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The
Culinary Vegetable Institute, opened this June in the Ohio
Valley town of Milan, is the culmination of a synergy between
chefs and farmers that has been quietly developing there
for years, ever since the Jones family---sons Lee and Bobby
and patriarch Bob---threw skepticism to the gentle winds
that blow in from Lake Erie and began growing a couple
rows of zucchini flowers for Cleveland chef Iris Bailin. “We
thought she was on drugs,” remembers Lee Jones, “Everyone
knew you wanted the fruit, not the flower. My Dad said
it just showed you could never figure those city people,
but when she said she’d pay us fifty cents a flower
we decided we’d give it a shot.”
But what started as a lark for a family of farmers feeling
too much economic pressure to say no soon took on a life
of its own. It wasn’t long before
this humble corner of Ohio, 23 three miles inland from Lake Erie and blessed
with a microclimate that coddles green sprouts up until December, was becoming
a pilgrimage site for the country’s most innovative chefs. The Joneses
began growing just about anything chefs asked for, from lettuces that could be
harvested at any of seven specially defined stages of maturity and 32 varieties
of eggplant, to tiny, micro editions of herbs like cilantro and chervil and tomato
varieties that hadn’t seen cultivation for a hundred years.
From struggling, self-described “down-and-out” farmers planting basic
row crops by the prevailing wisdom that stressed per-acre yields above all, the
family prospered growing hundreds of specialty varieties for top restaurants.
Chef’s Garden was born, a company that has had a substantial impact on
the way our country’s top chefs cook. Ed Brown, executive chef of Manhattan’s
Sea Grill, says that his relationship with the Chef’s Garden spurred him
to create new menu items. “Even a home cook gets inspired by a trip to
a good supermarket,” notes Brown. “And there are some dishes, like
spring vegetables with lobster emulsion or root vegetable casserole with truffles,
that I wouldn’t be making without the inspiration I get from these vegetables.”
Over the years, the Joneses found themselves seeking out and learning from the
chefs, increasing demand for their singular products by direct interaction with
their clients. Likewise, chefs found it a revelation to visit the farm, walk
the fields and brainstorm with the farmers. “Their excitement fueled us,
and we fueled them,” says Lee Jones about what was developing beyond a
customer-purveyor relationship into a collaboration and exploration.
By 1999, the year the Joneses conceived of a non-profit educational facility
to forge a better understanding and mutually beneficial relationship between
farmers, chefs, and the public, hundreds of chefs had already visited, including
Charlie Trotter, Wayne Nish, Bradley Ogden, Gale Gand and Douglas Rodriguez---all
of whom, along with 11 other of the country’s most respected chefs, became
members of an advisory board for the fledgling Culinary Vegetable Institute.
The CVI consists of 100 acres dedicated by the Jones family, and includes a lodge,
research garden and woodlands. The state-of-the-art-kitchen, whose design was
overseen by advisory board member Chef Ed Brown, is outfitted for both experimentation
and educational purposes. CVI project manager Marion Walsh, who worked for six
years as assistant to super chef Alain Ducasse, describes it as a space dedicated
to the investigation of vegetables “from seed to plate.” Chefs can
use it as a working retreat in order to focus on menu development, recipe testing
and team building with their staffs. And just outside the door will be 30 acres
of gardens for inspiration.
Affectionately known as “Veggie U,” the institute’s educational,
not-for-profit arm is broadly aimed at food professionals, culinary students,
food aficionados and children. Programs like “Down on the Farm” for
at-risk youth, earth-to-table seminars for chefs, and hands-on cooking classes
for the public focusing on specific vegetables will promote awareness of agricultural
issues and highlight the primacy of taste and nutrition over mass production.
The institute officially opened this summer with an all-day chef and media event
hosted by board members Chef Charlie Trotter of Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago
and Chef Roxanne Klein of Roxanne’s in Larkspur, California. Klein and
Trotter are two of the most innovative, produce-oriented chefs working today
(they are currently collaborating on a cookbook tentatively titled Raw), so their
participation was particularly apropos. Over 150 top members of the culinary
community got a first-hand look at CVI’s facilities, plus a chance to see
and sample many of the 600 specialty vegetables, herbs and edible flowers grown
on the farm.
A full schedule of classes and events will be offered at CVI starting this fall,
many led by the country’s top chefs. On the calendar are “Exploring
Heirloom Tomatoes” (September 15), a culinary workshop open to the public;
and “Sizzling Chefs from the South” (September 23), a fund-raising
dinner bringing together three of the south’s star chefs.
If you can’t make it out to Ohio, Farmer Lee Jones will be the guest of
The Institute of Culinary Education this November 10. Jones will bring some of
his celebrated, cutting-edge produce and speak about the on-going evolution of
farming practices and the chef-farmer relationship. Call ICE®’s customer
service at 212/847-0770 for information and registration.
Membership in Veggie
U is open to culinary students, food professionals, restaurants, businesses
and to
the
general public and includes the institute’s newsletter,
notification and special rates on classes and events and
other benefits.
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September, 2003
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