Dear Friends,
Since our inception five years ago, the 15 restaurants that make up the Wood River Fine Dining Association have endured many challenges and changes. This past year was no exception; food prices rose drastically, along with fuel prices, and the restaurant industry is facing one of the most discouraging economic outlooks to come—and yet, the diversity of the food we offer, our devotion to our craft and our customers, and passion for presenting great food, has only deepened. Why do we dine out in restaurants? At its most basic, food provides for our survival—but you don’t need restaurants to survive. Restaurants though, provide more than food. Restaurants are social gathering places. Restaurants provide memories for friends and traditions for families. Restaurants can inspire new trends and new ideas, and a great restaurant can be the finger on the pulse beating from the heart of a community—a place to encounter regionally inspired dishes and experience the flavors created and grown right at your own feet. The 15 restaurants in the WR Fine Dining Guide are the heart of our community. We have embraced a locavore approach, sourcing from within 100 miles for our local organic produce; potatoes, lettuces, herbs, dozens of squash varieties, dried legumes and edible and decorative flowers. We use local dairy—farm-fresh milk, artisan cheeses and organic farm fresh eggs. We savor our local organic lamb, organic free-range chicken and farm-raised trout, and though all of these ingredients might not be found in every one of our restaurants, we all work to avail ourselves of local product, as it is available and economically feasible. Many of us even grow our own vegetables. We share ideas. We share customers. We share a friendship that comes of our work together. We share generous donations with our communities and non-profit organizations. We have even moved forward as a cooperative to negotiate reduced credit card merchant fees, which then helps us keep our menu prices affordable. At its inception, the WR Fine Dining Guide began with the idea that the best restaurants in Ketchum would create a publication providing information about each of their eating establishments, so customers could make informed choices about where to spend their money, and more importantly, their valuable time. In three short years we have become so much more than that—a family, a force, a significant contribution to our regional farm communities and the heart of a community. We are passionate about creating and bringing new experiences to our customers, and we will strive to find ways to stay in business when all economic indicators point otherwise. We are strong because we love what we do, and together we will continue to find a way to do what we love.
Sincerely,
Jill, Roger, Paige, Tracey, Mark, Meg, Erik, Cristina, Tyler, Wendy, Alyson, Sean, Scott, Anne, Duffy, Bob, Jolie, Ellie, Michel and Tom
Cover Art: Ann Yoder, www.annyoder.com
150 sunvalleymag.com | summer 2012