The proof is in the… locally sourced, sustainably harvested broccoli & quinoa salad?

Farm-to-Table

It’s a funny concept when you really think about it.

Isn’t all food from a farm?

Isn’t all food consumed at a table?

Well no, not really… and no, not always.

 In fact, a whole lot of the food we eat these days is created in a lab and consumed in a car – if we’re being really honest, a lot of it is designed in a lab specifically to be consumed in a car. Fast food is as American as… well, fast food. The concept itself was born in America, it was raised and continues to thrive in America and has now become one of our most powerful and influential global exports.  Fast food has fundamentally shaped the landscape of the United States and the world – quite literally and figuratively (pun intended).

But for every macro trend, there is always an equal yet opposite counter trend. Cue the farm-to-table originators: Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, Gene Baur, Joel Salatin…  and an ever-expanding new class of purveyors, converts and big name celebs: Dan Barber, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Jonathan Safran Foer, Natalie Portman, David Burke, Eric Schlosser, Tom Colicchio…

Farm-to-Table began as a largely up-market movement (if you compare the cost of a locally farmed, grass-fed, antibiotic-free, humanely raised hamburger versus a Big Mac, it’s immediately evident why). But as the trend started taking hold with a broader audience, mass-market brands (McDonald’s owned Chipotle, for instance) have jumped on board.

 The most recent farm-to-fast food New York addition is not a new brand, but a re-brand: Dig Inn Seasonal Market, previously known as The Pump.

 With a new name, new look, new chef and new approach to food, Dig Inn is a demonstration of the importance of being nimble as a brand in today’s market.  Equally as important, Dig Inn is a demonstration of the importance of being transparent and having a dialogue with your customers – especially around moments of change.

 It’s a small step, but a significant step.

What remains to be seen is if the farm-to-table trend will be just a fleeting trend and a trendy marketing play forenterprising brands, or if it will fundamentally change the way we eat, the way we farm, the way we consume.

 I’ll take my fries with a side of farmers market kale please. 

(Marissa Vosper)

(Photo courtesy of Dig Inn Seasonal Market)