Page 6
East Oregonian/Hermiston Herald
HOMEGROWN
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
FARM FRESH: Farm-to-plate movement opened doors into new markets
Continued from 1C
get immediate feedback on
the quality of our produce,”
he said. “The improvements
they suggest help you
become a better grower.”
Quality is the main
reason why Ken Schulberg
and Carol Hanks, owners
of Great Pacific Wine &
Coffee Co. in Pendleton, say
they also shop local at every
opportunity.
Hanks said she frequents
the Pendleton Farmers
Market weekly during the
summer, making multiple
trips with her wagon and
stocking up on fruits and
veggies.
“The taste, the look and
the nutritional value is just
so much higher with locally
grown,” Hanks said. “We
use it in every possible thing
we can think of.”
Schulberg said the
farmers market has been
a lifesaver — at least
between May and October.
The challenge is shopping
when local produce is out of
season.
“You just have to work
harder those six months and
put the effort in,” Schulberg
said. “People don’t notice
when they pay an extra
quarter on a sandwich, but
they do know when they get
a great tomato.”
Great Pacific also serves
Northwest beer and wine and
regularly buys bread from
Pendleton’s own Rolling
Stone Bakery just down the
street.
At the Prodigal Son
Brewery and Pub in Pend-
leton, local ingredients are
not only part of the food, but
part of the beer as well. Head
brewer Jean-Luke Alexander
said they started using
malted barley from Gold
Rush Malt in Baker City to
brew into “A Beer Named
Sue,” their traditional golden
ale.
The brewery also partners
with locals who pick wild
huckleberries from the Blue
Mountains to use in their
huckleberry wheat.
On the other end,
Prodigal Son sends most of
its spent grain after brewing
to a local ranch where it gets
recycled and used in animal
feed.
The pub, which recently
celebrated its seventh
anniversary, buys local
produce as well as beef
from Pat-N-Tam’s ranch
in Stanfield, along with
bacon from Hill Meat Co.
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Workers prepare cut bacon for packaging at the Hill Meat Company in Pendleton.
“The taste, the look and the nutritional
value is just so much higher with
locally grown. We use it in every
possible thing we can think of.”
— Carol Hanks, co-owner of Great Pacific Wine & Coffee Co.
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Walker’s Farm Kitchen in Hermiston offers guests a menu featuring locally sourced
and seasonally fresh ingredients.
in Pendleton. Owner Tim
Guenther said they have
always tried to bring in local
flavors from the beginning.
“I think people like the
story of it,” Guenther said.
“They like the idea. It’s very
tangible. It’s a connection
you have.”
Pat Mallon, co-owner of
Pat-N-Tam’s Beef, said the
farm-to-plate movement has
opened doors into markets
that weren’t available before.
Mallon said the business
model can be risky for new
restaurants, many of which
fail out of the gate. But
overall he feels the trend will
continue to grow.
“I think the big question
everybody has now is how
successful can it be,” he said.
“We’ve got examples where
its come through.”
On a broader scale,
Mallon said farms and
restaurants are learning more
from each other about how
to make the concept work.
“I really feel people will
pay more for really good
food,” he said.
———
Contact George Plaven at
gplaven@eastoregonian.com
or 541-966-0825.
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