With all our emphasis on buying local, finding a farmer to supply a restaurant, getting sustainable seafood, and going to restaurants that help support the local economy, it’s difficult to learn that one such restaurant was operating on a pretense of supporting local, sustainable,and the small grower universe. When questions were asked, the answers were less clear. More mumble than definites.

Welcome to the world of almost local and almost sustainable. That’s the story behind one of DC’s more popular restaurants, Founding Farmers. The Washington Post reported that the restaurant’s popularity as a go-to destination for its commitment to the local creed somehow lessened in the past several months. (Check out both links and you’ll get the who said what to whom story). The restaurant bills itself as one that serves fresh farm-to-table food, owned by a collective of family farmers. Menu changes were  not made, and the public was not informed that many of the suppliers were no longer an arms-length away.

Did diners care? That’s, of course, a question. Judging by the crowd scene and the noise level, the restaurant will survive nicely from its buzz as a go-to spot popular for its many communal seatings and generally recognized as a player in the dining scene.

More importantly from my perspective is the question, why, if the restaurant made these supplier changes, were diners, the city, the restaurant community etc not told? There are many wonderful chefs out there throughout the country that decided the big agri-business would not fit their models. They treasure the partnerships and value the fact that they can keep small growers alive. They adjust their menus to seasonality needs and keep everyone informed if their philosophy changes or they make supplier changes.

The Inn at Little Washington, the popular (won every major honor in the food world) 5-star experience in Washington, VA, has, almost since its inception over 30 years ago, supported many nearby small growers. Many of the little guys now have contracts to grow specifically for the Dining Room. That is a model alive in Chicago, Napa, Sonoma, and in multiple major cities throughout the country. Buying local and supporting the little guy has been a positive for the home and restaurant chef whether from a small garden patch or a grass-fed beef supplier.

I love to support the grower, the small producer, the cattle rancher, and sustainable fishmonger, but know larger restaurants need to dip into a bigger pool. I just like to know that what I see printed is fact. I just want the facts.

Just the facts, ma’am.