Over the course of several decades the labels “certified organic,” and “all natural” have become major players in the world of food, invading supermarkets and causing that pang of guilt when forced to choose between the 52-cent bananas and the 84-cent bananas. However, another player, ever present, though more discrete, has caused the saying, “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence,” to become all but obsolete for some Chippewa Valley restaurateurs.

An increasing number of local eateries are choosing to keep their fare exactly that: local. Rather than using a large distributor, restaurant owners and chefs are turning to producers in their own backyards for ingredients. Family-owned farms and farming cooperatives scattered throughout western Wisconsin and Minnesota are the providers for the establishments that have chosen to “go local.”

Terry and Paula Vajgrt own The Creamery Restaurant and Inn in Downsville. In the past year they have moved to taking maximum advantage of local products; “local, organic, sustainable, are really sort of our buzzwords ... when we’re sourcing out our food,” Terry stated.

Though these three terms are often grouped together, there are important distinctions between them. “The organic ‘tag’ isn’t necessarily our main motivator all the time. There are many people that are farming very sustainably, in very positive methods, that maybe don’t have the designation of organic,” clarified Vajgrt. The USDA certification for organic farming is something that many local farms do not have.

One such farm is Alchemy Family Farm, near Colfax. Alchemy will provide its organically grown heirloom vegetables to The Creamery, Houligans, Hahn’s Market, and others this season. Owner Dean Parent’s philosophy on food echoes that of Vajgrt, and he feels that “The whole USDA designation of organic is flawed at best. That’s why we haven’t contributed to it.”

The practice of buying local allows restaurant owners to see for themselves where and how the products they use are grown, even if the farm isn’t certified organic. Vajgrt and his chef personally visit their numerous purveyors in Downsville, including Herby’s Bullfrog Fish Farm, and Promise Bison Farm, and beyond, like Bubbling Springs Farm in Menomonie. “It certainly takes more time than, (and I’m not dissing Sysco) opening up their catalog and going ‘OK, we’ll take a case of this, a case of this.’ ... It takes more research, and it’s more labor-intensive, no question. But it’s more fun, too,” said Vajgrt.

Clayton Brice runs the Harmony Corner Cafe in Eau Claire. Brice experiences the same challenge as Vajgrt in the time constraints of buying from a variety of organic, Amish, and Mennonite farms rather than a single distributor. Another challenge faced by both Vajgrt and Brice is satisfying the customer. Buying local means serving what is in season, and Brice said, “there aren’t a ton of choices sometimes.”

This challenge is even more pronounced for locally owned international restaurants. Gregorio M. Gonzalez, owner and chef of Mexican restaurant Tacos Juanita in Eau Claire, can’t get all of his ingredients locally, because “we want to keep it authentic.” However, Gonzalez finds excellent produce at local farmers markets in the warm season, and makes a point to make his purchases there whenever possible.

Yeng Yang, proprietor of Pad Thai, in downtown Eau Claire, despite similar challenges, finds seasonal local markets more convenient, and feels good about supporting them, as “a lot of it is grown by the Asian community.”

Most importantly to the restaurateurs is that they are buying the freshest ingredients possible, summed up by Alchemy’s simple philosophy, from “Farm to Fork.”

    A few other Chippewa Valley restaurants in the practice of buying local include Haymarket Grill, The Raw Deal, and Coffee Grounds.