Following the UNESCO Culinary Trail in San Antonio, Texas

by Kathleen Messmer

Imagine streets lined with new, innovative restaurants, ingenious chefs, and steaming plates of goodness at the ready, and you will probably be in San Antonio, Texas, one of two cities in the United States that have been awarded the UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy designation. This alone makes San Antonio one of the most exciting cities to dine in right now.

Instrumental in attaining that coveted title is Chef Elizabeth Johnson, owner of Pharm Table, an epic organic, plant-forward establishment where the word "Pharm" actually means culinary medicine. Not only was she a driving force behind the city's win, but she is a wellspring of knowledge regarding San Antonio's culinary history, the very thing San Antonio hung its hat on to achieve the designation.

Culinary History

Spaniards from the Canary Islands founded San Antonio. Then the Germans came in and developed powdered spices to take home the flavors of San Antonio. Hence, the Tex-Mex flavor palette was born, though the term is a reasonably recent restaurant-born creation. Either way, it was pure genius on the part of both cultures.

The convergence of these two cultures is unique to San Antonio and defines south Texas cuisine as Spanish, German, and indigenous Indian. The UNESCO designation connects San Antonio to a global network of cities working towards sustainable development goals. It uses its food and culture to drive sustainable economic development within the community, thereby creating a more robust food heritage.

The "Food Medicine Guru”

Sustainable development goals run parallel to what Johnson is trying to do with Pharm Table, whose mission is to heal the planet and people with food—

Photos, from left: Israeli-style Hummus & Vegetables ©Kathleen Messmer; Ginger Meal Starter ©Kathleen Messmer; Herbal Tea ©Kathleen Messmer

bringing increased awareness to the people of San Antonio means re-educating them to a new and better way of thinking about food and how it can help them. A return to homeopathic methods is also a part of that solution.

The spices at Pharm Table come from all over the world and are all medicinal as well as botanicals, which are the basis of so many of our pharmaceuticals. According to Johnson, "We consume so much sugar, meat, dairy, and processed foods, our bodies are in a state of chronic inflammation leading us to every known ailment—e.g., cancer, diabetes, arthritis, lupus, leaky gut, etc. So basically, you can heal yourself, or you can kill yourself with food." An eye-opening statement for sure.

Pharm Table

Johnson prefers to refer to Pharm Table as a "plantforward" establishment rather than vegan because you can add meat to anything on the menu. Everything is locally sourced but globally inspired.

Before perusing the menu at Pharm Table, I ordered an excellent cup of herbal tea that was at once sweet and lemony. It inspired a very homey feeling. The meal begins with a ginger starter containing all six flavors in the ayurvedic flavor wheel and is said to calm the vagus nerve, allowing us to digest our food correctly.

The meal was Israeli-style Hummus and Vegetables with Grass-Fed Beef Kafka prepared with Persian spices. The hummus was perfectly spiced, and the vegetables were fi rm, fresh, and delicious. I've never For dessert, I had the Brazilian Spiced Pineapple. Pineapple is a bromeliad and eats twice its weight in protein, so it's the perfect dessert. It's cooked in a simple syrup of coconut sugar, star anise, cloves, allspice, and cinnamon. It was sweet and satisfying, and it's good for you and your body. I can honestly say when I left, I felt content and well on my way to a good, healthy day.

Photos, from left: Pharm Table Organic Tortilla ©Kathleen Messmer; Pharm Table Bar ©Kathleen Messmer; Pharm Table Spice Library ©Kathleen Messmer

Conclusion

According to the NPD Group, a leading global information company, there are approximately 3403 independent restaurants in San Antonio, increasing 4% per year since 2011. So, even if you were to eat out every single day, it would take you nine years to eat your way through all of the fantastic restaurants in San Antonio. I can't even imagine, but it's never too late to start.