IN & OUT OF THE KITCHEN – SPOTLIGHT
7 Things to Consider
When You Think About Provenance The Sustainable Restaurant Association explores the different elements of food provenance and what it means to celebrate this in your restaurant – including practical steps you can take in your procurement policies, in your kitchen, and on your menu. cooking methods traditional in your area; this is a nice way to connect your customers with the food heritage of the locality.
The Sustainable Restaurant Association (The SRA) is on a mission to accelerate positive change throughout the global hospitality system. The main way in which we do this is through the world’s leading sustainability certification tailored for the sector, the Food Made Good Standard. The Food Made Good Standard is a global sustainability certification for the hospitality industry, designed to encourage, support and recognize sustainability practices in restaurants and other foodservice businesses. Taking a big-picture, holistic view of what sustainability means for the sector, the Standard is awarded to businesses around the world that meet a set of rigorous, measurable criteria across three main pillars: Sourcing, Society, and Environment. ‘Celebrate Provenance’ is one of the focus areas under the Sourcing pillar. In this article, we explain why provenance matters and what it really looks like in practice.
What is food provenance?
When it comes to food, provenance is all about knowing its origins. This includes where and how it was grown, raised, caught or made, as well as who was responsible for doing so. One way to think about provenance is as the story behind the food.
Why is provenance important?
Provenance matters – firstly, from a transparency perspective. Maintaining visibility over your supply chain all the way back to the farm or fishing vessel allows for better quality control and lets you know exactly what has gone into your ingredients, from physical additions like chemical pesticides to less tangible inputs like biodiversity impact and fair trade. For chefs and customers alike, this transparency can help to build a deeper connection to each dish. From a marketing perspective, people are increasingly interested in provenance. More than ever before, diners want to feel reassured by knowing the details on everything from animal welfare to food miles. People are also eager to 50
WORLDCHEFS MAGAZINE
2. Cook with the seasons.
feel more deeply connected to their plates; stories about the people and practices that have contributed to their meal can make their dining experience infinitely more memorable. 7 things to consider when you think about provenance
1. Choose local foods.
This is often first to mind when you think about provenance – how far has an ingredient travelled to get to your kitchen? While food miles contribute significantly less to carbon emissions than production methods, sourcing food locally has plenty of other benefits: building short, resilient supply chains, supporting local businesses and small-scale agriculture, keeping money in the regional economy and appealing to customers. Without long journeys and weeks of refrigeration, it also often means produce at its best. Here are some actions you can take to build local foods into your offering. > It’s worth defining what the term ‘local’ means to your restaurant. As a general rule of thumb, The SRA defines ‘local produce’ as that sourced within a 100-mile (160km) radius if you’re based in a major city, or within a 50-mile (80km) radius outside the city. > Make a commitment to serving more local food. This could be increasing the overall percentage of local ingredients you buy, or focusing on one food group at a time – for example, aiming to source 100% of your meat locally by 2026. > Organize team visits to local farms and producers, giving your staff a more tangible understanding of where your food comes from. > You could also explore dishes, ingredients or
Allowing your menu to be led by the seasons brings greater variety and creativity to your kitchen, offering your diners new flavors and unique stories and helping your business to stand out from your competitors. Sourcing seasonal ingredients also enables you to support production systems that are more environmentally friendly and biodiverse. Finally, working with seasonal foods allows for a degree of anticipation and excitement, for both chefs and customers. Waiting for those summer strawberries or the first apples of the year makes them taste all the better, and these ‘limited edition’ vibes will make the experience more special for your customers. > Focus on what foods are in season in your area and let your menus be inspired by that, evolving throughout the year. > Work closely with growers and fishers so that you know when certain foods will be ready for your kitchen. This lets you plan ahead to a certain degree. Guaranteeing that you’ll be purchasing a particular quantity can also provide great financial peace of mind to your producers – a practical way to support small-scale businesses. > Encourage chefs to start experimenting with the wild foods native to your area. This could include providing training in foraging from a local expert.
3. Who are the people behind the food?
The people behind the food form a big part of its provenance, bringing a human aspect to the story you tell your customers. > Choose small-scale suppliers and cut out the middleman where you can, putting direct trade agreements in place. > Cultivate long-term relationships with the farmers, producers, and fishers with whom you work. Get to know them on a personal basis. > Work to gain visibility over your supply chain and ensure that human rights and labor rights