{"id":1053,"date":"2022-07-06T18:21:37","date_gmt":"2022-07-06T18:21:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/?p=1053"},"modified":"2022-07-06T18:23:18","modified_gmt":"2022-07-06T18:23:18","slug":"farm-to-table-dining-feed-your-soul-support-your-local-producers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/blog\/2022\/07\/06\/farm-to-table-dining-feed-your-soul-support-your-local-producers\/","title":{"rendered":"Farm-to-Table Dining: Feed Your Soul, Support Your Local Producers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For generations, most restaurants have obtained the ingredients for the meals they serve their customers from wholesalers and distributors, and more often than not, those ingredients had traveled hundreds if not thousands of miles to get to diners\u2019 plates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But over the past few decades, a growing segment of the chef\/restaurant community has emphasized sourcing from farms close to home, citing the freshness, quality and variety of ingredients available and the benefits of a stronger and more localized farm economy. This trend today is encapsulated in the term \u201cfarm-to-table.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is no question that some of our most famous big-city chefs helped popularize the farm-to-table concept. Chicago celebrities such as Rick Bayless of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rickbayless.com\/restaurants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Frontera Restaurant Group<\/a> and Paul Kahan of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oneoffhospitality.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">One Off Hospitality Group<\/a> making farm-to-table a household term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Local sourcing is also paramount at many restaurants in smaller cities that are even closer to the farms. One of these is <a href=\"https:\/\/magnoliasmacomb.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Magnolia\u2019s<\/a> in the western Illinois city of Macomb, which has become a local institution because of chef\/owner Lisa Ward\u2019s delicious, Southern-rooted cooking, hospitality and dedication to promoting local farms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-luminous-vivid-orange-background-color has-background\" href=\"https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Search for farm-to-table restaurants near you!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Magnolia\u2019s of Macomb: A Southern-Accented Farm-to-Table Legend<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lisa Ward of the award-winning Magnolia\u2019s in Macomb, Illinois is one of many Illinois restaurateurs who have a farm-to-table focus, delighting guests with delicious, super-fresh, sustainably produced ingredients sourced from their immediate area and region. But Ward goes more than the extra mile in supporting her local farm community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/Farm-to-table-dinner-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1055\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/Farm-to-table-dinner-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/Farm-to-table-dinner-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/Farm-to-table-dinner-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/Farm-to-table-dinner.jpg 1430w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From 2017 to 2019, she produced a series of three dinners to raise money for the Future Farmers of America (FFA) programs at area schools. A full block in downtown Macomb was cordoned off (with tractors), and diners feasted on local meat and produce while seated at a long farmhouse table. Combined, the dinners raised $20,000 for the FFA programs, which are designed to encourage young people to pursue lives in farming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/Magnolia-with-FFA-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1056\" srcset=\"https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/Magnolia-with-FFA-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/Magnolia-with-FFA-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/Magnolia-with-FFA-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/Magnolia-with-FFA.jpg 1100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The COVID-19 pandemic prevented Magnolia\u2019s from repeating the dinners. She has, however, donated dinners for Western Illinois University\u2019s Purple and Gold Auction and other charitable activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ward has a deep well of gratitude to farmers \u2014 especially those who befriended her when she was new in town and helped steer her toward the farm-to-table emphasis that has made Magnolia\u2019s such a gem in Macomb, a city of about 17,000 residents best known as home to Western Illinois University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ward, who grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and attended University of Alabama, says, \u201cWe think Alabama has Southern hospitality, but the Midwest farmer is probably the kindest person I\u2019ve met in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After a colorful life journey (keep reading because it\u2019s a doozy), Ward moved from northwest Indiana, near Chicago, to her husband\u2019s hometown of Macomb, where he bought the college bar in which he once worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the bar gained popularity and became a night club, Ward says she initially struggled to find a job in Macomb, \u201cSo I rolled the dice and opened a small catering company first, then went to a bigger brick &amp; mortar,\u201d armed only with her passion for cooking influenced by her Southern roots (she did not have prior culinary training) and extensive restaurant work that including serving, bartending and managing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She says she owes her success to her husband for sharing his knowledge about what the local folks liked to eat and how they liked to dine.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The couple lived in the countryside, where they befriended Steve and Julie Terstriep and their extended family who grow beef cattle and crops in the village of Industry. The Terstrieps helped Ward recalibrate her focus to farm-to-table 15 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOnce the Terstrieps turned me, I was all over it,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd I can advocate at every one of my tables and every person that comes in the door.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Preaching the Local Food Gospel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ward says she has long been aware that there are eaters who need to be educated about the advantages of locally produced food, especially when that food has a somewhat higher price point than conventionally produced food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/Magnolia-meat-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1057\" srcset=\"https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/Magnolia-meat-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/Magnolia-meat-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/Magnolia-meat-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/Magnolia-meat.jpg 1100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt&#8217;s about supporting local farmers, and it&#8217;s about getting the word out to the city folk,\u201d Ward says. She notes that people walk through the farmers market and see a steak priced at $12 a pound and might balk when they can get a conventional cut of meat at the grocery store for $9 a pound.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She continued, \u201cYou got to get that food in their mouth, and they&#8217;ll be, like, \u2018Oh, yeah.\u2019 I mean, farmers feed America. And that, to me, is more important than just having a meal or raising money, which is pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Along with the Terstrieps, Ward gets beef from Patrick Farms, also of Industry; most of her produce and some lamb from Maryjo and Grover Decounter of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/goodhope.gardens\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Good Hope Gardens<\/a> in the town of the same name (who Ward describes as \u201cfamily, and I mean family\u201d); honey from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pvf1916\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pleasant View Farm<\/a> of Roseville; heirloom tomatoes from Phelps Farm in Plymouth; mushrooms from Pleasant Plains; and lettuce and microgreens from John Greenwood, who manages the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MacombFarmersMarket\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Macomb Farmers Market<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"386\" height=\"516\" src=\"https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/BFBL-Farm-to-Table-Menu.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1058\" srcset=\"https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/BFBL-Farm-to-Table-Menu.png 386w, https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/BFBL-Farm-to-Table-Menu-224x300.png 224w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 386px) 100vw, 386px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A Long and Winding Road<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a sense, a horse got Ward into the hospitality business, a hurricane blew her into Chicago, and love took her to Macomb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The restaurant world has been her life since she was a teenager in Birmingham in the 1970s. \u201cMy brother got a car and I wanted a horse,\u201d Ward says, and she got a job at a McDonald\u2019s to pay for it. She subsequently worked in a variety of restaurant roles, including server, bartender and manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next big step in her journey took place in 1987, and it is almost of cinematic quality. She was living on a boat in the U.S. Virgin Islands as Hurricane Hugo approached, and was evacuated, destination unknown until she landed at O\u2019Hare Airport in Chicago. There, Ward says, she had a chance encounter with the personnel director at Chicago\u2019s high-end Fairmont Hotel, who overheard that she had restaurant experience and recommended she apply for a job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Long story short, she worked at the Fairmont, where she met a number of celebrities, then moved to Northwest Indiana, worked at a nightclub, met her future husband, and about 30 years ago moved with him to Macomb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Magnolia\u2019s became a local institution even though the restaurant has been open only Thursdays through Saturdays since it started in order for her to maintain her busy catering schedule. Carryout orders by Ward\u2019s loyal clientele enabled her to survive the challenges of the COVID crisis, and she helped brighten customers\u2019 days by doing cheerful drawings on their carryout bags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"397\" height=\"537\" src=\"https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/BFBL-Farm-to-Table-Cake-Bag.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1059\" srcset=\"https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/BFBL-Farm-to-Table-Cake-Bag.png 397w, https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/BFBL-Farm-to-Table-Cake-Bag-222x300.png 222w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 397px) 100vw, 397px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The community reciprocated when the Macomb Area Chamber of Commerce presented Ward with its 2020 Business of the Year Award, stating Magnolia\u2019s \u201ccreatively rose to the occasion to serve the community safely and keep spirits high with delicious meals and a passion for their customers.\u201d A few months later, the city of Macomb marked Magnolia\u2019s 25<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary by presenting it with a Legacy Award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How to Dine with Magnolia\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Magnolia\u2019s restaurant is located at 130 N. Lafayette Street in downtown Macomb, and is open Thursdays through Saturdays from 5 p.m. to midnight. Owner Lisa Ward\u2019s catering business, also called Magnolia\u2019s, operates year-round and can be contacted by phone at 309-833-2725 or by email at <a href=\"mailto:magnolia@macomb.com\">magnolia@macomb.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Find Farm-to-Table Restaurants Near You<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.edgepeoriaheights.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Edge by Chef Dustin Allen<\/a>, Peoria Heights (Central)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/epiphanyfarms.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Epiphany Farms Restaurant<\/a>, Bloomington (East Central)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rickbayless.com\/restaurants\/frontera-grill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Frontera Grill<\/a>, Chicago<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peachbarn.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Peachbarn Winery and Caf\u00e9<\/a>, Alto Pass (Southern)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebarnspringfield.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Barn<\/a>, Springfield (West Central)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thenorwegian.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Norwegian<\/a>, Rockford (North Central)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thepublicanrestaurant.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Publican<\/a>, Chicago<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get Listed with Buy Fresh Buy Local Illinois<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Are you a farm, farmers market, farm-to-table restaurant, or grocery store that sells local products purchased directly from local farms? Get listed in Illinois\u2019 most trusted guide to local food. Your listing is absolutely free. Buy Fresh Buy Local Illinois is a local foods marketing project led by a coalition of organizations across the state working to promote local farms and food businesses like yours. Get listed and start reaching new customers today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:29px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-7d812b4c wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-luminous-vivid-orange-background-color has-background\" href=\"https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/join-us\/get-listed\/\">Get Listed for FREE with BFBL today<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:29px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This story is written by Bob Benenson of <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/localfoodforum.substack.com\/\"><em>Local Food Forum<\/em><\/a><em> on behalf of the <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/about-us\/\"><em>Buy Fresh Buy Local Illinois Coalition.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For generations, most restaurants have obtained the ingredients for the meals they serve their customers from wholesalers and distributors, and more often than not, those ingredients had traveled hundreds if not thousands of miles to get to diners\u2019 plates. But&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1054,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,3],"tags":[34],"post_series":[],"class_list":["post-1053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-farmer","category-news","tag-dairy","entry","has-media"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Farm-to-Table Dining: Feed Your Soul, Support Your Local Producers &#8211; Illinois Buy Fresh Buy Local<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/buyfreshbuylocal.org\/illinois\/blog\/2022\/07\/06\/farm-to-table-dining-feed-your-soul-support-your-local-producers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Farm-to-Table Dining: Feed Your Soul, Support Your Local Producers &#8211; Illinois Buy Fresh Buy Local\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For generations, most restaurants have obtained the ingredients for the meals they serve their customers from wholesalers and distributors, and more often than not, those ingredients had traveled hundreds if not thousands of miles to get to diners\u2019 plates. 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