edible COLUMBUS | Spring 2013| Issue No. 13 by Edible Columbus

Member of Edible Communities

edible Columbus

Complimentary

Issue No. 13

Celebrating Local Foods, Season by Season

Spring 2013

SPRINGTIME GREENS

DANDELION BITTERS NORTHSTAR CAFÉ FREEDOM A LA CART OHIO’S CHEESE WOMEN AQUACULTURE IN ATHENS CHERBOURG BAKERY SERVICEBERRIES

Spring

Contents 2013 Features

Departments Letter from the Publisher

Northstar Café The culture of a beloved Columbus-based restaurant

Letter from the Editor Edible Events

is about more than good food By Liv Combe • Photography by Catherine Murray

Delicious Collaborations Local and In Season

By Jean Mackenzie • Photos by Laura Watilo Blake • Illustration by Kyllea Kerg

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Scaling Down The challenges of trying to bring home truly local ﬁsh By Helene York

From a Farmer’s Perspective Young Palates

Pond to Table A look at aquaculture in Athens, Ohio By John Gutekanst • Photography by Sarah Warda

From the Kitchen Behind the Bottle

Ohio’s Cheese Women

RECIPES

Edible Entrepreneur A Taste of Home Food for Health In the Garden Advertiser Directory Last Seed

19 20 21 22 24 34 37 41 57 60

Asian Greens Tricia’s Tried & True Balsamic Dressing Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette Spring Barley Salad Dandelion Bitters Roasted Dates Freedom a la Cart’s Smoky & Sweet Kale Salad Egg Three Ways Cherbourg S’more Bars Serviceberry Mufﬁns

PHOTO BY © CATHERINE MURRAY, PHOTOKITCHEN.NET

4 6 8 10 19 20 23 26 28 36 39 55 59 62 64

About the cover: We had so much fun with Catherine Murray of Photo Kitchen styling a menagerie of local salad greens, microgreens and edible ﬂowers from the Chef’s Garden and Swainway Urban Farm. To learn more about Catherine Murray and view her portfolio visit photokitchen.net.

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letter from the publisher

edible Columbus Publisher & Editor in Chief

Tricia Wheeler Editor

Colleen Leonardi Copy Editor

Doug Adrianson Editorial assistant

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. —Harriet Van Horne

Claire Hoppens Editorial Interns

Leah Wolf • Rebecca Wojno Design

Melissa Petersen Business Development

Shelly Strange and Whole Foods for their generous support and willingness to help with our plans. My husband, Scott, and his company have taken a forgotten gem of a house in Clintonville and have turned it into just what I had imagined. Everyone I have invited to teach has said “Yes!” Thank you all for your willingness to share your craft and expertise. You can find our first lineup of classes on page 8, and visit us at ediblecolumbus.com or theseasonedfarmhouse.com for registration information.

In 2009, I started down a new path. I had sold my first business and I was in a position to pursue something I had always wanted to do—attend culinary school. I was very fortunate to study at the French Culinary Institute in New York. I wanted to bottle the energy and excitement that runs through that school and bring it home with me. For the past three years, I have been planning to open my own school—one that would celebrate the seasons and the bounty of ingredients we grow in Ohio, and pull together all the talented teachers we have amongst us. Edible Columbus has helped to pave our way—through the magazine we have developed relationships with so many wonderful artisans, gardeners and farmers who will be featured at the school.

I have named the school The Seasoned Farmhouse because there is something so nostalgic and comforting about imagining the kitchen of a real farmhouse season to season. Edible Columbus will occupy the second floor and will be hard at work connecting you to the amazing resources and stories in our community.

This project has been a collaborative effort and there are many people who have made this endeavor possible. I need to thank Dave Fox, the Mount Vernon Barn Co., Integrity Sustainable Planning & Design, Gruntz, Oakland Nursery

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Beyond providing nourishment, cooking connects us. It slows us down and with the right skills it can be a source of pride and relaxation. This is the feeling we hope to spread. Happy spring!

Tricia Wheeler

WEB DEVELOPMENT

András Rátonyi Contributors

Brooke Albrecht • Bryn Bird Liv Combe • Rick Gardner • Ellen Gustafson John Gutekanst • Claire Hoppens Kyllea Kerg • Debra Knapke Colleen Leonardi • Sriharsha Masabathula Catherine Murray • Danielle Nierenberg Jessica Opremcak • Nicolene Schwartz Charmaine Sutton • Carole Topalian Jean Mackenzie • Tamara Mann Tweel Laura Watilo Blake • Sarah Warda Rebecca Wojno • Helene York

P.O. Box 21-8376, Columbus, Ohio 43221 info@ediblecolumbus.com ediblecolumbus.com Edible Columbus

@ediblecbus

Advertising Inquiries

tricia@ediblecolumbus.com Edible Columbus is published quarterly and distributed throughout Central Ohio. Subscription rate is $25 annually. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used without written permission from the publisher. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our sincere apologies and notify us. Thank you.

PHOTO BY © CATHERINE MURRAY, PHOTOKITCHEN.NET

ooking just makes me happy. I love trying new recipes. I love making old favorites. I love having very little in my refrigerator and challenging myself to make a simple, delicious meal with what I have on hand. Nothing brings me more pleasure than cooking for my husband and daughter. The reward comes when my daughter, says, “This is so good, Mommy,” and I especially love when she asks for more Brussels sprouts!

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ometimes it’s hard to believe that Tricia and I have been publishing Edible Columbus for three years, and that we’re entering our fourth year with the addition of Tricia’s new cooking school—The Seasoned Farmhouse. When I step back and stand witness to the growth of the local food community here in Columbus since we started, I am continually excited and galvanized by it.

If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it. —Albert Einstein

Columbus has so much to offer. There is such potential in our city, and throughout Ohio, for real transformations in food, farming and all the ways these staples guide our lives. Three years ago I did not know these truths in the deep, soulstirring ways that I do now. So it is with a soul-stirring reminder from Einstein that I encourage you to embrace potential and take leaps, big and small, to continue contributing to these transformations in 2013. At one time the idea of cultivating seafood in the middle of Ohio might have seemed absurd, but our articles by Helene York and John Gutekanst about sustainable seafood prove otherwise. Years ago, the idea of baking gluten-free baked goods using only rice and tapioca flour might have seemed absurd, but Geri Peacock of Cherbourg Bakery is proving that gluten-free can be delicious and safe. And even just a few years ago we might never have thought that Ohio could become a place where the contentious issues surrounding fracking could jeopardize farmers, their families and their farmland in the ways it is now. Activist and farm girl of Bird’s Haven Farms, Bryn Bird, speaks eloquently and honestly about some of the real challenges behind fracking for farmers and rural communities. And it might always seem impossible to create a restaurant where a hearty measure of health, optimism and care goes into each plate of food

served, and where the integrity that those values engender makes for meaningful work. Yet Katy and Kevin Malhame, and everyone at Northstar Café, continue to prove that idea false, each and every day. As Kevin Malhame says, “These aren’t original ideas. They’re just good ideas.” Eating locally, supporting your local farmers and knowing where your food comes from are not radical ideas. It’s how our ancestors survived. And it’s why I believe the best innovations are simple and familiar at their core and speak to what it means to be human and a member of a community. I imagined the idea for our spring cover after a conversation with someone who calls Columbus her home and is Scottish. She spoke of how, late one summer night after traveling back from the dry, arid deserts of Arizona she lay down in her backyard to feel the green, loaming earth underneath her—a nourishing experience that grounded her in both her current home and some essence of the green, loaming home of her bloodline back in Scotland. Ohio is our green, rich and fertile home, no matter where we come from. Spring reminds us of that. Let’s not neglect it in the face of so many uncertainties in our broken food system. Let’s turn our minds towards what, at first sight, might seem like simply good and slightly absurd ideas. For it’s certain those ideas are more likely to fly with grace, speed and peace. With joy & gratitude,

Colleen Leonardi

Subscribe today to Edible Columbus Never miss a single issue with pristine copies delivered right to your door! Subscribe for yourself, or as a thoughtful gift for one of your favorite food lovers. Subscribe online at: ediblecolumbus.com, or mail a check for $25.00 payable to: Edible Columbus, PO. Box 21-8376, Columbus, Ohio 43221 Edible Columbus, is supported by our advertisers and subscribers. With your paid subscription, you help support our mission by telling the stories of our local farmers, chefs, growers and food artisans.

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PHOTO BY © SARAH WARDA, SARAHWARDA.COM

letter from the editor

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edible events The Seasoned Farmhouse, created by Chef Tricia Wheeler, is a recreational cooking school, learning garden, cookbook library, specialty culinary boutique and private event space located in Clintonville. The year-round cookery, gardening and educational programming celebrates seasonal ingredients from the bountiful farms and artisan producers throughout Ohio. The school’s changing roster of instructors come from near and far to share their craft and their passions. We believe nothing is more rewarding than cooking for those you love. The Seasoned Farmhouse is a place to learn and connect with our food and our community. We hope you will join us for classes at our French Country–inspired cooking school at 3674 N. High St. near the Clintonville Farmers Market. Sign up for classes at ediblecolumbus.com or theseasonedfarmhouse.com. Questions can be sent to classes@theseasonedfarmhouse.com.

Fresh Seasonal Classes

Technique Classes

May 3: Provencal Dinner, Wine Tasting & Travel Stories from Provence

May 8: Taste of Spring

Begins April 22: Classical French Training

6:30–9pm The vibrant green pâtes aux herbes (herb pasta) rarely turns out the same way twice, but it never fails to delight. Using seasonal herbs and other leafy greens, our class demonstrates how to make this delicious from-scratch pasta with a simple sauce. The pasta will be accompanied by an herbaceous chickpea side salad and fresh bread, with wine tastings common to the Provence region of France. Shawnie Kelley Foy, owner of Wunderlust Tours, will lead a talk about the culinary culture of the Alps-de-Haute Provence region, where bouquets of green things—wild and cultivated—are used in abundance. Instructors: Chef Tricia Wheeler & Shawnie Kelley Foy • $65 or $75 with wine pairings, demo class

Noon–1:30pm & 6–7:30pm This class celebrates Ohio-grown spring flavors. All ingredients will be sourced from the Clintonville Farmers Market right before our class. The menu will include peas, asparagus, rhubarb, spring greens and whatever else we can find. To complement our fruits and vegetables, we will feature Hampshire Pork from Stonefield Naturals. Instructor: Chef Tricia Wheeler from The Seasoned Farmhouse • $45, demo class

June 5: All About Grains 6–7:30pm I fell in love with barley at a little restaurant in Brooklyn. Imagine a delicious salad with tiny chopped vegetables, Italian barley and wonderful vinaigrette. It got me thinking about all the amazing fresh salads that we can make with grains. This class will focus on cooking techniques for barley, rye berries, amaranth, wheat berries and spelt. We will turn these grains into delicious salads, sides and main dishes. You will leave with a new appreciation of the versatility of great grains—most of which we can source from Ohio! Instructor: Chef Tricia Wheeler from The Seasoned Farm House • $45, demo class,

Mondays 6–9pm (limited to 10 people) The Étoile Series, for our most serious students. Taught in four 8-week sessions, this series is designed for both beginners and more experienced home cooks. The format is modeled upon the intensive French Culinary Institute curriculum, attended by Chef Tricia Wheeler. If you always wanted to go to culinary school, or if you have dreamed of a taking a comprehensive training program, the Étoile Series may be a perfect fit. Instructor: Chef Tricia Wheeler from The Seasoned Farm House • $800 per 8 week session, hands-on class

April 24: Confident Entertaining I 6–8pm This hands-on class can help take the stress out of entertaining. You will learn to prepare and serve a menu perfect for intimate dinner parties. (And you and your fellow students will enjoy eating the meal you prepare!) Timing, doahead tips, table design and menu variations will all be included. First in the series of Entertaining classes. Instructor: Chef Tricia Wheeler from The Seasoned Farmhouse • $65, demo class

We would like to express our gratitude to all of our wonderful sustainers who have helped us in starting The Seasoned Farmhouse. Thank you for your support!

Mount Vernon Barn Company 8

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Pastry May 7: Puff Pastry Basics 3–5pm Learn how to make delicious, flaky puff pastry at home. Michelle Kozak will walk you through the steps needed to prepare dough, and then she’ll show you how to use the dough to make both sweet and savory palmiers. Instructor: Michelle Kozak from Patisserie Lallier $65, hands-on class

May 29: “As Easy as Pie” 6–8pm Turn this saying into reality! You will observe the technique for making a basic piecrust, which we’ll turn into a savory quiche, bake and sample. Each student will then prepare a batch of pastry dough and complete a double-crust pie ready to bake at home. We’ll talk about a variety of techniques that will help you become a confident pie baker. Instructor: Mary Boesch from The Cambridge Tea House • $65, hands-on class

June 4: Sweet and Savory Madeleines 3–5pm In this hands-on course you will be introduced to classic French tea cakes called madeleines. We’ll prepare both sweet and savory versions using the traditional shell-shaped pans. You’ll be able to taste them right out of the oven, and to learn some tips for keeping them moist so you won’t need the customary cup of tea for dunking. Instructor: Michelle Kozak from Patisserie Lallier • $65, hands-on class

June 8: Planning Your Own Landscape Design

Kids Classes

10–11:30am This class will introduce you to basic design and planning principles. Please bring photos or a drawing of your landscape to class and we will discuss solutions and step-by-step design process. Instructor: Kate Wilson, horticulturalist, from Oakland Nursery • $20, lecture class

April 20: Delicious Desserts

June 11: Plant Persuasion: Making a Rosemary Topiary 4–6pm Throughout history humans have changed plants, sometimes as a way of selecting the best fruit and grain, sometimes in the name of art. Almost any plant can be persuaded to accept a shape that is not its own. For this make-and-take workshop you will coax rosemary into a vertical shape and learn how to take care of it once you take it home. Instructor: Deb Knapke, The Garden Sage • $65, hands-on class

Homesteading Classes from the Garden April 28: The Wonder of Eggs May 11: Themed Containers: Culinary Herb Container 4–6pm Use of fresh herbs is often directly correlated to the nearness of the herb garden. A container is a moveable “plot” that can be placed by a kitchen door, on a deck or on an apartment balcony. In some cases it can be even be brought indoors for winter use. Plants, containers and all supplies provided. A perfect gift for Mother's Day! Instructor: Deb Knapke, The Garden Sage • $80, hands-on class

May 25: Gardening 101 10–11:30am Not sure where to start? Gardening 101 offers a starting point for any beginner. This class offers answers to the what, where, how and why of gardening. Basic planning and design principles will be discussed, as well as planting and maintenance practices. Need-to-know information will be covered so that you can have a successful gardening/landscape experience. Instructor: Kate Wilson, horticulturalist from Oakland Nursery $20, lecture class

June 1: Color Every Year: Planning and Building Perennial Beds 10—11:30am Learn how to create color and beauty in your yard year after year though the use of perennial plants. This class will provide information on how to choose perennials, how to lay out a perennial garden, the best plants for our climate zone, considering plants for height and texture and using color theory to really make your garden pop. Instructor: Genevieve Reiner from Oakland Nursery • $20, lecture class

3–5pm Discover the secrets inside the eggshell when we unlock the emulsifying, leavening, enriching power of eggs. We’ll explore the variety of local poultry eggs and then practice making mayonnaise, hollandaise and soufflés from scratch. Learn how to transform the humble egg into a gourmet delight. Instructor: Rachel Tayse-Baillieul from Harmonious Homestead • $65, hands-on class

May 9: Basic Fermentation with Local Food 3–5pm Explore the basics of fermentation by learning how to make yogurt, sauerkraut, ginger starts and beet kavas. Fermentation makes foods more nutritious as well as delicious. Microscopic organisms—our ancestors and allies—transform food and extend its usefulness. Hundreds of medicinal and scientific studies confirm what folklore has always known: Fermented foods help people stay healthy. Learn about the health benefits of fermented foods and find out how to use what is abundant in your home garden or local farmers market. Participants will make a jar of sauerkraut to ferment at home. Instructor: Janine Degitz, Clintonville Fermentation Enthusiast • $65, hands-on class

May 19: Jams, Jellies and Butters

1–3pm Want to learn the secrets to making simple but delicious desserts? This hands-on class will allow you to practice everything from following a recipe, proper measuring, using an oven and stovetop, to more complicated food preparation techniques. You will create amazing cookies, an awesome chocolate mousse and fresh whipped cream with raspberries. Ages 8–12. Instructor: Carolyn Diamond, The Seasoned Farmhouse Children’s Instructor • $45, hands-on class

April 28: Egg-ceptional Eggs 1-3pm Can you crack an egg with one hand? Master this technique and much more as we prepare a variety of egg-inspired dishes for any meal, including a dessert. Explore fun facts about eggs and why they are used in so many different types of recipes. Learn several methods for preparing eggs as you create your own version of some classic egg recipes. Participants will make a quick scramble, an omelet, some deviled eggs and a dessert soufflé. Ages 8–12. Instructor: Carolyn Diamond, The Seasoned Farmhouse Children’s Instructor • $45, hands-on class

May 4: Mother’s Day Surprise 1–3pm Make Mother’s Day memorable by surprising her with a delicious breakfast in bed. Learn fundamental kitchen skills, table setting and napkin folding while creating a menu fit for a queen. Participants will prepare simple and tasty mini frittatas, chocolate chip scones, orange slushy and a fruit flower bouquet. Detailed recipes will be provided to re-create the menu at home. Ages 7–12. Instructor: Carolyn Diamond, The Seasoned Farmhouse Children’s Instructor • $45, hands-on class

May 17: Dinner for the Family 4–6pm Start your weekend off right with a no-fuss family dinner night. Let us teach your child to prepare a delicious, kid-friendly home-cooked meal ready to eat when you walk in the door. Each participant will learn basic kitchen skills and will have some fun as they prepare enough food for a family of four. The best part is your child will have the recipes and skills to re-create this meal any night of the week. Ages 8–12. Instructor: Carolyn Diamond, The Seasoned Farmhouse Children’s Instructor • $45, hands-on class

3–5pm Enjoy the taste of local fruits year-round by mastering the making of jams, jellies and fruit butters. We will talk about pectin, sweeteners and preservation methods. Participants will make and can a jar of seasonal fruit jam to take home. Instructor: Rachel Tayse-Baillieul from Harmonious Homestead • $65, hands-on class

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ity Folks Farm Shop owner Shawn Fiegelist calls opening a new business a “true leap of faith.” As the one-year mark approaches since the opening of City Folks, Shawn credits the welcoming embrace of an enthusiastic community for the success of the store, which offers resources for urban farmers, homesteaders and gardeners. Shawn has welcomed the collective insight of her customer base from the very beginning, using it to gauge interest in products, classes and seasonal offerings. “We think it is important for our customers to feel the shop exists to offer them products and services they want,” she says. It is a supportive market—one Shawn is thankful for. “It is a testament to Columbus being a progressive market that embraces local food, sustainability and the environment. It is also a testament to the many creative, one-of-a-kind farmers, cottage industry and home-based businesses that operate inside the urban farming and homesteading circles,” Shawn says. Since launching in Beechwold last April, Shawn has forged connections with many local organizations of similar interests including Simply Living, the Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association, Experience Clintonville and Cbus Food Swap. City Folks Farm Shop has also collaborated with area chicken enthusiasts to form a col-

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lective called Columbus City Chickens, a forum for discussion and learning opportunities. “The goal is provide those who have or want chickens a place to learn from others, share ideas on raising chickens and create community among those who are members,” she says. City Folks has grown with a community increasingly intent on living lighter, eating cleaner and growing food at home. Relationships forged through the shop have allowed Shawn’s product lines and focus to represent these trends. “This city has a strong homesteading community. As we meet them, we ask questions to learn more about why they do what they do and what the shop might stock to help in their efforts,” says Shawn. “Mostly, we learn from the folks that come through the doors. These are people who have innovative and sometimes ground-breaking ways of feeding themselves, educating their children and running their day-today lives. They are smart, sensible people who are always willing to share an idea, make a connection or offer advice.” Soon, City Folks will enter its second year, driven by the passions and tenacity of a community that values living locally. “One thing is for sure: The urban farming trend is not slowing down. We see increasing numbers

of people who want to manage their food source and live a more sustainable life. We see a trend towards recognizing the circle of life and making use of every resource. So, folks are not only making cheese but finding a use for the whey left behind. They are canning and dehydrating vegetables and foods from their gardens, using chicken manure to fertilize, sharing and trading kombucha and keifer cultures and fermenting all sorts of foods.” For Shawn, this means a growing network of friends, neighbors and customers with valuable feedback, years of experience and summertime bumper crops to share. “Buying local and supporting small business is all part of the urban farming lifestyle, so as long as folks embrace that lifestyle, we’ll be OK as long as we are doing our part correctly.” —Claire Hoppens City Folks Farm Shop 4760 N. High St. Columbus, OH 43214 614-946-5553 • cityfolksfarmshop.com

PHOTOGRAPHY BY © JESSICA OPREMCAK, OPREMCAKPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

City Folks Farm Shop

delicious Collaborations

According to Welsh, in urban areas such as Columbus, the increase of buildings and paved spaces causes rainwater to “flow through streets and parking lots into the nearest storm drain, collecting pollutants and chemicals along the way.” “During heavy rain … sewer tunnels cannot handle excess storm water and the polluted water is dumped directly into our Scioto and Olentangy Rivers,” Welsh explained. The insulation in the green roof from the vegetation, she said, will help to prevent storm water runoff. In addition to the sustainability benefits, Welsh said this project has prompted collaborations that have brought many members of the OSU community together. “In the early design stages we hosted a public charette where students, professors, architects, gardeners, builders and members of the community joined to collaborate on green roof designs,” Welsh explained. Welsh added that partnering with the university has proven to be a unique experience because the process has been so inclusive. “At OSU, everything is a collaboration. Director of Chadwick Arboretum Mary Maloney has gone to great lengths to include many collaborators along the way,” Welsh stated. Megan Welsh on the roof of Howlett Hall during a test run of the green roof

he concept is hardly new, turning lemons into lemonade and creating something worth savoring. This kind of transformation is occurring right on the Ohio State University’s (OSU) campus after a plan led by Megan Welsh was formulated in 2009 to begin transforming the roof of Howlett Hall into a lush, energy-saving green roof. A green roof is an extension of an existing roof that features multiple forms of vegetation designed to benefit the environment as well as community members. Welsh, an Ohio native and certified green roof professional through Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, said her experience working in film editing as a project manager inspired her to pursue a career in sustainability. “[I] had the opportunity to work on An Inconvenient Truth, which really wakened my sense of responsibility to work in a sustainable field [because] the energy inefficiency of our buildings is the largest contributor to greenhouse gases,” Welsh said.

One way to ensure a smooth alliance is to communicate the goals of the project so everyone has the same vision from the early stages of the project. Welsh’s goals are to capitalize on local talent to show what a green roof is and recruit community members to spread awareness about how they can be recreated throughout Columbus. “Visit Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens this summer and bring a friend. Kids, tell your teachers and parents that you want to learn more,” Welsh exclaimed. Welsh said the green roof on Howlett Hall is set to have its grand opening in the summer of 2013 and community members are more than welcome to attend and visit the gardens. For word to catch on about green roofs, Welsh said teaching others about the benefits of green roofs will help to make future projects successful. In addition to spreading awareness, Welsh offers the key to her success: “It’s all about the collaborations!” —Rebecca Wojno For more information about the green roof at Howlett Hall, visit

Due to her background in horticulture and construction studies, and her desire to make a difference in the field, Welsh explained that green roofs were a natural draw.

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thechadwickgreenroofproject.weebly.com.

PHOTO BY LAUREN FARR, OSU COMMTECH, COURTESY OF MEGAN WELSH

Green Roofs at the Ohio State University

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The Ohio Agriculture Women of the Year Award “Agriculture is our state’s largest industry, with a long and varied history,” says Holly Davis, program director for the office of Ohio First Lady Karen Waldbillig Kasich. “The idea for the awards came from Karen Kasich. She really wanted to highlight the accomplishments and contributions of women in Ohio agriculture—women whose outstanding efforts too often go unrecognized.” So in partnership with the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Ohio’s First Lady created the Ohio Agriculture Women of the Year award program in 2011. The project arrives at just the right time to both highlight and help redefine what it means to be a woman involved in agriculture when the industry is changing so rapidly.

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Jaime Moore of Wayward Seed is a member of the selection committee. She talks about how agriculture is often viewed as simply a way of life and not a progressive industry. Ohio’s Agriculture Women of the Year award allows for a moment of recognition for all of the women doing good work in Ohio while also broadening the term agriculture and its viability as a career in the 21st century. “There’s lot of ways to improve the industry without being a farmer or a dairy farmer,” says Jaime. “You don’t have to raise animals or vegetables to make a big impact.” Whether you’re a woman returning to the family farm after another career, or the director of a food policy council, or a teacher helping kids understand the value of raising their own animals and growing their own food you qualify for the award.

“These women are the greatest ambassadors and liaisons between the farm and the community,” says Jaime. “They’re not just helping the producers to sell more. They’re helping the consumers to learn more.”

“Women in agriculture are as diverse as the industry itself,” says Holly. “A role in the industry is all that’s required—from farmers to educators to market managers to advocates. We are looking to honor not only women farmers, but women from all backgrounds who work towards the growth and success of agriculture in our state.” By shifting the awareness of women in agriculture and the various opportunities available to the next generation of farmers, marketers, advocates and more, Holly and Jaime hope the award will shed light on what’s possible for the industry to truly advance agriculture in Ohio. What does advancement in agriculture look like, and how are women making an impact?

clusive in many ways to bring women from various sectors together to learn from each other as leaders in their own communities. And oftentimes these women are leading by helping people know where their food comes from and what choices they have when it comes to feeding their family. “These women are the greatest ambassadors and liaisons between the farm and the community,” says Jaime. “They’re not just helping the producers to sell more. They’re helping the consumers to learn more.” Last year’s award winners include Amy Sigg Davis, Stephanie Jolliff, Karen Oberst and Bev Roe. To learn more about the program and nominate your choice for the 2013 Ohio Agriculture Women of the Year Award, visit agri.ohio.gov/topnews/agriculture-

“To be relevant in your farming industry you’ve got to be aware of community organizations and the policies and the legislators and what they’re doing,” says Jaime. “It’s so different from what it looked like 20 years ago.”

womenoftheyear.

—Colleen Leonardi

These shifts in the industry and what it takes to influence true transformation are the impetus behind the need to expand on what agriculture really means, and who is involved. The Women in Agriculture award is all-in-

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The Lost Art of Foraging

s spring rolls out her fresh, tender young leaves of green, local forager Julie Huff can’t wait to get outside and start harvesting some hardy purslane or delicate rose petals. Early in the season, claims Julie, wild edibles “just taste a little bit better. To get the young leaves that are so good, like dandelion greens. The young ones are just so tender and fresh. As the season goes on they get more bitter, but nothing beats the first springtime.” Julie has been foraging all of her life—while she was growing up at her family’s home and now in her backyard in Clintonville. “I remember being a little kid and finding violets and eating those,” she says. “And chives.”

A Seasonal Guide to

Julie’s community of friends trade foraging secrets and forage in each other’s backyards. “It’s definitely a community thing,” she says. Backyards are best, she claims, because foraging in Columbus’ Metro Parks, Ohio State Parks and on private property is illegal. And it’s important to be aware of additional toxins in the soil and on the plants where you choose to forage.

Wild Edibles in Ohio

“I am conscious of where I’m getting things from. I try not to get stuff that’s right next to the road. If there’s been mosquito sprays or if they’re putting anything on the yard, that’s something to consider, too.”

“Some foods you can eat while in the woods and others are best

For Rick, foraging is a natural extension of his work. He also lives with his wife on a farm, where they can walk through the woods, foraging for lunch or dinner that day. So it’s with a sense of stewardship that he shares with me his feelings about how foraging has become a lost art. Years ago, “wild foods supplemented garden-raised foods for many rural Americans, especially in the Appalachian region,” he says. “As people moved from the country to an urban and suburban lifestyle, they lost the knowledge of wild edibles.”

prepared back home.”—RG

Spring Wild leeks (sometimes known as ramps) Field garlic Wild onions Spring beauty Common greenbrier (Rick’s favorite; eat the barely unrolling leaves) Redbud (young flowers) Violet flowers (candied) Indian cucumber (roots) Dandelion greens

Summer Blueberries Blackberries Red and black raspberries Serviceberries Common elderberry (jams, wine)

The knowledge is not lost on Julie and her friends, who spend time during the growing season admiring and savoring all Central Ohio has to offer.

Fall Rose hips (jam)

“I love walking by the river and seeing what there is and seeing the possibility,” Julie says. “It’s just amazing what we have at our fingertips. I don’t want people to take it for granted.” —Colleen Leonardi

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Persimmons (pie, jam) Wintergreen berries Pawpaws Jewelweed seeds

PHOTOGRAPHY BY © CAROLE TOPALIAN

The guiding principle of foraging: Never eat anything that you can’t name and identify. Julie recommends an herbal health class she took at the Institute for Holistic Health Careers, which helped her identify what to pick and when. Rick Gardner, chief botanist at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, recommends foraging guides like Peterson’s A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants, Stalking the Wild Asparagus by Euell Gibbons and Nature’s Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting and Preparing Edible Wild Plants by Samuel Thayer.

By Rick Gardner

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local & In Season

Asparagus Broccoli Breads Cabbage Cheeses Cilantro Collards Eggs Honey Kale Maple syrup Meats Stir-Fried Asian Greens

Milk

By Tricia Wheeler

Microgreens Mustard greens

Makes 4 servings

This is one of my quick go-to recipes that I use over and over. You develop a lot of flavor in a short amount of time and the cooking time is minimal.

Peas 12 baby bok choy, cleaned and chopped in half

PHOTO BY © CATHERINE MURRAY, PHOTOKITCHEN.NET

Radishes

1 cup pea shoots (I buy them from Swainway Urban Farm at the farmers market.) 1 cup sugar snap peas, cleaned

Rhubarb

4 tablespoons sesame oil 4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Spinach Strawberries

1 tablespoons sriracha

Heat sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Toss in bok choy, sugar snap peas and pea shoots. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Whisk rice wine vinegar and sriracha together in a small bowl, add to the vegetable sauté and

Swiss chard Turnip greens

cook it a minute or 2 more. Enjoy. Kitchen Note: This recipe would be good with leftover chicken or steak added to the sauté. It could be served plain or over rice. Toasted sesame seeds or crushed peanuts would also be a good garnish.

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SPRING 2013

from the kitchen

A Few of Our Favorite Greens By Tricia Wheeler Photography by Catherine Murray

Tricia’s Tried & True Balsamic Dressing Makes about 1 cup, enough for 6 salads I have been making this salad dressing since I graduated from college. It was one of the first salad dressings I learned to make on my own. It has been my go-to dressing ever since. Change vinegars, add citrus, fresh herbs—the oil-to-acid ratio with the addition of the Dijon mustard should make all your variations a success. It keeps refrigerated for a week. ⅓ cup good balsamic vinegar (I like trying different varieties at The Oilerie.) 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Beet greens, bok choy, romaine, lamb’s quarters, collards, endive, Swiss chard, dandelion greens, purslane, spinach, kale, arugula, mesclun, watercress, mustard greens, mizuna, chicory, radicchio, lovage…. the list of greens we can grow or find in Ohio goes on and on.

From our kitchen to yours—here are a few of my favorite ways to cook, dress and flavor your greens.

½ cup olive oil (I also sometimes use grape seed or sunflower oil.) 1 teaspoon honey or brown sugar 5 turns of a black pepper grinder Large pinch of salt

I like to make my dressing in a Mason jar—add all ingredients and shake well (make sure your cap is on tight). Alternatively, add all ingredients except olive oil in a bowl, whisk in olive oil slowly to emulsify. If your dressing is too tangy, add a bit more honey or sugar. If it is too sweet, add a little more vinegar.

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Lemon-Shallot Vinaigrette Makes about 1 cup, enough for 6 salads

Ways to Enjoy Greens Tender greens are perfect when dressed and eaten raw. Tougher greens can be bitter and more

The shallots and lemon are tangy and give the

pungent when eaten raw. They are best wilted, braised, blanched and puréed. Here are some of my

dressing a nice flavor. Any spring onions would

favorite flavor combinations:

work well. This dressing is great tossed with simple salad greens, and it pairs nicely with salads fea-

Spinach, kale and Swiss chard: Wash well and tear out coarse stems. Leaves can be coarsely

turing some ingredients.

chopped. Stems can be blanched and sautéed separately, or composted. Don’t worry about the water left on the greens; this will help them cook down.

⅓ cup roughly chopped shallots 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Collards, mustard greens, coarse kale and Swiss chard: Blanching first for a few minutes in salted boiling water helps to take the bitterness out of the greens and softens them. They are then ready to sauté.

2 teaspoons honey 5 turns of a black pepper grinder Juice of ½ lemon ½ cup olive oil

Flavor Ideas for Greens Combine leaves with olive oil, fresh-squeezed lemon and a little lemon zest; sauté for a few minutes. Sprinkle with salt.

Large pinch of salt Sauté greens in olive oil and, at the end, add a dash of cream and some grated nutmeg. Combine all the ingredients in a blender—add the

Add fresh grated Parmesan cheese, pine nuts and raisins to sautéed greens. Cook together for a

olive oil last after everything is blended; process

minute. Add some salt and fresh ground pepper.

until smooth. Use immediately; keeps one day in the refrigerator.

Add a dash of vinegar and some red pepper flakes to spice up sautéed greens. Toss sautéed greens with pasta and goat cheese for a quick dinner.

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SPRING 2013

Spring Barley Salad Makes 4 side dishes

I had a delicious fresh barley salad in a great little restaurant in Brooklyn, AlMar. If you find yourself in Brooklyn, visit Jane’s Carousel and have lunch at AlMar (almardumbo.com). Their barley salad inspired this recipe. 1 cup cooked pearled barley 2 scallions thinly chopped 2 carrots chopped into small dice ½ cup spring peas, fresh or frozen, blanched until slightly soft 3 large radishes chopped into small dice 2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint ½ cup microgreens

Toss all ingredients with ½ cup lemon shallot vinaigrette. Enjoy!

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behind the Bottle

Dandelion as Drink Dandelion bitters bring sweet promise of spring By Nicolene Schwartz Illustrations by Brooke Albrecht

f you had opened Gourmet magazine in June 1953, you might have noticed the first publication of Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine, set in a small Illinois town in 1928. In the story, the protagonist remembers his grandfather making the title beverage: The wine press opened. A golden bushel of flowers poured in. The press, replaced with the large rotating screw, personally twirled and twisted by Grandfather, gently squeezed upon the harvest. There, he murmured. So. Of course, the winemaking work referenced would have been much more time-consuming and meticulous than the young Douglas Spaulding describes—the quarts of dandelion petals alone would have taken hours to pick. Then the flowers would have been soaked, simmered with sugar, bottled with yeast, strained, re-bottled and strained again, and finally left to sit at least six months before drinking—better a year. But the gap between the boy’s memory and the actual process is part of what Bradbury’s story is about—the wine is not just a drink, but, when revisited deep into the winter months, a vehicle for memory and nostalgia, a connection to the longed-for joys of a childhood summertime.

I asked my grandfather, who grew up during that same period, if he had ever made dandelion wine. Instead, it seemed his mother used dandelions for eating, and he told me about her spring tonic, a salad of dandelion greens she served because she believed, as the Native Americans did—and as so many bartenders still do—that dandelion contained medicinal properties, and were valuable beyond just their availability (during the Depression, particularly) as sustenance. It had been my grandfather’s job as a boy to pick the greens, making sure to get to them before the flower buds developed and the leaves would take on bitterness. In telling me the story, he taught me how to pick them, too, though for the purpose of my favorite application—dandelion bitters—I

wait until much further into the season, when the flavor of the greens becomes sharper. In bitters-making, grain alcohol is used to extract flavor from a bittering agent—in this case, dandelion—and innumerable combinations of herbs, citrus, spices and seeds. Just like the petals in dandelion wine, dandelion leaves used to make bitters must be picked fresh and used right away, and the seasonal immediacy certainly translates. Amid the bitters’ component citrus and spices, the dandelion comes through with a distinctive “green” note that doesn’t fold as easily into familiar flavor profiles as would something like celery or herbs. Just a couple of drops can infuse a cocktail with an undeniable suggestion of spring. In of-the-moment cocktail cities like New York and Philadelphia, dandelion bitters make it onto a number of menus, in Prohibition-era-style and contemporary cocktails alike. The notion that a weed—considered a nuisance within so much of modern living—finds a place in these precisely constructed and high-minded concoctions is charming, but not entirely surprising. After all, much of what we consider to be contemporary cocktail culture is rooted in historical innovations (both processes and ingredients) based on pragmatic necessity. Even the cocktail itself, some contend, was developed for no more elevated a purpose than to mask the foul flavor of bootlegged spirits during Prohibition. Quinine (the main ingredient in tonic) cured malaria, and what better way to get people to take their medicine than by mixing it with gin? Individually, both dandelions and bitters were historically considered to be beneficial for ailments of the stomach, and so the combination of the two seems rightfully favored. Certainly, there are some excellent commercial iterations of dandelion bitters available for purchase, and they’ll do perfectly in any cocktail requiring the modifier. But for the sake of historical accuracy, and an excuse to use the

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By Nicolene Schwartz 2 teaspoons allspice berries ½ teaspoon dried lemongrass or 1-inch section fresh 2 star anise 2 small chips from a cinnamon stick 6 cloves 2 cardamom pods, cracked 1 teaspoon lemon zest (1½ if not using kumquat) 1 teaspoon kumquat ½ teaspoon orange zest (1 if not using kumquat) ½ teaspoon grapefruit zest Approximately 12–18 freshly picked dandelion leaves, washed and slightly bruised Grain alcohol

Zest citrus, taking care to avoid the white pith. Combine zest and spices in the bottom of a Mason jar. Fold and gently squeeze each dandelion leaf to release flavor, then add to jar. Cover the mixture with grain alcohol, leaving about an inch of space at the top of the jar. Affix the lid, then place the jar in a brown paper lunch bag and cinch with a rubber band around the neck to keep out the light. Shake vigorously once a day for the first week, then once a week for the remaining seven weeks to aid in flavor development. After eight weeks, strain through a cheesecloth, then double up the cheesecloth and strain again if necessary. Bottle in amber glass apothecary dropper bottles (available at Weiland’s Gourmet market).

dandelions in your own backyard, there is something to be said for making the concoction one’s self. There’s really no wrong way to develop the recipe if you keep in mind that, in the finished product, it should be difficult to impossible to discern any one single ingredient, (with the exception of the dandelion, of course) and so it’s best to use a little bit of lots of ingredients, rather than big proportions of just a few. To start, grate about three teaspoons of zest from any combination of lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit and kumquat. For spices, I use allspice, mace blades, dried lemongrass, green cardamom pod, clove, green peppercorn and star anise, but try any combination you prefer. Wrap a small Mason jar in brown paper (the bitters should be protected from light while infusing) and add the citrus and spices along with about a dozen freshly picked and well-cleaned dandelion leaves, bruised slightly with your fingers to release flavor. Pour as much grain alcohol over the mixture as the jar will hold, leaving about an inch of breathing room, cap tightly and shake hard to start the flavor development. And then you wait. At least two or three months is best, but if you’re a Dandelion Wine fan, wait perhaps until winter, and open the bottle on a particularly gloomy day, when nothing seems more enticing than springtime.

A graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle, Nicolene Schwartz moved from New York City to Columbus in 2008. She consults and develops cocktails for a number of local outfits, including Rigsby’s Kitchen, MoJoe Lounge and Watershed Distillery. When not working, Nicolene is rehabbing the medical-office-turned-unusual-home she shares near Franklin Park with partner, Scot, and dogs Mavis and Trout.

Brooke Albrecht is a freelance designer and illustrator. She is experienced in a variety of artistic media, from pen and ink to digital, and finds inspiration in melding the old and the new. Learn more at brookealbrechtstudio.blogspot.com.

SPRING 2013

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from a farmer’s perspective

The Cost of Fracking

By Bryn Bird

Why fracking is an agricultural problem

t seems that over the past six months, not a week has gone by without the mention of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) for natural gas in the news. There has been discussion on water security, horizontal drilling, fracturing-fluid contamination and the economics behind the boom. As local farmers and landowners, my family has been bombarded by lawyers presenting the issue at local farmers’ meetings and in mailings. The natural gas industry and environmentalists have been educating the public on the environmental risks and the economic impact that the fracking industry can have on Ohio. I know many, including myself, are beginning to feel helpless against the powers that continually allow for this industry to rapidly grow in our state before all the scientific research has been done.

Recently, in Granville, Ohio, a proposal to conduct seismic testing on the Intermediate School property for the presence of oil and gas was narrowly defeated by school board members. For a long time I have been frustrated with the entire conversation, and the fact that it has primarily been urban activists advocating for an issue emerging largely in rural communities without diving deeper into the problem of rural poverty and the economic motivations driving land owners to sell their mineral rights even when understanding the legal and environmental risks involved. Our family farm, Bird’s Haven, is 110 acres on a rural country dirt road. As the fossil fuel boom has taken off, more and more farm owners around us have begun to have their mineral rights leased. We know of similar-sized farms where the owners will receive $50,000 a year for their lease. When the gas company representatives visited my father they offered him around the same amount. It was a difficult decision for my family, but my dad decided to not sign a lease. For me, it was hard not to think of my 70-

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year-old parents having the ability to retire, enjoy farm life and rid themselves of the debt we have accrued over the past 16 years of farming. I believe the main element missing from the fracking conversation is a real discussion about our current agriculture system and a true concern for those citizens facing the economic challenges of farming. A big reason I believe people are so quick to sign away their mineral rights, without environmental hesitation, is because our current agricultural system is broken. Without agriculture being an economically viable option, the exploitation of our land, for many, is the only choice. Many of the grain, livestock and specialty crop operations around us have abandoned their farms, tilled under their crops or taken jobs off the farm in the past five years. At one time they all dreamed of having viable farms and raising their families for generations on the land, but they were unable to sustain their operations. Most often I empathize with these individuals who many fracking activists villainize for allowing drilling to be done on their land. So I have a call for action for all of those who wish to rid our lands of oil drilling and continue to protect our environment: Open your refrigerator and pantry and truly gauge your personal investment in Ohio agriculture and local agriculture systems. We cannot hope to stop more drilling on our lands without making agriculture economically viable. We must work to buy more locally, support more local farms and build a stronger infrastructure. Maybe I am misled to believe the effects of rural poverty on the gas industry, but as long as landowners are in need of more money, no amount of environmental impact stories will change their minds. Because I know that even I considered for a moment the gas company’s offer and what it would mean for my family—more money than we have made toiling in the sun for a season that would allow us to relax and do nothing.

So I have a call for action for all of those who wish to rid our lands of oil drilling and continue to protect our environment: Open your refrigerator and pantry and truly gauge your personal investment in Ohio agriculture and local agriculture systems.

Bryn Bird is a farm girl hailing from a dirt road outside Granville, Ohio. She grew up raising livestock and produce on her family’s farm, Bird’s Haven. She earned a master’s in public health from George Washington University in Washington, DC, and is now empowering the rural lifestyle while working with Rural Coalition.

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SPRING 2013

young Palates

Sustainable Food Production The Road Ahead By Sriharsha Masabathula

This year for our “Young Palates” department we chose to include the voices of high school and college students making a difference in the local food movement. Our first writer, Sriharsha Masabathula, is from India and attends Ohio Wesleyan University. He wrote the following essay for the Innovative Farmers of Ohio/Sagan National Colloquium essay competition held in 2012, and was selected as the winner. He writes: “My experience with the social enterprise in India, which improved my understanding of issues related to sustainable development, and the lectures at the Colloquium, which was themed around “Food,” helped me write the essay.” We’re pleased to include his ideas here for you. —Colleen Leonardi

Franklin Roosevelt famously said that “a nation that destroys its soils destroys itself.” Therefore, to answer the question, we must address how we can maximize the productivity of a piece of land. Sustainable agriculture—a central theme of the Sagan National Colloquium—provides some possible answers. Florence Reed, founder of Sustainable Harvest International (SHI), discussed practices such as crop rotation, intercropping (growing two or more crops in proximity) and stepfarming (terrace farming) that have worked wonders in South America. Farmers were able to increase productivity many fold without the need for

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY © CAROLE TOPALIAN

ccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, global population is expected to reach eight billion by 2030, and nine billion by 2050. This massive increase in the number of mouths to feed presents a daunting dilemma: How will we feed the world without destroying our natural resources?

additional resources. While crop rotation helped safeguard the soil for the long term by not overusing a particular nutrient, intercropping helped different species of plants take advantage of the different characteristics of the soil and each other (for example, plants do not excessively compete with each other by establishing a symbiotic relationship). In addition, stepfarming helped increase plantation on hillsides—by terracing slopes to hold water for a longer duration and retain the top soil more effectively—thereby boosting productivity. An important outcome of these often-forgotten practices is that the fruits of their success trickle down into different spheres of natural resource conservation. For example, step-farming reduces erosion and conserves water, which can then be used more efficiently. In addition, increasing productivity of land provides farmers with additional income, which can be used to procure better technology and capital to further boost agricultural production without using additional land—possibly decreasing the need for deforestation, which in turn conserves biodiversity. Imparting knowledge is a key to increasing food production without hurting our natural resources. Raising awareness about the advantages of using biofertilizers, such as farmyard manure, as opposed to chemical fertilizers, or using drip and sprinkler irrigation techniques to conserve water, or adapting innovative solutions to local needs, as in Vietnam where rice fields are also used as fish ponds, can help raise food production, and also eliminate the exploitation of natural resources. In essence, encouraging diffusion of technology and knowledge across borders can help demonstrate the immediate need for sustainable agriculture. It is crucial to realize the dynamic nature of food production as it has implications on many spheres of the environment such as soil, forests, biodiversity and water. These implications are not negligible. It is a well-known fact that not diversifying one’s investments is an invitation to disaster. In the same way, it is important for us to realize that a mad rush towards increasing food production without adequate consideration for our natural resources can create a domino effect for multiple spheres of the environment—a road map for self-destruction!

I am Sriharsha Masabathula from India, pursuing my senior year of my undergraduate studies with a major in economics and minor in philosophy at Ohio Wesleyan University. I have interests in public policy and sustainable development. In this regard, I am the President of Veda Climate Change Solutions Ltd. (vccslindia.org), an enviro-social enterprise established in India to connect the rural poor to international carbon markets by generating “social credits,” in addition to “carbon credits.” Upon graduation, I am keen on working on contemporary issues by bridging the gap between theory and practice to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations. I can be contacted by email at: ssmasaba@owu.edu.

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SPRING 2013

Northstar Café

The culture of a beloved Columbus-based restaurant is about more than good food By Liv Combe Photography by Catherine Murray

ealthy. Optimistic. Caring. These are words that Katy and Kevin Malhame, co-founders of Columbus’ three Northstar Cafés, use to describe the culture at their restaurants, where many of the staff members—from cooks to front-of-thehouse workers to managing partners—are in it for the long haul. Why? Because they too believe in what Northstar stands for. “We exist in a world where a lot of people still don’t care about what they eat and what they put in their bodies and where it came from,” says Kevin. “So there’s a lot of opportunity to have a positive influence on those things.”

Kevin and Katy were only 26 when they took hold of that opportunity, opening the first café in the Short North armed with their incredible work ethic, unflinchingly positive attitudes and a staff of 12. The Malhames were looking to do more than just open any old eatery—they wanted a place where guests could feel like a part of a community, where they could relax and make the space their own, all while eating fresh, locally sourced food that was good for their health and the health of the planet. Northstar, with its “extension-of-your-kitchen” atmosphere, as one team member puts it, made those aspirations a reality. Along the way, the staff grew to more than 230 employees spread among the four locations, including Third & Hollywood, the more sophisticated complement to Northstar’s casual and energetic atmosphere.

“Healthy” extends beyond the basic meaning of the word at Northstar. The café naturally attracts guests who are interested in their own health and fitness, says Kevin, but healthy aspirations also extend to the health of the planet, of the community and of the workplace. “We want to provide a place for people to do meaningful work, work they can believe in,” says Kevin. “But also work that’s fun and gives them the opportunity to develop and learn new things.” The Malhames do their best to nurture the Northstar team, both at work and outside the café. The company holds get-togethers throughout the year, including an annual Labor Day picnic at the Johnstown farm of one of their biggest suppliers, Northridge Organic Farm. Last year also saw the beginning of Trailmix, an organization within the company that helps link employees based on personal hobbies and common interests rather than work.

“Initially, the ambition to be a part of something special was much stronger than the ambition to be a part of something food-oriented,” says Kevin. “The driving motivation was this hope that we could invest ourselves in a career path that, looking back on it, would feel really meaningful, like it had had a positive impact on the world around it.” And if a typical afternoon at Northstar is any indication —with guests trailing lines out the doors and cheerful servers zipping around the restaurant, greeting tables and bringing out plates of fresh food—the Malhames have more than made their mark on the city of Columbus, its people and the way we think about the food we eat.

Kevin Malhame, co-founder of Northstar Café

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But in the end, an employer’s reach can only extend so far, and the atmosphere of the café depends on the employees’ taking charge and having a positive influence on each other. “Culturally, we kind of reject anyone who’s not in a good mood,” says Kevin. “It’s very, very difficult to get away with being in a bad mood as a part of our company. But you can say that all day long, and it’s a totally different thing to work in an environment where people are always eager to make the most of the day.” Leading by example is a crucial element of the Northstar partners team, those team members who hold the most responsibility and accountability for the company. Spread among the four restaurants, the partners team is made up of more than 30 long-term employees—all are salaried, half of them hired from within and 90% of them financial partners in the business. But these partners aren’t running Northstar from an office. They’re in the thick of the brunch rush just like everyone else, running food and welcoming guests. “You take Katy and I out of the picture, the company would run very well for a very long time,” says Kevin. He shrugs. “If you take the 30 other partners out of the picture, I think we’d be out of business tomorrow.” Each member of the partners team is responsible for keeping the cogs of Northstar running smoothly. Sean Jones, the senior managing partner for the Easton location, sees his primary role in the café as getting “everyone focused on the same fundamental goals that generate the best results possible,” he says. “I cannot do this without leading by example.” “Leadership is everything, from our perspective,” says Kevin. “I don’t mean leadership as in the people with the salaries who are making the most money. We expect leadership from everyone on our team. That can sound really abstract, but it really just means having a positive influence on the people working around you.” Laura Pugh, one of the senior hourly employees on the service team at the Beechwold Northstar, believes that her position comes with the opportunity to be such an encouraging and positive force. “I’m not always having the best day, but when I walk in that door I have a smile on my face and a pep in my step,” she says. “That really influences those around me, both my coworkers and guests to the café.”

“From the very beginning,” says Katy, “it’s always felt like there is a true momentum behind Northstar, and it comes from the loyal guests who keep supporting us and moving it along.” Just as the Columbus community supports Northstar, the Malhames give back in a variety of ways. “Simply supporting the responsible growers and artisan food producers and buying their food is a significant commitment,” says Kevin. On any given week in a peak season like late summer, Northstar orders from more than 30 purveyors, the majority of them local, whereas most restaurants stick to only a few for all their needs. Northstar buys fresh peanut butter from one, organic black beans from another, seasonal produce from three or four more— and so the list goes, many ingredients fitting into a map of Ohio. “A lot of restaurants talk about local and sustainable food, but their talk and their actions don’t match up,” says Mike Laughlin, the owner and operator

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SPRING 2013

Roasted Dates Courtesy of Katy and Kevin Malhame Several years ago, we started stuffing and roasting dates when we were hosting managing partners at our house. This is a terrific dish for a party because dates are simple to prepare in advance, easy to roast and serve and they taste great with just about any kind of wine, beer or cocktail. It

When it comes down to it, the concepts behind Northstar....are as simple as one of the mantras of Michael Pollan, a favorite food guru of the Malhames: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

was only a matter of time before these ended up on our Bar Snacks menu at Third & Hollywood. Variations of this dish are sometimes called “Devils on Horseback,” but we never much liked that name. The sweet dates get so yummy as they

of Northridge Organic Farm, which sells Northstar its lettuce mixes, sweet potatoes and heirloom tomatoes, among other produce. “But with Northstar, [they do match up,] because it’s something they really believe in. They’re our biggest customer, and it’s a really, really good relationship.”

warm up that you can combine them with just about any combination of cheese and pork and get something really delicious. Or you can omit the pork altogether. It is a very flexible dish. At Third & Hollywood we start with Medjool dates and stuff them with Mackenzie Creamery Goat Cheese from Hiram, Ohio, and toasted al-

Upon their hiring, members of the Northstar partners team work on the farm with the Laughlins for a day, “doing whatever needs to be done— weeding, harvesting, planting,” says Laughlin. “I think it has a really big impact on them, because it gives them a different point of view on what it takes to produce the food they get in the restaurant.”

monds that we get from Krema Nut Company in Grandview. Before roasting them, we wrap each date with a thin slice of salty, smoky country ham from Benton’s Smokehouse in Tennessee. Once they’ve been roasted, each one is placed on a basil leaf, which instantly becomes fragrant from the warmth. For parties, we usually just roast several of these in a small cast iron pan and leave them in the pan to keep them warm while our guests help themselves.

Despite their exemplary commitment to local sourcing, the Malhames are modest about their motivation for doing so, saying it’s for “all the common reasons. We love having a personal relationship with the folks growing our food and we love working with people who are producing smaller quantities of higher quality food,” says Kevin. “We also value the overall impact of supporting a more local food system. And lastly, we love to source locally because our guests are excited to eat local foods.”

Medjool dates (2 to 3 per guest) Goat cheese, ½ teaspoon per date (or Parmesan, Bleu, Fontina are all terrific alternatives) Toasted almonds, 1 teaspoon per date (use any kind of nuts or omit them and double the cheese) Thinly sliced country ham, prosciutto, pancetta or bacon, ½ ounce per date Basil leaves, 1 per date

The Malhames’ focus on supporting local businesses and ventures also extends to supporting half a dozen or so Ohio environmental, agricultural and hunger related nonprofits, including the Ohio Environmental Council, the Mid-Ohio Food Bank and the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (for which Darren Malhame, Kevin’s brother and Northstar partner, serves as president of the board of directors). And in a simple, day-to-day sense, the Malhames make an effort to give back to Columbus by creating a sense of community within Northstar, both for their guests and their staff.

Cut a slit on one side of each date and remove the pit. Then, gently open the date and stuff with cheese and nuts. Try to close the date around these ingredients, but don’t expect it all to fit.

“Knowing our guests’ names and making sure they feel great when they visit our restaurants is, on some level, a service to the community,” says Kevin. “It’s creating a place that people value.”

Wrap the date in thinly sliced prosciutto, ham, pancetta or bacon. If using pancetta or bacon, cook the slices in a skillet halfway in advance. Otherwise, they take too long to roast. If you use bacon, you may want to use a toothpick to hold it all together. The prosciutto doesn’t need this.

When it comes down to it, the concepts behind Northstar—healthy ingredients, energetic people and a positive attitude—are as simple as one of the mantras of Michael Pollan, a favorite food guru of the Malhames: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

Place the dates in an iron skillet, oven-safe dish or sheet tray, and roast them in a 400°–450° oven (or a toaster oven works well too) for 5–10 minutes. This cooking time and temperature is very flexible. Just remove

“These aren’t original ideas,” says Kevin. “None of the ideas are original. They’re just good ideas.”

them when they look delicious. For service, place each date on a fresh basil leaf, or just serve them in the hot dish or cast-iron pan they were roasted in so that they stay warm while your guests help themselves.

Having recently graduated from Oberlin College, Liv Combe is working for a year as the editorial fellow in the college’s office of communications. After spending this year learning more about the food scene in Ohio, Liv plans to make like Huck Finn and light out for the territories (San Francisco, hopefully). Check out more at about.me/liv_combe.

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SPRING 2013

edible entrepreneur

Secret Ingredient Freedom a la Cart offers a new model in food by empowering former victims By Claire Hoppens Photography by Catherine Murray

Chef Lara Yazvac (left) and Julie Clark (right), co-founders of Freedom a la Cart

ause Cuisine. That’s what Doma development director Dan Clark calls the movement toward “food with a purpose.” Here in Columbus, an outcropping of Doma (which translates to “home” in multiple languages) takes shape in Freedom a la Cart, a food cart and catering business that employs victims of human trafficking, teaching rescued women skills from time management and cooking to nutrition and group dynamics.

The process—fresh ingredients, group coordination, assembly-style preparations and, often, interactions with customers—introduces “a self-worth the women have never experienced,” according to Freedom a la Cart co-founder, Julie Clark. “For most of their lives these women are shopping at the Dollar Store, eating whatever they can get their hands on. They are often living on drugs. They get fast food. This teaches them new choices, from relationships all the way to food.” Freedom a la Cart came to be while serving healthful meals to trafficked women throughout their experiences in court, offering some semblance of comfort in periods of distress. “It’s a way to say we care about you. It’s part of our DNA,” Julie says. In 2011, Julie, along with co-founders Chef Lara Yazvac and sous-chef Kae Denino, combined their passions to forge ahead with the powerful nonprofit, Doma, focusing efforts on feeding Columbus and supporting newly freed women. 36

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Most of the women are graduates of Franklin County’s CATCH Court, a voluntary two-year program offered to sex-trafficking victims as means of recovery and accountability outside of traditional incarceration. From there, many seek out Freedom a la Cart, Doma’s social enterprise, to develop “the basics—not just of a kitchen job but any job,” Chef Lara says. Julie estimates that nearly a dozen women have attained steady jobs after working at Freedom a la Cart. Working out of an industrial kitchen and office space donated by the downtown Columbus YMCA in July 2012, the chefs lead two to four women at a time through the recipes, each broken down by component, every element homemade. The Freedom team makes quick work of produce donations in the growing season, and regularly partners with Local Matters, the Ohio Farm Bureau and Six Buckets Farm, which supplies fresh pork. Franklinton Gardens once supplied the Freedom kitchen with bushels of foraged pears, plucked from trees on neglected or wild land. “I love that spirit,” says Chef Lara, “that idea that there’s this beautiful produce going and no one is doing anything about it.” Though the cart makes appearances throughout the summer, Freedom a la Cart has focused on catering events, weddings and crafting gourmet boxed lunches. “Brides tend to love us,” Julie says. Customizations can include thrift store plates and vegan offerings, and menu choices are vibrant. A typical boxed lunch will contain a gourmet sandwich, like the roasted chicken with pear

compote and sage aioli, alongside a crunchy, salty snack and a sweeter treat, like a coconut macaroon or cardamom sugar cookie. A light side dish is offered, “usually a grain like a quinoa or wheat berry with something local and fresh,” Julie says. Julie, Lara, Kae and the rest of the Freedom team hold fairly nontraditional positions, but the lessons they share on a daily basis have lifelong impact. “The girls always joke with me: I’m not just a chef, I’m a crisis counselor. I’m a teacher. I’m a therapist. It’s almost like I’m a social worker first, then a chef,” says Chef Lara. It’s not just the process of the cooking, but the quality that’s making an impact. “They’re not just cracking open cans. We’re making all kinds of things from scratch. It’s food you can really take pride in.” For Vanessa, a human trafficking survivor, food was, at one point, the least important thing in her life. “I didn’t really care about me so why would I nourish my body?” Recently, Vanessa’s been able to use her newfound knowledge and cooking skills, honed while creating dishes for Freedom, to create a sense of stability, putting dinner on the table for herself and her son. “The most freeing thing is just me being able to be me, to learn and grow. I feel like I have a purpose here, not only for myself but for other people.” As the need and enthusiasm for Freedom a la Carte grows, Julie, Lara and Kae hope to expand into cooking classes for the women and, even-

Freedom a la Cart’s Smoky and Sweet Kale Salad Recipe courtesy of Chef Lara Yazvac Makes 5–10 servings

1 large bunch leafy green kale, stems removed and leaves cut into small pieces

1½ cup butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes, then tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted at 450° until tender and starting to turn golden brown 1 can Great Northern or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 1½ teaspoon smoked sea salt 4 teaspoons maple syrup A mortadella sandwich and corn salad, one of Freedom a la Cart’s many boxed lunches

⅓ cup olive oil 1 teaspoon coarse cracked black pepper

tually, a full-scale restaurant. “We want people to be able to come to us and eat,” says Julie. “Our ladies are dying to get a place of their own.” Continued growth of the organization means more opportunities to heal, teach and, according to Julie, “…experience freedom on all levels.”

Zest and juice of 1 large orange Zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon sesame seeds Raised in a nomadic and adventurous family, Claire

Hoppens called five states home and attended three colleges before earning her degree in magazine jour-

Gently mix all ingredients by hand or with

nalism from the Scripps School at Ohio University in

tongs.

2011. Claire is currently in training to be a Managing

To learn more about Freedom a la Cart and how you

Partner at Northstar Café, one of the many Columbus

Allow to sit for 10 minutes so that flavors

can help, visit freedomalacart.org.

mainstays to solidify her love of people, food and our

meld and acid from the citrus juice has

vibrant city.

time to tenderize the kale.

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a taste of home

A 1,000-Year-Old

Egg in a 201-Year-Old Town

Finding a Thousand-Year Egg “It’s in aisle two, but are you sure that’s what you want?” “Yes,” I replied to the manager at the Columbus Asian Market (CAM) on Bethel Road. “I am going to purchase and then consume a thousand-year egg.” Additionally referred to as a century egg, a millennium egg, a preserved egg or an ancient egg, this delicacy of Chinese cuisine attracts eaters throughout the world with its iridescent jet-black casing and addictively pungent taste. According to Chinese lore, the thousand-year egg was first discovered during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) in the Hunan province. It was there that a lucky gourmand happened upon discarded duck eggs in a puddle of water and lime that had congealed outside his newly constructed house. Today, duck eggs are preserved through a more standardized approach, which, rather than a millennium, takes about a month. In one method, a thick layer of salt, water, pine ash and lime is applied before the egg is covered in husks of rice and set in a large earthenware jar. In another method, the egg is soaked in water, salt, lime, lye and tea leaves, covered in a paste of clay, lime, ashes and salt, before being buried in earth.

The tradition of a Chinese childhood meal By Tamara Mann Tweel and Charmaine Sutton Photography by Jessica Opremcak

Not surprisingly, most millennium egg consumers purchase, rather than make, this comestible. Which brings me back to aisle two. After searching through a sea of fish snacks, I finally found, above the dried bellflower root, a wrapped cardboard box printed with the phrase Preserved Egg. After picking up a few extra treats—lotus root, Asian pears and a netted bag of the notoriously hard-toprocure fruit mangosteen—I was off to see my favorite culinary accomplice, Charmaine Sutton, who had prompted this expedition.

Eggs Three Ways For the past two years, Charmaine and I have been invited into homes across Columbus to try the treasured dishes of some the city’s

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a practical uniform had developed: short permed hair, solid pants and a patterned button-down polyester shirt. For meals, Charmaine would often wait by the stairs while Poh Poh steamed together a fresh chicken egg, a salted duck egg and a thousand-year egg. She would then take her seat while her grandmother scooped the salty-sweet pudding over fresh steamed rice for them both to enjoy with chopsticks. At the age of 10, Charmaine left Malaysia and began a life between continents. She lived in Hong Kong and Australia before finally settling down in Columbus, Ohio. Wherever she went, she craved the simple dish she so often shared with her Poh Poh: the Sutton family’s “egg three ways.” Above: Charmaine Sutton Opposite: The century egg cut in half Previous page: Charmaine peeling the century egg

newest members. We have tasted Cambodian treats in Galloway, Bantu Somali stews in Hill Top and Brazilian charred meat in Upper Arlington. Now it’s Charmaine’s turn. As a final gift to Edible Columbus before retiring from this column, Charmaine will share her favorite childhood dish: a meal her beloved grandmother, Tan Suet Ho, used to make for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Until the age of 6, Charmaine grew up in a small three-story town house in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Originally of Chinese descent, her great grandparents emigrated to Malaysia from the Fujian province in China. While her mother supported the family as a TV producer, Charmaine spent her days playing with her grandmother, dining on simple home-cooked meals and sampling the local lineup of street foods. Tan Suet Ho, to whom Charmaine loving referred as Poh Poh, was an unusual mix of high fashion and elderly responsibility. She always “smelled somewhere between Chanel and mothballs,” her granddaughter recalls. In her earlier years, she had been a seamstress and a quite fashionable widow, but by the time she was taking care of Charmaine,

Consuming the Thousand-Year Egg With the bravado of Indiana Jones, I launched into Charmaine’s house ready to savor my spoils. I would eat the egg. I would eat all of the eggs. And then… Charmaine actually opened the preserved egg. The pallid green stained shell was quickly outdone by a gleaming, almost gem-like gelatinous mass. Charmaine, palpably excited to start on one of her favorite tastes, gleefully sliced into the sulphuric orb to reveal a slightly runny, bluish, greenish interior. “Absolutely not,” I thought. “I just cannot eat that.”

“Now you have to try this,” Charmaine beckoned, as she whipped together farm-fresh chicken eggs. “I am going to add a few slices of the century egg and a few slices of salted duck egg to the mixture,” she continued. When Charmaine’s parents lived in Topeka, Kansas, her mother actually made her own salted duck eggs, but the item can be easily purchased at CAM International Market. After adding a little bit of broth and soy sauce, Charmaine placed the mixture in a small metal cake pan to steam. After a quick 10 minutes, the dish was ready. We sat down, scooped the pudding on our steamed rice, and garnished with soy sauce, fried shallots and fresh cilantro. I began the day on what I thought was a great culinary adventure, but I ended it immersed in the snug comfort that takes one back to childhood. The soft sweet steamed eggs, enlivened by tiny nibbles of salt and vinegar, matched perfectly with the warm rice and crunchy shallots. As I sat on a kitchen stool, my elbows up on the table, I understood the intimacy of this dish, the reason a grandmother would make it so often, and why my dear friend would cherish it above all others.

Tamara Mann Tweel is a freelance writer and PhD candidate in American History at Columbia University.

As if holding a precious white truffle, my friend tenderly exhibited the egg slices on a white plate. “You have to try it,” she urged. “Start from the outside and then work your way in.” “The inside,” she insisted, “has a wonderful flavor, like a soft mild brie cheese. And the outside is almost like Jell-O.” OK, I like cheese—any cheese really— and who doesn’t like Jell-O? So, I ate the egg—I ate the runny black egg. And, it was actually good, almost familiar in its earthy tender give.

Born and raised in New York City, Tamara comes from a boisterous clan of exploratory eaters with two passions: family and food. She is excited to bring this spirit to Columbus and discover the many world traditions that are being recreated within our city. Her culinary writing has appeared in such publications as

The Washington Post, Icons of American Cooking and Museum. Charmaine Sutton is a designer with an obsession for all things food-related. With a background in magazines and architecture, she spends her days honing her skills as a marketer of architecture. As a recent transplant to

Where to Find a Thousand-Year Egg and Salted Duck Egg CAM International Market Olentangy Plaza, 889 Bethel Road, Columbus, OH 43214 614-442-1888

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Columbus, she enjoys exploring towns with her husband in search of the perfect bowl of noodles.

For meals, Charmaine would often wait by the stairs while Poh Poh steamed together a fresh chicken egg, a salted duck egg and a thousand-year egg.

My grandmother used to cook simple but tasty dishes. This custardy steamed egg dish was no exception. Made with just eggs and water, she could throw this together in minutes. Sometimes she would add ground pork or salted duck eggs, but mostly she kept it simple. She always served this with a heaping mound of

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Charmaine Sutton

steamed rice, which I would stir together to create a savory rice pudding like dish.

Egg Three Ways Water for steamer

Bring water to a boil in a steamer.

2 chicken eggs 1 salted duck egg (optional) 1 century egg (optional) 1 cup hot broth (or water) A dash of soy sauce

In a bowl, whisk chicken eggs together. While whisking, slowly pour in the hot broth. Cut the duck salted duck egg and the century egg into small cubes. Mix into whisked eggs. Transfer to a metal dish (a cake pan works well for this) and steam on medium heat until the center is just firm (you should be able to jiggle it with the pan)â&#x20AC;&#x201D;about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from steamer, serve over steamed rice, garnished with soy sauce, fried shallots, cilantro and green onion. Additionally, you can add other meats, ground pork, chicken or seafood. Just add ingredients to the egg mixture before putting in the steamer.

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Ohioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Cheese Women

By Jean Mackenzie Photos by Laura Watilo Blake Illustration by Kyllea Kerg

SPRING 2013

When I first noticed the number of women making artisan cheese in Ohio, it was 2008 and there were six of us. Just a few short years later, now out of the 18 artisan cheesemakers in Ohio, 16 of them are women!

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cross the county, we have all witnessed the rise of female chefs, vintners and brewers. Women have made names for themselves in each of these businesses that have historically been dominated by men. Now we are seeing a rise in the number of women who have made their move into the cheesemaking arena and are crafting amazing cheeses. There is a gentle, natural rhythm inherent in agriculture. The four seasons and working with livestock force you to slow down and find that special tempo. Each of us has embraced this lifestyle, which is reflected in our lives and our products. Some of us use a single-milk cheese of cow, goat or sheep, while others use blended milks. And, because of the variation of terroir across the state, we are all producing cheeses that possess wonderfully different characteristics. We are a small but passionate group. We own small-batch creameries, every one of which is very different, ranging from farmstead to urban, but we have each found that perfect blend of art and science. We are all women who enjoy the solitary time in our make rooms, alone with our work, gently working the curds into delectable cheeses. But many of us also enjoy the energized, almost party atmosphere of the farmers markets where we have developed lasting friendships with our customers and other vendors. Most importantly, as a group, Ohio’s women cheesemakers are making some of the finest cheese in the country.

Becoming a Cheesemaker Different roads have led each of us to this wonderful profession. For me, it came quite late in life. I was 61, had raised three children, had a career in residential real estate and then headed up the real estate division of a local land conservancy. During vacation in May 2007, I took a cheesemaking class through the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture (PASA). It was an epiphany. I suddenly knew that this was what I was supposed to do with my life. I also knew that I had a very small window of time. My partner, Jim Zella, and I went about converting the lower level of our barn from livestock stalls to meet the specifications of the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA). In four short months the facility was completed, licensed and I was making cheese.

Shortly after I had received my processing license from the ODA, my neighbor, Andy Luckay, who grew up next door to my farm, asked if I had time to take a walk on the property. We walked south through the woods to the southeast corner of the farm where two deep, spring-fed ravines converge and a small stream runs year-round. When we got to a particular place, Andy stopped and, looking all around, asking me if I knew where we were. I was standing in a rather deep part of the ravine with stone walls on three sides and the stream was gently running over my Muck boots. It was pleasantly cool and the humidity that was produced by the stream was captured by the stone walls. With a twinkle in his eye, Andy told me that we were standing in what was once one of the area’s many cheese factories, back in the 1800s. It was the perfect setting for making cheese. The spring water would have kept the space at a constant 56° year-round with a humidity level of about 90%, the exact requirements for an aging room.

The Road We’ve Traveled According to the National Historical Cheesemaking Center, the role of women in cheesemaking goes back to the 17th century, when the art of cheesemaking was introduced to North America by the English dairy farmers who brought their knowledge of dairy farming and cheesemaking with them from the Old World to the colonies. In those days, women were the primary cheesemakers. From the 17th century until the early 19th century, cheesemaking in America was almost entirely farmstead centered, primarily in New England. It was the role of the women to make cheese using their traditional Old World techniques. Milking the cows, hauling the milk, churning the butter and processing the cheese were all a part of the duties performed by women on the farm in early America. The role of women in cheesemaking decreased significantly after the birth of the “cheese factory,” but it would be impossible to tell any realistic story of cheese in America without paying tribute to the countless contributions made to the industry by America’s pioneering women.

Ohio played a significant role in the history of cheesemaking. In the mid to late 1800s cheese companies sprang up all over Ohio, from Aurora to Wellington. Most of these were cheese factories. The Silver Creek Cheese Factory in Aurora alone was producing and shipping more than a million pounds of cheese a year all over the country. By the late 19th century, Aurora residents produced and shipped more cheese than any other community in the entire world. Laura Chenel is considered the matriarch and leading forerunner of women cheesemakers in the United States. She started her business in the late 1970s in the Carneros region of California’s Sonoma County and sold her fabulous chèvre to restaurateurs such as Alice Waters of Chez Panisse. Laura was part of the original pioneering group of women who turned America on to the wonders of goat cheese. Allison Hooper of Vermont Butter and Cheese, along with Mary Keehn of Cypress Groves (California), Judy Schad of Capriole Farms (Indiana) and Paula Lambert of the Mozzarella Co. (Texas) followed Laura Chenel’s lead and in the 1980s launched the artisan cheesemaking movement across the country. Ohio was fortunate to have experienced the amazing talent of Anne Hauser, our matriarch of farmstead goat cheese. Anne produced her highly sought after chèvre across Ohio from 1986 to 1996. She was a one-woman show doing everything from milking her does and birthing their kids to tracking breeding records, handling sales and marketing, driving deliveries and taking her cheese to farmers market each week. All the while, Anne was making her amazing cheese that provided fresh local chèvre to some of the top chefs in the state, the likes of Parker Bosley. As cheesemakers, we do not look at ourselves as competitors but rather as a group of people with the same passion who have come together to support the business of cheesemaking in Ohio and across the country. This is a vibrant, growing business filled with wonderful people who are doing exciting things. Each year new American cheeses are created that are winning recognition at major competitions across the country. The future is bright and it is an incredibly exciting time to be in the business of making Ohio cheese.

A collection of enterprising female cheesemakers from all over Ohio gathered last July at Tim Gallatin Farm in Seville: FRONT ROW (L to R): Ellen and Corinne Henslee of Yellow House Cheese; Susan Morris of Mayfield Road Creamery; Gayla Fritzhand of JZN Goat Farm; and Sylvia Zimmerman of Fulton Creek Jersey Cheese. MIDDLE ROW (L to R): Celeste Nolan of Laurel Valley Creamery with her son Harlan; Mariann Janosko of Lake Erie Creamery; Jean Mackenzie of Mackenzie Creamery; Lisa Sippel of Kokoborrego Cheese Company with her daughter Miriam; and Angel King of Blue Jacket Dairy with her daughter Sarah. BACK ROW (L to R): Abbe Turner of Lucky Penny Creamery; Michelle Gorman of Integration Acres; and Kristyn Henslee of Yellow House Cheese.

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Ohio is incredibly fortunate to have 16 amazing women cheesemakers, making cheeses that rival anything from France or anywhere else. Behind each of these wonderful women there is a great story and I’m delighted to give you a quick peek.

COLONIAL CLASSICS FARMSTEAD CHEESE

FULTON CREEK JERSEY CHEESE IN RICHWOOD

IN SCIO

Sylvia Zimmerman, Cheesemaker

Kebria Dye, Cheesemaker

937.348.2633 • FultonCreekJerseyCheese.com

740.945.2079 • LocalHarvest.org/Colonial-

Fulton Creek Jersey Cheese grew out of an

Classics-Farmstead-Cheese-M45280

idea that a bit of the good life is released

Inspired by the cheesemaking stories and

when one works in harmony with the land and

techniques of her 105-year-old grandmother,

its fruits. And nothing is more fruitful that the

Kebriai Dye set out to create farm products of

Jersey cow! Hans Havarti, Erasmus (Edam), Churchill

yesteryear with all the purity and natural nutrition that people once took for granted but

Cheddar, Grommet Cheddar, Van Gouda, Joe

had become hard to find. Her creamery, one

Peppertome (Pyrenees), Clove Tomme

of the longest-licensed artisan creameries in

(Pyrenees), Colby, Monterrey Jack with red

BLUE JACKET DAIRY IN BELLEFONTAINE

Ohio, employs old-style methods of animal

peppers, Moor or Leicester. Coming soon: Bold

Angel King, Cheesemaker

husbandry as well as classic methods for pro-

Blue Cheese and Parmesan

937.292.7327 • BlueJacketDairy.com

ducing handmade cheddar cheese of varying

Around 1777, the famous Ohio Indian Chief

degrees of sharpness and flavor. They use no

Blue Jacket built a settlement in Bellefontaine

antibiotics, pesticides or hormones and make

Michelle Gorman, Cheesemaker

and a local creek was given his name. That

grass-fed, all-natural, handmade raw milk

740.698.2124 • IntegrationAcres.com

creek runs through the property where Angel

cheddar cheese.

At Integration Acres, Michelle Gorman runs

King makes cheese from the milk of Holstein

Small Batch Cheddar

INTEGRATION ACRES IN ALBANY

both a farmstead goat dairy and a company

cows and Saanen goats, inspiring her to

that is the world’s largest processor of the

choose the name for her creamery. In fact,

pawpaw, a delicious fruit that looks like a

many of her cheeses are named after loca-

short, fat banana. The fruit’s fragrant aroma,

tions or people from her area.

custardy texture and tropical taste evoke

Fresh Cheese Curd, Gretna Grilling and Ludlow (aged)

banana cream pie for some people, and it’s a nutritional powerhouse, with high antioxi-

Chèvre, Farmhouse Feta, Mozzarella and Houtz (aged)

dants, a good balance of amino acids, and more vitamin C, minerals, protein, fiber and carbohydrates than apples, peaches and

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LAUREL VALLEY CREAMERY IN GALLIPOLIS Celeste Nolan, Cheesemaker 740.853.1331 • LaurelValleyCreamery.com Celeste is the alpha cow milker, cheesemaker and head cook. She likes frozen coffee, homemade yogurt, lists, little voices and being in charge. She dislikes mud, dishes and matching socks. Gallaswiss, Cora, Havarti, Jersey Drover, Fresh Cheddar Curds, Country Jack, Cloverton, Cheddar and Aphrocheesiac (a wonderful soft, spreadable snack)

LUCKY PENNY CREAMERY IN KENT Abbe Turner, Cheesemaker 330.572.7550 • LuckyPennyFarm.com

KOKOBORREGO CHEESE IN MOUNT GILEAD

Abbe raises Nubian, La Mancha and Alpine

Lisa Sippel, Cheesemaker

Dairy Goats on her farm in Garrettsville, Ohio,

419.560.3559 • Kokoborrego.com

where she makes artisan goat and sheep milk

Lisa Sippel of Kokoborrego Cheese was Ohio’s

cheeses as well as such products as

first licensed farmstead sheep milk producer.

caramelized goat milk sauce and goal milk

She also produces several artisan cow milk

soap. She treasures her way of life at the

cheeses. Her efforts to become a world-class

creamery and farm, where she lives with her

maker of naturally aged, raw milk cheeses has

children and husband, Anderson, as well as

garnered her the American Cheese Society

the goats and gardens, finding her time there

grapes. When she first started working with

award for her Owl Creek raw sheep milk

most centering, meaningful and memorable.

pawpaw trees, Michelle realized that her goats

cheese. The name of her cheese company is

didn’t eat the leaves, making it easy to inte-

derived from the moniker of the Kokosing

grate the animals into the orchards, where

River, which begins in cold springs around the

they keep down the weeds while fertilizing the

area of the farm. Combined with borrego, a

ground. Eventually Integration Farms made

Spanish word for sheep, you get the mel-

the jump from grazing goats to milking them

lifluous name, Kokoborrego.

and Feta

Chèvre, The Smoky Goat, Griffin’s Dream,

Jean Mackenzie, Cheesemaker 440.226.0772 • MackenzieCreamery.com Local. Sustainable. Quality. Healthy. Those

Owl Creek

Charred Marshmallow, Percy’s Blue, Alexander Tomme, Feta, Gouda, Chase Cheddar, Romano. Coming soon: a beer-smeared cheese is in the works but it’s still aging! Snow Melt (aged), Gouda raw milk (aged), Milk cheddar, Milk tomme

four words best describe Jean’s farm and 7.

creamery, where she lives with her partner,

LAKE ERIE CREAMERY IN CLEVELAND

Jim Zella, and produces her award-winning

Mariann Janosko, Cheesemaker

goat cheese. Jean garnered 10 national

216.961.9222 • LakeErieCreamery.com

awards in her first four years, with two of her

This small creamery, located in urban Cleveland, specializes in handmade artisan goat milk cheese. Mariann, the founder, always

JZN GOAT FARM IN WEST UNION Gayla Fritzhand, Cheesemaker 937.544.6735 JZN Goat Farm is 126 acres of rolling hills, including a lazy winding creek. They have restored the historic bank barn that was built in the late 1800s. The farm is a licensed creamery producing raw goat milk aged cheeses. Cheese sales by appointment; please phone ahead. Aged goat cheese

Feta and Ricotta

10. MACKENZIE CREAMERY IN HIRAM

Headwaters Tomme & Moraine

and getting licensed to make cheese!

Chèvre (including one with local honey)

wanted to be a farmer so she might link the gifts of the land with the joys of the table. Her Blomma took the 2008 Grand Prize for Dairy at the Gallo Family Vineyards Gold Medal Awards! She recently sold her creamery to Brian Moran, who is intent on sustaining the artisan nature of

Society competition, commonly referred to as “the Oscars for cheesemakers”! Mackenzie Creamery also received the 2011 COSE Ten Under 10 Award and the 2011 Portage County Environmental Award for running a green and sustainable business. In addition to an amazing array of chevre flavors, including Sweet Fire, Black Truffle and Wasabi Sesame,

Lake Erie Creamery cheese. Blomma, Caerphilly, Fresh Chèvre, Feta, Fromage Blanc, Grana and Tomme

cheeses tying at the 2011 American Cheese

Jean also produces goat milk caramel sauce. Chèvre in more than a dozen flavors including Sweet Fire, Black Truffle and Wasabi Sesame; Ricotta and Baby Buche (aged)

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11. MAYFIELD ROAD CREAMERY IN ORWELL

13. OSAGE LANE CREAMERY IN PATASKALA

Susan Morris, Cheesemaker

Emma Stout, Cheesemaker

Jill Proudfoot, Cheesemaker

440.437.8754 • MayfieldRoadCreamery.com

740.739.1525

419.335.0224 • TurkeyFootCreek.com

Susan and Kevin Morris are the fifth generation

Emma bought her first milking goat to help out

Good fortune has given Jill Proudfoot and her

of Morrises on their farm. In 2007 they decided

an acquaintance with cancer who needed a

uncle, Del Burkholder, a sense of who they

to diversify the farm business. They attended

purer food. Not having even a milking stan-

are in relation to a place and the wildness

an intense cheesemaking seminar presented

chion, she started milking “Josie” by tying the

around them and respect for the animals that

by their local OSU Extension office taught by

goat to a gate. About 20 years later, she and

demand and give so much and for the ex-

world-renowned cheesemaker Peter Dixon of

her husband, Tom, bought a whole herd,

acting craft of cheesemaking. They produce

Putney, Vermont. Afterwards, they built their

along with all the equipment, and built a new

their farmstead artisan cheeses using sus-

small onsite creamery next to the barn. As

barn on their property for their goats. But the

tainable farming practices at their state-of-the-

master cheesemaker, Susan carefully makes

company that had been buying all of their milk

art, certified-organic facility in Wauseon, Ohio.

all her specialty raw milk cheeses by hand and

decided the shipping distance was too great

Every drop of milk that goes into their

ages them with an ever-watchful eye.

and the cost too high, and stopped buying.

handmade fresh, ripened and aged goat

Suddenly, Emma found herself with 1,000 to

cheeses comes from their own herd, which

Smoked), Mayfield Blue, Bloomfield, Siberian

3,000 pounds per milk a week and no buyer

eats natural forages from the farm. Their

Night and Markko Gouda (soaked with Markko

for it. That’s when she and Tom decided to

Gouda is made in 5- and 10-pound wheels,

Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon grapes)

build their own cheese plant. “It’s been a wild

placed in a brine, coated with wax and placed

ride but we love it!” says Emma. Their feta is

in a cheese cave to age.

Havarti, Gouda (Chipotle, Aged and

12. ORNERY GOAT FARM IN EDINBURG

flavored with everything from blueberries and

330.612.2184 • OrneryGoat.com

lemon to cranberries and cinnamon to horse-

In 2002, Debbie acquired two goats, in-

radish and tomatoes.

tending to enjoy the milk at home. When the

Feta

herd grew, she found making cheese was a great way to use all the milk her goats were

Gouda, Chèvre, Feta and Curds

16. YELLOW HOUSE CHEESE IN SEVILLE Kristyn Henslee, Cheesemaker 330.769.9733 • YellowHouseCheese.com

14. STAR DANCER CREAMERY IN SPRINGFIELD

Yellow House Cheese is named after the

producing. In 2004, she and her husband,

Sondra Guenther, Cheesemaker

yellow house where Kristyn and her family live

Ed, moved themselves and the herd to a

937.207.9859

and make their farmstead cheeses. They were

private farmstead nestled in the middle of 51

Sondra did not grow up on a farm. Her first

the second licensed farmstead sheep milk

wooded acres in Edinburg Township,

cow, a surprise gift from her children, arrived

producer in Ohio. Their sheep milk cheese is

Ravenna, Ohio. They started building a dairy

as a month-old calf named “Star Fawn.”

made from the milk of their mixed herd of

and creamery in 2007 and a year later,

When Sondra acquired more cows, she

Dorset, Friesian and South African Meat

Debbie received her producer and processor

started the tradition of using the word “star”

Merino sheep. Their cow milk cheeses are ar-

licenses from the Ohio Department of Agri-

as part of each animal’s name, and so Star

tisan and made with milk from pasture-grazed

culture, becoming the first licensed Grade A

Dancer seemed to be the perfect name for her

Jerseys. All of their cheeses are raw milk,

goat milk dairy and creamery in Ohio. Her

dairy. Her Grade A operation specializes in

small batch, blue cheeses.

herd consists of registered Saanen and

happy Jersey and Jersey/Holstein cows who

LaMancha goats. She knows most of them by

give great milk. Her creamery offers cow milk,

name—unless they choose to be ‘Ornery.’

yogurt and flavored smoothies.

Debbie’s cheeses and fudge are made by hand in small batches using only the milk she produces on the farm. She also sells bottled eggnog, goat milk and goat milk soap. Soft goat cheese, Fresh feta, Marinated fresh feta, Whole milk ricotta and Queso fresco

15. TURKEYFOOT CREEK CREAMERY IN WAUSEON

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Yogurt cheese upon request

Yellow House Blue and Flock’s Choice King’s Castle and Blue Cow

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t’s 9:15 on a Saturday morning in Athens, Ohio, and I shiver as an autumn wind blasts down from the rust-colored hills, rattling this small tent city that is the Athens Farmers Market.

Summer is dead and this late-September day marks the turning point more noticeable for what isn’t here than what is. The usual warm-weather glut of tomatoes, zucchini, berries and peaches has been replaced with melon, squash, grapes of all varieties and pumpkins. Ranchers unload large coolers of protein in the form of local lamb, rabbit, chicken, duck, pork, beef and bison. Suddenly, everyone stops working to stare at the old blue truck approaching. On the back of its bed stands what looks like a giant faded-blue Jacuzzi and six young men. “Oh no,” shouts one farmer. “It’s shrimp day and I forgot m’darn cooler.” The vendors now scramble for bags, boxes and coolers and rush to form a line at the truck to buy the preferred commodity of the day: locally raised freshwater scampi, also known as the giant Malaysian river, or blue claw, prawn. Early customers scamper though the parking lot zeroing in on the truck, their heads bobbing above car tops like prairie dogs. There’s even a guy with what looks like an aquarium heading towards me. This frenzied morning is the beginning of what is known erroneously as “Shrimp Day,” and is the only time of the year that Hocking College of Aquaculture bestows the fruits of their labor on the people of Athens. The giant tub on the truck contains hundreds of freshwater prawns harvested from the cloudy ponds near Lake Snowden that will sell out within an hour.

Pond to Table

A look at aquaculture in Athens, Ohio By John Gutekanst Photography by Sarah Warda

Mike Miltner and Stacey Priest are now in charge of the aquaculture school and direct the setup of scales, tables, nets and ice. They are accompanied by Lloyd Wright, retired professor of aquaculture who has served at Hocking College since 1991. This is the only fish management and aquaculture program in Ohio and, in recent years, the enrollment has increased with half its graduates ending up in the private sector. “The interest in aquaculture as a business has really grown in the last five years,” Geoff Roche, retired fish technician, told me later. “The Ohio Aquaculture Society is the biggest entity involved with fish and prawn production here and the Ohio State University extension at Piketon has been a major force in promoting aquaculture in all its aspects.” Lloyd, who looks like John Wayne, is pragmatic about the larger picture. “Aquaculture is the future because it’s all a matter of protein,” he says. “The United States is a wealthy country with a lot of land, we’ve been able to afford to give up 10 pounds of grain to produce one pound of beef protein but this won’t always be the case. Growing fish as a sustainable resource takes only one pound of grain to produce one pound of fish.” Lloyd is quick to point out the wasteful and inefficient ways we raise protein. He is a veritable encyclopedia of how we interact with our world and the future prospects for aquaculture. “First, the demand for fish must change. In

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the U.S., our protein source in order of preference has been beef, pork, poultry and fish. That’s the opposite of most other nations in the world.” John Gutekanst is owner of Avalanche Pizza in Athens, Ohio. He has won numerous national and international awards for both culinary expertise and food writing, and

Prawn life cycle The prawn starts its larval stage in brackish water but spends its adult life in fresh water, with some reaching more than 12 inches long. Raising them in Ohio is tricky and all depends on temperature. The prawns have to be harvested before the water temperature reaches 65°F. , but if temperatures go below that, the prawns will fade and die. In warmer climes such as Asia, prawns can be raised year round and sold at different intervals, which means year-round sales.

was selected to appear in Best

Food Writing 2012. He is a decorated Naval Air-

borne veteran and lives in Athens with his wife and children.

The aquaculture center at Lake Snowden is where the prawns start their short life; a constant flow of water feeds the tanks in a large warehouse. Outside, seven ponds accommodate the adult prawns as well as yellow perch, shrimp, catfish, crappie, bluegill, redear (a form of bluegill) and largemouth bass. Last year the Lake Snowden facility harvested 450 pounds of prawn in less than a half acre of water. Now that’s a lot of shrimp cocktail. A major portion of the freshwater prawns’ gross bulk is in the head. After grilling, I spoon out the pink-orange “tomalley” which acts as the prawn’s liver and pancreas and tastes like a creamy lobster bisque. This is an acquired taste and drives my kids crazy, but I hate to waste flavor. The taste of the prawn’s tail meat is more like lobster than shrimp because they lack the iodine so prevalent in saltwater shrimp.. This eliminates that “shrimpy tang” in the flavor profile. I just love the texture and that freaky feeling that I’m eating seafood raised 500 miles from the nearest ocean. One of my favorite prawn dishes is Thai prawn soup. First, remove the shells, de-vein and sauté the tails quickly for only three minutes and set aside. Carefully take just the middle jacket off of a few, leaving the head, and carefully sauté (this makes a killer garnish!). Crush the shells of the heads, claws and bodies in a soup pan on high, heat with peanut oil, garlic, ginger and lemongrass until the flavors infuse. Add sake or wine, toasted sesame oil and a mirepoix (chopped carrot, onion and celery) and reduce with chopped tomato, chicken stock or clam juice, and coconut milk. Before serving, add bean sprouts, Thai basil, fresh cilantro and chopped scallions or spicy peppers. This soup is so good; it’s worth waiting in line on “Shrimp Day.” Despite being one of the poorest counties in Ohio, Athens is lucky to have such forward-thinking institutions such as Hocking College. Educating young people about aquaculture is a great investment in our future. Hopefully, common sense will eventually win out over nearsightedness, forcing our growing population to see the logic in aquaculture as a premium source of protein. Maybe not in our lifetime, but probably in our children’s.

Prawns being sold at the Athens Farmers Market

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Scaling L Down

et’s consider a shrimp nursery that’s nestled unassumingly among red barns and vast expanses of flat land in New London, Ohio, about 40 miles from Lake Erie. Bob Calala’s humble above-ground tanks, which are powered by two rotating fans and illuminated by only a few fluorescent lights, have become a resource for Ohioans seeking local seafood.

By Helene York

Seafood could become the next frontier for locavores—whether farmed shrimp in Ohio or black cod in Southern California. But what is “local seafood,” exactly?

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But there’s a catch: Bob’s brood stock is from Asia; does that mean his shrimp aren’t local? What about albacore tuna—famously far and fast swimmers—that are caught several hundred miles off the shore of Washington. Is that local if you live in Portland? These aren’t simple questions, and they have vexed me for years. But part of my job for Bon Appétit Management Company is to figure out purchasing policies for our chefs that can help them navigate these murky waters. Several committed chefs and I worked with a fisheries scientist to develop a program we called Fish to Fork, in honor of the Farm to Fork program Bon Appétit began in 1999. The issues we wrestled with, and the national guidelines we released in response last year, might be useful for local-loving home cooks.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HELENE YORK

The challenges of trying to bring home a truly local fish

For years, commodity-hog and feed-corn growing was by far the dominant economic activity in this rural area. Now, many family farmers have switched to growing shrimp spawned at this hatchery in self-contained ponds. No one mourns the lakes of pig poop and nitrogen fertilizer runoff they replaced. The mature shrimp are now a prized late-summer feature in Ohio food, flavored by the minerals in freshwater ponds and the labors of local folk, much like the pumpkins and edamame harvested from the soil at the same time. The taste of never-frozen freshwater shrimp simply can’t be beat.

Fishing closer to home Few Americans think much about fish, period, let alone local fish. As a nation, we consume little seafood—an average of 17 pounds of prepared seafood per person per year (less than four ounces per week), compared to 184 pounds of chicken, turkey, beef and pork. Of that, 80% is shrimp (mostly farmed in Asia), canned tuna, salmon and mild whitefish varieties such as wild pollock and farmed tilapia. With a strange exception for tuna, we don’t like our fish to taste “fishy.” Put another way, flavorlessness—as in fish “sticks”—is considered a virtue. Bon Appétit has come up with some specific Fish to Fork guidelines for our chefs, but the general principles are perhaps more important:

Flavor matters Lots of fish look the same once filleted, but the subtle flavors of lesser-known species can be profound. Take striped mullet from off the Virginia coast. Green-listed by Seafood Watch, it used to be a familiar white fish until easy-togrow tilapia conquered supermarkets. Croaker is another regional Southeastern fish enjoyed by relatively few people today. Both are competitively priced and knock the flavor socks off tilapia (which we affectionately think of as “tofufish”—and that’s an insult to good tofu’s subtle flavor nuances). Recently I asked our chefs about the seafood they ate as children. They shared memories about wild Gulf shrimp on the tip of Texas (“sweeter than ice cream”), Dungeness crab in San Francisco (“it’s not Christmas Eve without it”) and porgies off North Carolina shores (“the taste of real fish”)— all of which are still available. Like strawberries in summer, the notion of peak-season fish is powerful for those lucky enough to have tasted it.

Sustainability matters Then there’s the not-so-small matter of sustainability. Edible readers probably know that if you were to check the seafood choices available at most mainstream supermarkets against marine science sustainability lists, many would come up “avoid,” due to serious environmental problems with the way the fish is farmed or fished. The reason, simply, is that most supermarkets—and distributors who sell to restaurants—sell commodity seafood, popular species from very-large-scale fisheries or fish farms. Sustainability, though possible, gets compromised by other priorities, like consistently bringing large quantities to market. A tuna boat can haul in 800 metric tons or more in a single purse seine net. “Tuna is too cheap,” says one tuna company executive. Conservationists couldn’t agree more.

Scale matters, too Marine biologist Daniel Pauly and his colleagues at the University of British Columbia have shown that smaller fishing vessels are more likely to keep fisheries viable. With proper regulatory monitoring and support, small boats tend to haul in fish at sustainable rates, employ more people in meaningful work and use less energy in total to catch equal quantities overall as larger boats. Small-boat fishermen on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts also tend to use much less destructive gear to haul in their catch than do larger ships trawling the open sea, vacuuming everything in their wake.

chefs) have introduced responsibly raised new species into the marketplace and are helping revitalize rural communities. In addition to netting unsustainable quantities of fish, industrial-scale fishing operations reduce the long-term resiliency of our food systems, and their aquafarming counterparts focus on too narrow a variety of species. Over-fishing oceans (or lakes) sharply reduces one favored species, such as sharks, causing others like jellyfish to thrive where previously they were all kept in balance. But just as with produce, simply knowing the faces and names of our fishermen and women doesn’t mean we know that their methods do no harm. “Small-scale” and “local” aren’t necessarily good proxies for healthy ecosystems. Small-scale fishermen typically deploy non-industrial-sized boats and equipment that don’t seem damaging. Yet when a lot of damage has been done to a fishing area, sometimes the best medicine is “No more fishing now!” not “Well, just a little is probably OK.…” Unfortunately, you often can’t just consult your handy seafood wallet card or smart phone app. The major independent marine-science organizations, including Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program and the Blue Ocean Institute, don’t assess most “artisanal” (small-scale) fisheries, like North Carolina’s Red Drum population. They simply don’t have the staff power to research all 32,000 of them. State fish and game departments are chronically understaffed and unable to provide data. We’re partnering with Seafood Watch to assess some of the fisheries we’d like to buy from in the future, but meaningful information is a few years away. In the meantime, we’re sticking with species that are favorably rated.

Energy matters a lot The concept of “food miles” can be deceptive. Some restaurant chefs think nothing of buying “sustainable fish” flown halfway around the world, even though air-freighting is the most carbon-intensive way to get a fresh fish to a consumer’s plate. If fresh regional fish starts to supplant jet-fresh varieties, we will achieve a massive environmental victory. As we attempt to rebuild robust regional foodsheds, we shouldn’t ignore seafood. The variety of flavors is endless for both wild and aquaculture species (think oysters). For many home cooks, this will mean learning to cut and use the whole fish—not just fillets—much like the whole-animal movement is teaching us to do with meat. And just as the local food movement has made farming and ranching enticing to young people, a local fish movement could revitalize traditional careers such as fishing and create promising new businesses such as sustainable aqua-farming. There’s still a long way to go before Ohio shrimp and Florida amberjack star on local menus and dinner tables, but once you taste local fish in season, you’ll be hooked.

Helene York is Bon Appétit Management Company’s director of strategic sourcing and research, responsible for identifying new products and managing supply chains, reporting and supplier relations for the company’s Farm to Fork program (established in 1999), Fish to Fork program (2011) and other initiatives. She was a founding board member of the nonprofit FishChoice.com and was named a Seafood

Small-scale fish farms need our support, too. They aren’t the monsters we associate with industrial operations. Some of them (like Passmore Ranch, the sturgeon and black-bass farm beloved by Bon Appétit’s Northern California

Champion by Seafood Choices Alliance in 2010.

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food for health

For the Love of Baking W

Geri Peacock at Cherbourg Bakery is redefining the meaning of gluten-free By Colleen Leonardi Photography by Jessica Opremcak

alking into Cherbourg Bakery in Bexley on any old day is a treat for the senses. The intimacy evoked in the bakery’s tight corners, small round tables, seacolored walls and marble countertops full of baked goods offers something of an Old World European experience. You can smell the stuff of baking in the air—sugar, vanilla, butter—and watch employees mixing and preparing cookies, cakes and breads while chatting over a tray of warm lemon bars fresh out of the oven. It feels like your grandmother’s kitchen turned up a notch without forsaking any of its homespun qualities. And this is just how owner and baker Geri Peacock wants it.

The beautiful details of Cherbourg Bakery— from the baked goods, to the artful logo of a ornately dressed woman lifting bread on an old wooden paddle, to Geri’s worn copy of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking above the cream and sugar station—eclipse the fact that all of the baked goods are gluten- and nut-free. Yes, there is no gluten in those sweetly powdered madeleines or those darkchocolate cupcakes. Geri’s gluten-free journey started five years ago when her doctor diagnosed her with a gluten intolerance while pregnant with her third child. Similar to a food allergy, a gluten intolerance can cause those who have it to become sick from consuming even the smallest trace of gluten.

Above: Geri’s gluten-free madeleines

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Geri Peacock, owner and baker at Cherbourg Bakery

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, along with grains like spelt, Kamut and farro. It’s what provides the elasticity in breads, pizza dough, cakes and more.

A daily assortment of freshly baked goods at Cherbourg Bakery

the food sciences lab at the Ohio State University. Then the day came when she wanted a cleaner kitchen that was 100% gluten- and nut-free. And Cherbourg Bakery was born.

When Geri ventured out to eat in Columbus and had a hard time finding fresh, gluten-free baked goods, she realized there was a huge hole in the marketplace. While she loved to bake, she never considered owning and running a brickand-mortar bakery. “I wanted to eat well myself, so I started cooking and baking and figuring it out,” says Geri. “I went back to the theory of do what you know and do it well. Use really good ingredients, use really good butter, use really good eggs and use a really good recipe to begin with—not a recipe from a chemist, but a recipe from a baker.” Geri’s good idea to make simplicity her standard gave her enough momentum to begin selling her baked goods wholesale, first at Raisin Rack, which allowed her to sell fresh daily from the café, and then at Cup O’ Joe. She baked out of a space at

Today, just two years after setting up shop, Cherbourg is clearly a beloved neighborhood spot. Kids pour in and out after school for a cookie, couples arrive to pick up a box of baked goods for the weekend and specialty orders for cakes, cupcakes and more line the wall. “For me the joy is in seeing people enjoy it and love it and have a place where they can go and pick out anything that they want, not one or two cookies from a shelf.” This guiding principle of serving her baked goods fresh daily in small batches is what makes Geri’s product so special. And her commitment to using the best ingredients, keeping it simple and hand crafting all of her baked goods is what makes them so tempting for both the gluten and gluten-free eater alike.

“I believe less is more… if you really go back to good basics.” 56

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“In my opinion, it’s the cleanest gluten-free you can get. No preservatives, no xanthan gum, I don’t use six different flours. I only use two flours, white rice and a little bit of tapioca, and that is unheard of.” Geri smiles as she talks about how most gluten-free bakers would probably disagree with her, but she insists on keeping her recipe for gluten-free flour simple. “I believe less is more… if you really go back to good basics.” Geri sources local butter and whole milk from Hartzler’s Dairy and eggs from Johnstown, Ohio, and Holistic Acres. Cherbourg Bakery is home to 10 part-time bakers, offers cooking classes for adults and kids, sells their original gluten-free flour so you can make your own baked goods at home and plans to continue expanding at a measured pace. “At the end of the day,” Geri says, “we will grow the proper way by word of mouth.” The way Geri marries tradition with this contemporary moment, full of health crises and food allergies, without sacrificing the best of baking and without the trappings of trend makes Cherbourg a remarkable and exciting place. A gluten intolerance, or any food allergy diagnosis, could be seen by some as the end of enjoying the foods they love. For Geri, it’s as if her

Cherbourg S’more Bars Recipe courtesy of Geri Peacock Yields 12 bars

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9- by 13-inch glass baking dish.

1 cup butter (2 sticks) room temperature 1½ cups granulated sugar 2 jumbo eggs 2 teaspoons good vanilla (we use NielsenMassey) 2⅔ cups Cherbourg Bakery flour (gluten-, peanut- and tree-nut free) 1½ cups Cherbourg Bakery Ginger Snap Cookies (blended into crumbs)* 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Cherbourg S’more Bars

1½–2 cups marshmallow fluff (we only use Marshmallow Fluff brand)

gluten intolerance diagnosis truly became a carpe diem moment, and she refused to equate eating for health with eating less. Cherbourg’s menu is a testament to Geri’s skill as a baker working with a newly developed set of ratios and ingredients that, to some people, are seen as a challenge. Geri admits her love of baking goes back to her roots. She talks with great fondness of her Italian grandmother on her mother’s side. “She was an amazing baker. My grandmother understood the science of baking, which I totally aspire to. I remember watching her hands go across the piecrust and it was so amazing because she never had to look at a recipe. She went for the texture of it.” This spirit of grandparents is woven throughout the ways of Cherbourg. The name of the bakery comes from Geri’s favorite port town, Cherbourg, France, and not just because she loves it for its wholesome food and caring people. When Geri returned from a trip to Europe, glowing about her time in Cherbourg, her grandfather told her that he helped liberate Cherbourg in World War II. Stunned, Geri knew she had to name her bakery after this symbolic place for her and her family, especially after she later learned that her Hungarian grandmother escaped Europe through Cherbourg during the war, as evidenced by her passport.

“You know when there is always a surprising town where you feel like you belong?” Geri asks as we drink tea and savor madeleines on a Friday afternoon.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, add vanilla; beat well.

I nod yes and smile at the deliciousness of both her story and the fresh madeleine. I suddenly feel taken care of in all the ways good food can flood your heart with joy. And I realize that Geri has created a bakery where those who are gluten-free feel like they belong, where there is so much for them to savor and where everyone can enjoy the best of a well-baked slice of bread.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, ginger snap crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture, mixing until well combined. Separate dough into two parts. (Make 1 portion slightly larger than the other.) Press the larger portion of dough into the bottom of prepared dish. Sprinkle ½ the chocolate chips and press down into dough. Spread marsh-

“It’s about comfort food,” Geri shares. “It’s about people feeling at home.”

mallow fluff evenly over chips, sprinkle the rest of the chocolate chips over fluff.

Cherbourg Bakery 541 S. Drexel Ave., Columbus, OH 43209

Scatter remaining dough over fluff and chocolate chips; press down, leaving spaces

614-725-4560 • cherbourgbakery.com

in-between so fluff and chips are visible and uncovered. Bake for 35–40 minutes or until the edges Colleen Leonardi adores cups of tea, madeleines and the author Marcel Proust for making the little cakes so

turn golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack in order for dough to set.

memorable. She is a writer, teacher, dancer, choreographer and editor of Edible colleenleonardi.com.

Columbus. Learn more at

* Cherbourg Ginger Snap Cookies: Available for purchase in our store. Recipe is available on our blog. Or use other gluten-free ginger snap cookies available in most markets.

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in the Garden The serviceberry tree in bloom with berries on the branch

robins, cedar waxwings and at least 30 other birds. Last year the fruit ripened early and it took the birds a bit longer than usual to descend on the trees in my neighbor’s and my gardens. But a few years back a flock of cedar waxwings flew in and picked the trees clean in an afternoon. Normally, I am a stickler that botanical names be used, especially when you are trying to find a specific plant. In the case of the serviceberries, the different species are difficult to tell apart. The species and hybrids that you will most often find, and that are the best for Central Ohio, are in the group of Amelanchier laevis, A. canadensis and A. arborea. Fortunately, all produce tasty fruit. Serviceberries grow to 8’ to 20’ tall and wide and are considered to be small trees. In some cases where the planting site is similar to its preferred native conditions, a serviceberry can grow to 25’ to 30’ tall. A smaller species is the shrub-like running serviceberry (A. stolonifera). As its name indicates, it spreads via underground stolons and is best used where you have space for it to colonize an area. As a member of the rose family, serviceberries are susceptible to several foliar diseases, but if you plant them in the right place, give them a yearly dose of organic matter (hint: don’t remove the leaves that drop in the fall as they return nutrients to the soil) and water them during the hot summer for the first two to three years, then you have given them a good start. Always keep in mind that plants that are not stressed have a better chance of survival.

Full Service Serviceberry trees provide benefits in every season By Debra Knapke

“Almost perfect”

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEBRA KNAPKE

is an apt description for our native serviceberry. It is a plant that marks the seasons. The names shadblow and serviceberry arose because of its April profusion of white, lightly fragrant blooms. They signaled that the shad were ready to run the rivers, and that the mountain passes were open to the itinerant preachers who would be making the rounds to conduct services in remote areas. Juneberry tells you when you can expect to add the deep purple fruits to your diet. Few plants offer as much pleasure and abundance, not only for us but also for wildlife. Michael Dirr, who wrote the well-known Manual of Ornamental Landscape Plants of woody plants used for years by landscape and horticulture students, perhaps said it best: “To my mind and stomach, a serviceberry pie is the rival of the best blueberry pie.” While I have not personally tasted a serviceberry pie, I can say that these luscious berries make a delicious muffin, and they perfectly complement my breakfast of yogurt and granola. Imagine the flavors of cherry and blueberry combined in one fruit. However, there is a catch: We are not the only animals that await the ripening berries. These fruits are also the favorite of

If you were to take a walk in the woods you would find serviceberries nestled in the edges of different habitats: just upland of rivers and swamps, at the boundary where woods open up to the prairie and on open woody slopes that are oriented toward the sun. These edges are places of activity and diversity. Serviceberries offer nectar to honey bees and to our native pollinators in April, and fruit to birds and squirrels in late May to June. In the winter they may become food for small mammals, which chew on the bark to survive. In our landscapes the serviceberry’s favored habitats translate to moist but well-drained locations—no wet feet, please—with soil that contains at least 5% organic matter. A soil test will tell you how much organic matter you have in your soil, but it hardly ever hurts to give your plants a two- to three-inch cover of leaf compost when you plant them. Hardwood mulches will also contribute to the organic matter in the soil while inhibiting weed growth and preventing water loss during drought conditions. Its fruit is good to eat, it’s native, but why else would you want to include this tree in your garden or landscape? Designers search for that holy grail of plants: one that offers four seasons of interest and is “low maintenance.” Serviceberries are beautiful all year round: from spring flowers to summer fruit and a soft green presence, to a glory of scarlet in the fall and attractively striped bark in the winter. All things considered, this is an almost perfect plant.

Debra Knapke is a teacher, lecturer, garden designer, photographer and gardener. Her gardens are eclectic combinations of trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals that she has stuffed into ⅔ of an acre. She is the co-author of five books and is a Heartland Gardener: heartland-gardening.com.

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Scioto Gardens 3351 State Route 37 West, Delaware, OH 43015 740-363-8264 • sciotogardens.com

Serviceberry Muffins Recipe courtesy of Debra Knapke 1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 cup sugar (I scant this—it is closer to ¾ cup.) 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt

Baker’s Acres Greenhouse

½ teaspoon cinnamon

3388 Castle Road, Alexandria, OH 43001

½ cup soy milk

740-924-6525 • bakersacresgreenhouse.com

½ cup canola oil 1 egg

Worthington Landscape Co. 7765 Mitchell-Dewitt Road, Plain City, OH 43064 614-873-3600

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly butter 12 muffin cups.

1 cup unbleached white flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Mix well. Make a well in the dry ingredients, and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix slightly, add serviceberries and then fold ingredients to combine. * Spoon batter into prepared pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove muffins from pan after 5 minutes and cool on wire racks. These muffins freeze well.

2 cups fresh serviceberries Notes: * The secret to muffins is not to over-mix them. I use a sturdy spatula, and use a “folding” movement instead of stirring. To increase fiber and protein, add flax seed meal and quinoa flakes to the dry ingredients: 1 tablespoon flax seed meal and 2 teaspoon quinoa flakes.

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Local nurseries where you can find serviceberry trees this spring:

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North Market* northmarket.com

Snowville Creamery* snowvillecreamery.com

Bexley Natural Market* bexleynaturalmarket.org Bird’s Haven Farms* birdshavenfarms.com Bluescreek Farm Meats* bluescreekfarmmeats.com Cambridge Tea House* cambridgeteahouse.com Canal Junction Cheese canaljunctioncheese.com Chadwick Arboretum chadwickarboretum.osu.edu Columbus State Community College* cscc.edu Cooley’s Greenhouse cooleysgreenhouse.net Crepes A La Carte* rosa@rosahuff.com Dave Fox Design-Build Remodelers* davefox.com Dine Originals dineoriginalscolumbus.com Franklin Heating & Refrigeration franklinheating.com Green B.E.A.N. Delivery* greenbeandelivery.com Greener Grocer* thegreenergrocer.com Gruntz gruntzllc.com

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The Angry Baker* theangrybakerote.com The Going Green Store* thegoinggreenstore.com The Hills Market* thehillsmarket.com The Oilerie* oilerie.com The Velvet Ice Cream Company velveticecream.com The Worthington Inn* worthingtoninn.com Thurn’s Specialty Meats* 614-443-1449 Tim’s Organic Pantry* timsorganicpantry.com Wanderlust Tours wanderlusttours.com Watershed Organic Lawn Care watershedorganic.com Wexner Center for the Arts* wexarts.org Whole Foods Market* wholefoodsmarket.com WOSU* wosu.org

edible columbus marketplace

edible COLUMBUS.com

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Cultivating a Better Food System in 2013

13 Ways to Change the Way We Eat By Danielle Nierenberg and Ellen Gustafson

As we start 2013, many people will be thinking about plans and promises to improve their diet and health. But we think a broader collection of farmers, policy-makers and eaters need new, bigger resolutions for fixing the food system—real changes with long-term impacts in fields and boardrooms and on plates all over the world. These are resolutions that the world can’t afford to break with nearly one billion still hungry and more than one billion suffering from the effects of being overweight and obese. We have the tools—let’s use them in 2013!

Growing in Cities: Food production doesn’t only happen in fields or factories. Nearly one billion people worldwide produce food in cities. In Kibera, Kenya, the largest slum in Africa, farmers are growing indigenous vegetables and selling them to rural farmers. Swainway Urban Farm in Columbus, Ohio, provides fresh produce to locals and encourages others in the community to grow their own food gardens. Creating Better Access: Local Matters in Ohio has “veggie vans” that bring fresh produce to designated food deserts in Columbus and surrounding areas, giving low-income consumers opportunities to make healthy food choices. Instead of chips and soda, they provide customers with affordable organic produce, not typically available in their communities. Demanding Healthier Food: Food writer Michael Pollan advises not to eat anything that your grandparents wouldn’t recognize. Try eating more fruits, vegetables and whole foods without preservatives and other additives. Cooking More: Home economics classes have declined in schools in the United Kingdom and the U.S. and young people lack basic cooking skills. Top chefs Jamie Oliver, Alice Waters and Bill Telepan are working with schools to teach kids how to cook healthy, nutritious foods. Creating Conviviality: According to the Hartman Group, nearly half of all adults in the U.S. eat meals alone. Sharing a meal with family and friends can foster community and conversation. Recent studies suggest that children who eat meals with their families are typically happier and more stable than those who do not.

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Focusing on Vegetables: Nearly two billion people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies worldwide, leading to poor development. The World Vegetable Center, however, is helping farmers grow high-value, nutrient-rich vegetables in Africa and Asia, improving health and increasing incomes.

Acknowledging the Importance of Farmers: Farmers aren’t just farmers; they’re businesswomen and -men, stewards of the land and educators, sharing knowledge in their communities. Slow Food International works with farmers all over the world, helping recognize their importance to preserve biodiversity and culture.

Preventing Waste: Roughly one-third of all food is wasted—in fields, during transport, in storage and in homes. But there are easy, inexpensive ways to prevent waste. Initiatives such as “Love Food, Hate Waste” offer consumers tips about portion control and recipes for leftovers, while farmers in Bolivia are using solar-powered driers to preserve foods.

Recognizing the Role of Governments: Nations must implement policies that give everyone access to safe, affordable, healthy food. In Ghana and Brazil, government action, including national school feeding programs and increased support for sustainable agricultural production, greatly reduced the number of hungry people.

Engaging Youth: Making farming both intellectually and economically stimulating will help make the food system an attractive career option for youth. Across sub-Saharan Africa, cell phones and the internet are connecting farmers to information about weather and markets. Ohio’s Farm to School Initiative not only brings fresh produce to students in Ohio schools but also works to educate them about nutrition. Protecting Workers: Farm and food workers across the world are fighting for better pay and working conditions. In Zimbabwe, the General Agricultural and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe (GAPWUZ), protects laborers from abuse. In the U.S., the Coalition of Immokalee Workers successfully persuaded Trader Joe’s and Chipotle to pay the premium of a penny per pound to Florida tomato pickers.

Changing the Metrics: Governments, NGOs and funders have focused on increasing production and improving yields, rather than improving nutrition and protecting the environment. Changing the metrics, and focusing more on quality, will improve public and environmental health and livelihoods. Fixing the Broken Food System: Agriculture can be the solution to some of the world’s most pressing challenges—including unemployment, obesity and climate change. These innovations simply need more research, more investment, and ultimately more funding.

Danielle Nierenberg and Ellen Gustafson are the cofounders of Food Tank: The Food Think Tank (foodtank.org). Danielle is based in Chicago, Illinois, and Ellen is based in San Diego, California.