry farmers.

Agricultural exhibits reflect the importance of this industry for the state. Grant Seafood Festival February 28-March 1, U.S. Highway 1, Grant 321-723-8687; grantseafoodfestival.com This year marks the 48th year of this seafood fest. The all-volunteer, communitydriven festival draws hundreds of visitors annually. All the seafood, with emphasis on local foods, is prepared by volunteers, and booths are staffed by local families. Live entertainment and more than 100 arts and craft vendors are part of the weekend event. VeritageMiami April 15-18, Miami 305-646-7011; veritagemiami.com At VeritageMiami — formerly United Way Miami Wine & Food Festival – samples from American and international vintners and notable chefs are offered in dine-arounds and dinners. More than 120 craft beers and micro-brews are on tap, and food is provided by local restaurants. The fine wine tasting features 400-plus international wines, also paired with fare from South Florida’s top chefs. A live wine auction benefits the South Florida charity community. Miami Rum Renaissance Festival 2015 April 17-19, Miami 305-443-7973; rumrenaissance.com Among the largest rum festivals in the world, this international rum event features VIP parties at various Miami venues, a two-day exhibition of top rum brands, three days of grand tastings, celebrity seminars, workshops, and cocktail competitions. Rums from the Caribbean region as well as North, Central and South America, Europe, and Asia are showcased; rum experts are on hand to educate consumers at the annual RumXP competition and awards.

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FESTIVALS

American Fine Wine Competition’s Charity Wine Gala April 24, Seminole Hard Rock Casino, Hollywood 561-558-2345; americanfinewinecompetition.com More than 700 American wines are available for tasting, including the winners of the competition. The final gala is a five-course gourmet feast, with live and silent auctions and a premium wine auction. The AFWC sponsors a number of events and wine socials throughout the summer and fall, as well as a second gala in December at Florida International University in Miami. Participants from U.S. wineries introduce their wines while raising money for charity. Las Olas Wine and Food Festival May 1, Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale 954-727-0907; lasolaswff.com Famed Las Olas Boulevard is closed to traffic for this annual event benefiting the American Lung Association. Nearly 70 of South Florida’s chefs and caterers serve signature dishes while more than 45 vintners, distillers and brewers pour beverages for festival-goers. The International Mango Fest July 11-12, Fairchild Tropical Garden, Miami 305-667-1651; fairchildgarden.org This festival celebrates the mango – and its place around the globe. The event includes lectures, workshops, cooking demos, displays, mango tastings, and the world’s only mango auction, where hundreds of unique and rare mangoes from around the globe are auctioned off. At the popular Mango Brunch, top chefs from the Miami area prepare mango dishes. Children’s activities and tours of the botanical gardens are offered. MangoMania July 19-20, Pine Island mangomaniafl.net MangoMania is a summer festival and celebration of Pine Island’s mangoes and other tropical fruits. On the docket: Mango dishes and recipe contests, mango games and contests for kids, mango tastings, specialty foods, exotic mango drinks, arts and crafts, music and educational talks. Visitors also can buy mango and other fruit trees.

Did we miss your festival? Send your info, including a contact number, to Janis Fontaine, directory editor, at Janis@FloridaFoodandFarm.com. Search the list at floridafoodandfarm.com. floridafoodandfarm.com

SOBE FESTIVAL TAKES OVER MIAMI BEACH The Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival – better known as SOBE – has grown from a one-day winter wine and dine-around into what is billed as “a national, star-studded, four-day destination event.” Pairing with The Food Network in recent years brought the star-power, and along with top wine and spirit producers, and celebrity chefs, the festival has exploded. Presented by FOOD & WINE and hosted by Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida and Florida International University, the festival in 2013 broke attendance records, with 65,000 food lovers snatching up tickets. That’s big money for Miami Beach: SOBE brought in more than $5.1 million in ticket sales. This year’s event, the 14th annual, is February 19-22, and features dozens of events showcasing culinary personalities. Rachael Ray will host the inaugural Yappie Hour, a bayside, dog-friendly event. Boisterous Guy Fieri brings his spiked white hair to the Seminole Hard Rock Café and Casino’s Meatopia event. Whether grilled, braised or barbecued, meats take the stage in an event just for carnivores. For the thirsty folks, there are plenty of options – wine seminars, a number of dinners paired with wines staged in restaurants around the area, and the signature wine event, the Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best at the Fontainebleau. Sixty chefs from around the nation pair foods with top-rated wines from Wine Spectator’s bests lists. Unique to this event: Only vineyard owners and winemakers can pour at the event, so diners can talk with them directly about how the wines are made.

For competition fans, a new event, The Art of Tiki: A Cocktail Showdown, will have Emeril Lagasse overseeing a shake-up. Lagasse, and noted mixologist Francesco Lafranconi, will bring top cocktail shakers from around the country together for a contest judged by Lagasse, Jeff Barry and Martin Cate. Bubbly boosters can attend Chicken Coupe hosted by Andrew Carmellini, a walk-about tasting that features “a perfect pairing of birds and bubbly.” Festival founder and director Lee Brian Schrager’s latest cookbook, Fried & True: More Than 50 Recipes for America’s Best Fried Chicken & Sides, was the inspiration for this event. For the sweet side, dessert lovers get two choices: Frost: A Sprinkles Wonderland hosted by cupcake connoisseur Candace Nelson, and an audience with Dominique Ansel, the undisputed King of the Cronut, at Death by Chocolate: A Dessert Party. The most anticipated event – and SOBE’s signature – is the Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village. The beachside white tents house culinary demonstrations, examples of top, nationally known chefs’ artistry, appearances by favorite television personalities, and endless tastings. They’ve upgraded this ultra-popular event and added more seating and shade, live entertainment, plus park-and-ride options for fest-goers this year. It’s typically a sell-out, but at press-time, some tickets remain.

If you go: The SOBE Wine & Food Festival When: Feb. 19-22 Where: Various venues in Miami, Miami Beach and Hollywood Tickets: Available online at sobefest.com or by phone at 877-762-3933. Info: sobefest.com FOOD & FARM 75

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PLANT CITY PARTIES WITH STRAWBERRIES by Janis Fontaine

Each winter in Florida, nature offers up one of its most treasured gems: The strawberry. Plant City, where most of the state growers have fields, celebrates the fruits with the annual Florida Strawberry Festival. This year, the fest celebrates its 80th birthday, so officials decided on a “Come Join the Party!” theme. From Feb. 26 through March 8, the city’s self-described “Masterpiece of Fun” will attract an estimated half-million visitors. Organizers report that last year, 536,000 people attended. Plant City is called the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World. More than 5,000 acres of strawberry crops are planted in eastern Hillsborough County annually. The festival dates to the 1930s, the brainchild of the Plant City Lions Club, which recognized that the rubyred orbs deserved celebrating. Its original focus was on agricultural and horticultural exhibits, with livestock shows, crafts, social events, contests and parades added over the years. These days, it’s known not just for the berries but for the A-list entertainment it attracts. Top-shelf country artists make most of the music, but you’ll also find orchestras, rhythm and blues artists and classic bands, as well as free entertainment of all kinds. Educational exhibits provide a way for kids to learn about the importance of farming, the backbone of this local economy. Tickets: Admission: $8 in advance, $10 at the gate for adults, and $4 in advance, $5 at the gate for age 12 and younger. Free for age 5 and younger. Entertainment tickets sold seperately. Available: Online at the link at flstrawberryfestival.com/ticket-officehours; in person at the Amscot Main Ticket Office, 2209 W. Oak Ave., Plant City; and by phone at 813-754-1996.

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Recipe

Susan Filson, a native Floridian whose father grew strawberries in the yard, offered her recipe for a classic strawberry shortcake on cltampa.com. She calls shortcake the quintessential Southern dessert. “I prefer the traditional biscuit shortcake. It is firmer, so it doesn’t fall apart when you put the juicy berries inside. Also, it isn’t as sweet as a regular cake, allowing the strawberries to be the star of the show. I like to top my shortcakes with nothing but pure and rich, freshly whipped cream,” she wrote.

Florida Strawberry Shortcake 4 cups sliced strawberries 1/2 cup sugar 2 teaspoons orange liqueur 2 cups White Lily Self-Rising Flour 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup butter, cut into small cubes 1/3 cup half and half plus a little more for brushing tops of shortcakes 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 cup whipping cream, whipped with 2 tablespoons sugar

In a medium-sized bowl, combine strawberries with the 1/2 cup of sugar and orange liqueur. Let it sit while you make the shortcakes. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine flour and sugar. Cut butter or margarine in until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk half and half and egg together until well blended. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture to make a stiff dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead with the heel of your hand about 8 to 10 strokes. Roll or pat dough to 1/2- to 3/4-inch thickness. Cut into rounds with a biscuit or cookie cutter. Place shortcakes 2 to 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Brush tops lightly with more half and half. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Place shortcakes on individual serving plates. Split shortcakes in half and spoon strawberries between layers. Replace top layer and spoon on additional strawberries. Top with copious amounts of whipped cream. Garnish with fresh whole strawberries, if desired.

If you go: The 2015 Florida Strawberry Festival When: Feb. 26-March 8 Where: 303 N. Lemon St., Plant City Information: 813-752-9194; flstrawberryfestival.com

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NON-PROFITS & OTHERS

distributes it to individuals, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, churches, and other organizations feeding the hungry in Florida, all free of charge. Hippocrates Health Institute 1466 Hippocrates Way, West Palm Beach 561-471-8876; hippocratesinst.org Hippocrates Health Institute provides health and nutritional counseling, and features a daily buffet of enzyme-rich, organic meals. Call for public hours. Localecopia P.O. Box 844, Palm Beach localecopia.org

Food Banks Feeding South Florida 2501 S.W. 32nd Terrace, Pembroke Pines 954-518-1818; feedingsouthflorida.org Serves Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida 2221 Corporation Blvd., Naples 239-334-7007; harrychapinfoodbank.org Serves Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties. Palm Beach County Food Bank 525 Gator Dr., Lantana 561-670-2518;pbcfoodbank.org Provides food to more than 100 agencies serving the hungry in Palm Beach County. Treasure Coast Food Bank 401 Angle Road, Fort Pierce 772-489-3034; stophunger.org Serves Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties.

Culinary Schools The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale 1799 S.E. 17th St., Fort Lauderdale 954-463-3000; new.artinstitutes.edu/ fort-lauderdale The Culinary Institute of the Treasure Coast at Indian River State College IRSC Mueller Campus, 6155 College Lane, Vero Beach 772-226-2511; irscculinaryinstitute.com Florida International University Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management Biscayne Bay Campus, 3000 N.E. 151st St., North Miami 305-919-4810; ihter.fiu.edu Johnson & Wales University College of Culinary Arts 1701 N.E. 127th St., North Miami 305-892-7000; jwu.edu/northmiami floridafoodandfarm.com

Lincoln Culinary Institute 2410 Metrocentre Blvd., West Palm Beach 561-842-8324; lincolnedu.com Miami Culinary Institute Miami-Dade College, 415 N.E. Second Ave., #9104, Miami 305-237-3276; miamidadeculinary.com

Foragers

This is a nonprofit organization focused on bringing together businesses, producers, educators and government organizations to support the local food community, reduce the carbon footprint and help the environment to achieve sustainable business practices. Out of the Ashes Foundation 6009 N.W. Seventh Ave., Miami 305-759-0002; outoftheashesfoundation.org

Chefs Peg and Rod Smith founded Farms to Chefs in 2007. They work as distributors of locally grown produce, getting farm-fresh foods into the hands of local chefs at hotels, country clubs and restaurants in South Florida. They source from more than 20 local farmers and growers.

Since 1996, the nonprofit Out of the Ashes Foundation Inc. has helped kids from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties reconnect with nature. The organization operates a working farm that raises pastured organic eggs, chickens, geese, ducks, goats and sheep. Farm tours, workshops and classes as well as special events offered. It supports an active CSA, internships and volunteer opportunities.

Farm to Kitchen Miami 786-246-9815; farmtokitchenmiami.com

Palm Beach Harvest P.O. Box 701, Lake Worth 561-689-4090; palmbeachharvest.org

Chris Padin and Aleli Lauria-Padin visit farmers in the morning and deliver produce in the afternoon, ensuring restaurants receive the dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s harvest before their first dinner service. Clients include the Pubbelly Restaurant Group, the Dutch at the W South Beach, the Broken Shaker, Macchialina and the Standard Hotel.

A nonprofit, volunteer organization that collects and transports surplus food to other nonprofit agencies in Palm Beach County.

Farms to Chefs 712 S.W. 16th St., Boynton Beach 561-633-9389; ibchef101@aol.com

Seriously Organic 5781 Biscayne Blvd., Miami 305-456-0329 Foragers for sustainable and ethically raised local and regional produce, meat and fowl in Florida; distributing to chefs and other commercial consumers. See Facebook page.

Other Farm Share Inc. 14125 S.W. 370th St., Homestead 305-248-3006; farmshare.org Farm Share is an organization that re-sorts and packages surplus food and

The Urban Farming Institute 1101 N.E. 40th Court, Suite 1, Oakland Park 954-586-6686; theurbanfarmerflorida.com The nonprofit arm of The Urban Farmer in Pompano Beach works to make locally grown food more available to Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, and to help home farmers grow successfully. They have access to unique growing systems and supplies, and work at building, managing and promoting sustainable urban farms. Would you like your business or organization listed here? Send your info, including a contact number, to Janis Fontaine, directory editor, at Janis@FloridaFoodandFarm.com. Search the list at floridafoodandfarm.com. FOOD & FARM 77