With the recent outbreak of cyclosporiasis and the staggering number of food recalls rising daily with no end in sight, these restaurateurs, farmers, fishermen and local food purveyors are doing their part to serve residents and visitors with the freshest produce and protein available.
For Charles Arena, executive chef and owner of Acme Lowcountry Kitchen, working with local farmers and purveyors has always been a priority. His list of suppliers is extensive, ranging from Abundant Seafood, Carolina Seafood, Tommy Edwards, Bradford Farms, Livingston’s Bulls Bay Seafood, Lowcountry Oyster Co., Sea Island Farms, Crosby’s Seafood, Lowcountry Shellfish, Halperns, Senn Brothers and Limehouse Produce.
“These men and women work very hard doing what they do to supply us with these exceptional products and we don’t take that for granted,” he said. “If we don’t support our local farmers, fishermen, shrimpers and butchers, we may not have any of them left.”
Further, he said that using locally sourced ingredients allows chefs to be creative and change what they offer their customers based on what is available, such as his favorite ingredients to cook with in the fall: carrots, beets, broccoli, hard squash and pumpkins.
According to chef de cuisine at Oystercatcher Restaurant & Bar, Austin Blake, using seasonal produce also gives chefs the opportunity to work with ingredients when they’ve reached their highest quality.
“When you can source something locally and in season, it has often been allowed to ripen naturally before it reaches your kitchen,” he said. “You get better flavor, better texture and ultimately a better ingredient to work with. As a chef, starting with a great ingredient means you don’t have to overcomplicate it. You can let the product speak for itself.”
As an example, his fall favorites to cook with are warming spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, star anise and allspice. “For me, those aromas and flavors immediately signal that fall is here. They almost feel out of place during the hotter months in the same way that a tomato in the middle of winter just doesn’t feel the same. I also love persimmons – they’re a perfect example of something that needs to be enjoyed at peak ripeness.”
He added that there’s something different about cooking with an ingredient when you know where it comes from. “At Storey Farms on Johns Island, you get to see the chickens and understand the care that goes into producing those eggs and you feel a greater sense of pride and responsibility for the product. It makes you want to treat that ingredient with the same level of care and cook it to the best of your ability every single time.”
While tourism and hospitality are incredibly important to the area, Blake said that having strong local agriculture and fishing communities benefits everyone. “As chefs, we have an opportunity to support those relationships while also putting better ingredients on the plate. It creates a connection between the people producing the food, our kitchens and the guests experiencing it. These are the people in our community. They’re our neighbors,” he said. “Helping sustain these industries is part of what makes this area special.”
Local purveyor and owner of Abundant Seafood, Captain Mark Marhefka said that the relationships with the local restaurateurs he provides with fresh catch run as deep as the waters he navigates offshore. “Charles Arena was the first chef that bought from me in this town,” he said. “I will always have a special place for him. He takes whatever I have that’s fresh, whether it’s amberjack, grouper, golden tile or a lesser-caught species such as jolthead porgy – that’s the difference between cooks and chefs, knowing how to work with what’s local.”
Marhefka emphasized that with the number of food-borne illnesses and recalls on the rise, it’s critical now more than ever that we know where our food comes from.
“Protecting the people who feed us has to be at the forefront of how we shop for food,” he said. “That’s why it’s important to adopt a mindset of appreciation for fishermen and farmers, who are the backbone of the community.”
He continued, “Buying from a farmer doesn’t mean it’s cheaper, it means it’s the best.”
Whether dining out or cooking in, awareness of what’s being served on the plate or in the bowl is as vital to personal health as it is to sustaining the local economy. Whenever possible, swap the traditional big box store for the farmers market, restaurants with trustworthy management and the nearest butcher and fish markets such as Abundant Seafood. Taking these extra steps is worth the effort as it can be key in helping maintain our wellness.
By Sarah Rose
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