PULASKI, VA – Tuesday night marks the first farm-to-table dinner event for the New River Valley as the Pulaski YMCA teams up with local farms.Â
We're seeing more dinners like this happening across the country, as the push to buy local and eat local continues to gain popularity.
Chef Loren Hunter, the executive chef who is opening The Dented Pot restaurant in Radford later this summer, will be creating the menu. He says the four-course meal will feature a fresh salad, root vegetable soup and a pork entree-- all from farms in the New River Valley. There will also be a surprise dessert.
It's an event that has been more than two years in the making. Allison Hunter, the executive director of the Pulaski YMCA, says the huge number of farms that take part in the Pulaski Farmers Market each week made teaming up with them for a dinner like this a no-brainer.
"It's a great partnership from the health side of things, from the market place and giving back to the community," she says. "We hope everyone takes advantage of this. It's the first one in the New River Valley, so we're excited to be presenting it to the town."
Hunter says when it comes to fruits and vegetables, there's a noticeable difference in local foods.
"Local produce is better in every way and form," he says. "I recently did a dinner and was at this farm. I got to pick the cabbage out of the ground and radishes and lettuce and cilantro. You know exactly where it's coming from and you know the flavor is 10 times better than anything you can find at a national chain."
Some of the produce is coming from Pear Tree Hill Farm. Owners, Jordan Margason and his wife, say they've seen their ups and down when it comes to the weather and its impact on their produce. During their time at the Pulaski Farmer's Market, they say support from the community has always remained strong.
"Our clients understand and are not looking for the perfect fruit or the perfect tomato that you see in the store," says Margason. "They're kind of manufactured and developed that way, where ours are going to look like tomatoes are supposed to."
The dinner is helping the community in another way as well. The waiters and waitresses are members of the YMCA Swim Team. Money raised from the event will help pay for the team to travel to local and regional swim meets.