Summer's Here - Plunge into Produce
By Ryan Flanagan
It's that time of year when everybody starts thinking about short sleeves, weekends at the beach, and patios – and when restaurateurs start thinking about fresh, local produce for their plates.
Juriaan Snellen, a corporate chef with Renee's Gourmet, says that a wide variety of produce is in season this month, including berries, peas, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, and zucchini. “Although most of this produce is available all year long,” he explains, “it definitely tastes better when in season.”
Local produce has been a growing trend in the restaurant industry the last few years, and Flanagan Foodservice produce specialist Doug Bartscher says that although Canadian winters mean that our growing seasons get off to a later start than their American counterparts, this is when Ontario produce begins to appear on the market.
“June is the beginning of the Ontario season,” says Bartscher. “Everything's been imported all winter, and everybody's excited about the first crop of the new season. You'll start to see products like asparagus in the beginning of June, which is the biggest item for the beginning of summer. A lot of restaurants can't wait for asparagus because it's the first local crop of the year. In late June you'll start seeing strawberries, lettuce and green onions - fiddleheads as well.”
With the new season comes new menus, particularly seasonal menus to take advantage of summer tastes. Snellen says that one way of doing this is to offer seasonal salads, such as a watermelon and feta salad. “We at Renee's see a definite increase in lighter fruit-based vinaigrettes like Citrus Kiwi or Ravin' Raspberry throughout the spring and summer months,” he adds.
Another option, says Snellen, is to offer “seasonal greens” as a side dish option with an entree – allowing the chef to change the specific vegetables based on availability and freshness.
“As soon as the sun comes out and it gets warm, your salad sales really go up,” says Bartscher, who also warns that restaurants also need to be wary of going overboard with their vegetables. “Asparagus goes with anything,” he explains. “Most restaurants will work the heck out of it – they'll put it everywhere. You'll go to a restaurant and you'll see it on every plate.”
Beyond salads, Snellen says that garnishing is an effective way to incorporate fresh produce into year-round menu items – for example, topping strawberry martinis with fresh strawberries, adding shredded broccoli or zucchini to traditional coleslaw, or serving steak with kohlrabi fries on the side.
For some restaurants, serving local produce may not be enough on its own – customers may want to know where their produce came from, and may be receptive to advertising which promotes the restaurant's use of local produce. “Advertise the name of the local farm where you are getting your produce from - on menus, table cards, or blackboards,” suggests Snellen. “Use terms like 'seasonal inspired' or 'summer salad' that reference the dish only being available for a short period and that it's designed with the current season in mind.”
Snellen notes that most local produce is also now offered in organic forms and farmed through sustainable means, two more trends which can appeal to potential customers.
Flanagan's works hard to ensure a good balance between supporting local farmers and maintaining the best possible quality of produce for its customers. “We have several Ontario farmers that we deal with through Roseland Produce division,” says Bartscher. “We buy directly from the farms.” Advantages to this approach, Bartscher says, are that the farmers carefully control their products to ensure high standards of quality from picking to packing, and that the product arrives at Flanagan's – and therefore at destination restaurants – fresher than if it has to be transported from California or Florida.
“The product is picked and packed in the morning, and we'll get it in the afternoon, or the next day,” says Bartscher of Ontario produce. “We pick it up fresh daily.” Of course, if a customer wants a particular Ontario product that Flanagan's doesn't normally stock, the company is happy to accommodate special orders.
