Locavore Restaurant

Post by Tara
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/07/09/199102553/Too-Few-Cooks-For-
New-York-Citys-Elite-Kitchens
"David Levi is a native New Yorker who cooked most recently at a
restaurant called in Manhattan's West Village. He has now moved to
Portland, Maine, where later this year, he plans to open his own
restaurant. His new eatery will forgo kitchen staples such as lemon
and even sugar, offering exclusively local foods. To build it will
cost him, he says, just one-tenth of what it would in Manhattan."
What is available year-round in Maine that a restaurant could serve
at a profit? It seems like produce would get skimpy. What about
spices? I wonder if he can offer coffee or wine. Not knocking it,
I'm just curious. I'd love to see a menu.
Tara

What grows in Maine in February? Maybe they'll be serving snow cones
...

-S-

Susan

2013-07-18 00:16:36 UTC

x-no-archive: yes

Post by Steve Freides
What grows in Maine in February? Maybe they'll be serving snow cones

It can grow at other times of year and be canned/frozen, dried, etc.

I'm assuming he'll have fish, and locally raised poultry and meat in the
freezers?

Just local.

Susan

Pete C.

2013-07-18 00:05:48 UTC

Post by Tara
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/07/09/199102553/Too-Few-Cooks-For-
New-York-Citys-Elite-Kitchens
"David Levi is a native New Yorker who cooked most recently at a
restaurant called in Manhattan's West Village. He has now moved to
Portland, Maine, where later this year, he plans to open his own
restaurant. His new eatery will forgo kitchen staples such as lemon and
even sugar, offering exclusively local foods. To build it will cost him,
he says, just one-tenth of what it would in Manhattan."
What is available year-round in Maine that a restaurant could serve at a
profit? It seems like produce would get skimpy. What about spices? I
wonder if he can offer coffee or wine. Not knocking it, I'm just
curious. I'd love to see a menu.
Tara

Fish, lots of fish. Presumably chicken and other locally raised meats,
eggs and dairy. Locally grown vegetables in the summer months and
traditional put away for winter stuff like butternut and acorn squash.
Spices would be an issue, but garlic, peppers and herbs would be no
problem. Certainly venison and turkey would be easy winter fare.

jmcquown

2013-07-18 00:28:36 UTC

Post by Tara
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/07/09/199102553/Too-Few-Cooks-For-
New-York-Citys-Elite-Kitchens
"David Levi is a native New Yorker who cooked most recently at a
restaurant called in Manhattan's West Village. He has now moved to
Portland, Maine, where later this year, he plans to open his own
restaurant. His new eatery will forgo kitchen staples such as lemon and
even sugar, offering exclusively local foods. To build it will cost him,
he says, just one-tenth of what it would in Manhattan."
What is available year-round in Maine that a restaurant could serve at a
profit? It seems like produce would get skimpy. What about spices? I
wonder if he can offer coffee or wine. Not knocking it, I'm just
curious. I'd love to see a menu.
Tara

That sounds about right. Fish for sure. I wish him success, even
though I'll never get to Maine to find out if it works. I don't know
why spices should be a problem. Whatever can be grown there can be
dried. There must be ways to store whole spices and seeds for the off
months. Grind if/as needed.

Jill

Pete C.

2013-07-18 01:02:31 UTC

Post by jmcquown

Post by Tara
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/07/09/199102553/Too-Few-Cooks-For-
New-York-Citys-Elite-Kitchens
"David Levi is a native New Yorker who cooked most recently at a
restaurant called in Manhattan's West Village. He has now moved to
Portland, Maine, where later this year, he plans to open his own
restaurant. His new eatery will forgo kitchen staples such as lemon and
even sugar, offering exclusively local foods. To build it will cost him,
he says, just one-tenth of what it would in Manhattan."
What is available year-round in Maine that a restaurant could serve at a
profit? It seems like produce would get skimpy. What about spices? I
wonder if he can offer coffee or wine. Not knocking it, I'm just
curious. I'd love to see a menu.
Tara

That sounds about right. Fish for sure. I wish him success, even
though I'll never get to Maine to find out if it works.
I don't know
why spices should be a problem. Whatever can be grown there can be
dried. There must be ways to store whole spices and seeds for the off
months. Grind if/as needed.

Not many spices grow in the US, only a few really, most are from India
and the surrounding region. Herbs can easily be fresh year round with a
little greenhouse and of course they can also be dried or frozen for the
off season.

jmcquown

2013-07-18 01:37:37 UTC

Post by jmcquown
I don't know
why spices should be a problem. Whatever can be grown there can be
dried. There must be ways to store whole spices and seeds for the off
months. Grind if/as needed.

Herbs, yes. I'm drying some fresh parsley as I type. But of course
he'll need things like salt & pepper. Does he own a salt mine? Where's
he going to get peppercorns? I can't think of a single meal that
wouldn't benefit from salt & pepper. The term locavore in this instance
is entirely too restricted. MHO.

Jill

Pete C.

2013-07-18 02:19:14 UTC

Post by jmcquown

Post by jmcquown
I don't know
why spices should be a problem. Whatever can be grown there can be
dried. There must be ways to store whole spices and seeds for the off
months. Grind if/as needed.

Maine is coastal, local evaporated sea salt should be no problem.
Peppercorns would probably be an issue, but with careful use of say
dried and powdered local medium to hot peppers you ought to be able to
do ok.

jmcquown

2013-07-18 13:43:55 UTC

Post by jmcquown
I don't know
why spices should be a problem. Whatever can be grown there can be
dried. There must be ways to store whole spices and seeds for the off
months. Grind if/as needed.

According to the link posted by Moe DeLoughan, "This means no olive oil,
no lemon, no black pepper."

Jill

Nunya Bidnits

2013-07-18 19:10:21 UTC

Post by jmcquown
Herbs, yes. I'm drying some fresh parsley as I type. But of course
he'll need things like salt & pepper. Does he own a salt mine?

There's a big salty ocean next door.

Drying parsley? Why? Once dry it loses most of its flavor.

Post by jmcquown
Where's he going to get peppercorns?

I don't know anything about cultivating black pepper but many spices can be
grown here. The fact that the majority of spices are imported does not
preclude growing them here in many cases. But it would be more difficult,
and perhaps require a greenhouse, depending on how long the plant has to
grow before it produces.

MartyB

jmcquown

2013-07-18 23:54:53 UTC

Post by jmcquown
Herbs, yes. I'm drying some fresh parsley as I type. But of course
he'll need things like salt & pepper. Does he own a salt mine?

There's a big salty ocean next door.
Drying parsley? Why? Once dry it loses most of its flavor.

What, I'm supposed to have fresh herbs on hand all the time? I'm not a
gardener. I buy it fresh, I dry it.

Post by jmcquown
Where's he going to get peppercorns?

I don't know anything about cultivating black pepper but many spices can
be grown here.

So you're in Maine? The article:
Another link said he won't be using pepper.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1855748974/vinland-forging-a-maine-cuisine-with-100-local-ing

"No pepper, nor lemons nor olive oil."

The fact that the majority of spices are imported does

Post by Nunya Bidnits
not preclude growing them here in many cases. But it would be more
difficult, and perhaps require a greenhouse, depending on how long the
plant has to grow before it produces.
MartyB

Nunya Bidnits

2013-07-19 15:45:24 UTC

Post by jmcquown

Post by jmcquown
Herbs, yes. I'm drying some fresh parsley as I type. But of course
he'll need things like salt & pepper. Does he own a salt mine?

There's a big salty ocean next door.
Drying parsley? Why? Once dry it loses most of its flavor.

What, I'm supposed to have fresh herbs on hand all the time? I'm not
a gardener. I buy it fresh, I dry it.

Post by jmcquown
Where's he going to get peppercorns?

I don't know anything about cultivating black pepper but many spices
can be grown here.

So you're in Maine?

By "here" I meant in the United States as opposed to overseas.

Moe DeLoughan

2013-07-18 13:08:48 UTC

Post by Tara
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/07/09/199102553/Too-Few-Cooks-For-
New-York-Citys-Elite-Kitchens
"David Levi is a native New Yorker who cooked most recently at a
restaurant called in Manhattan's West Village. He has now moved to
Portland, Maine, where later this year, he plans to open his own
restaurant. His new eatery will forgo kitchen staples such as lemon and
even sugar, offering exclusively local foods. To build it will cost him,
he says, just one-tenth of what it would in Manhattan."
What is available year-round in Maine that a restaurant could serve at a
profit? It seems like produce would get skimpy. What about spices? I
wonder if he can offer coffee or wine. Not knocking it, I'm just
curious. I'd love to see a menu.

Here's the link to the Kickstarter campaign running to help fund the
restaurant. It describes his plans for the restaurant and give some
details about food sourcing and menus during the winter months.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1855748974/vinland-forging-a-maine-cuisine-with-100-local-ing

And here's the manifesto for the restaurant, explaining why he wants
to do this.
http://www.vinland.me/mission/

From the manifesto: True profit is not monetary. As Wendell Berry
writes,

Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit.

Uh-huh. If this gets off the ground, it'll close after two years.

Bob Terwilliger

2013-07-31 20:04:11 UTC