When I trained in acclaimed kitchens in Manhattan, I spent many hours sourcing and building relationships with farmers and vendors in the greater New York City area. Cooking seasonally, in my opinion, is one of life's great pleasures — the alchemy of fresh and thoughtful ingredients, served to another human being, is truly special and rewarding.
Since moving to Chattanooga, I feel lucky to be surrounded by so many incredible farms and producers from the Tennessee River valley. We have an abundance of people who care about what can be grown and produced locally and are committed to the craft of doing so. My goal as a chef is to source these special ingredients, prepare them thoughtfully and carefully, serve them to our guests, and sustain our business to do it again tomorrow.
Unfortunately, I feel that our current food systems in Chattanooga are not conducive to this effort to connect people to our local foodways, and that most days are an uphill battle to source and serve the beautiful ingredients that our local farmers and purveyors are producing. While I do not expect the same resources as a metropolitan area like New York City, I think having an accessible greenmarket is one simple yet vital way to sustain farmers, chefs and consumers alike.
Currently, Chattanooga offers one proper greenmarket per week (the Main Street Farmers Market), which begins on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. That day and time is difficult for any full-time working individual to attend, and almost impossible for chefs (who are in their kitchens about to open up for nightly service). Not being able to access the greenmarket has a huge impact on my work. I am not able to see, touch and smell things coming from our farms each week. Luckily, I have great suppliers who I can rely on, but it's not the same. I know that others in our community who desire access to local foods — whether chefs or home cooks — are similarly affected by this lack of accessibility.
With more demand than ever to know where our food comes from, having a greenmarket on Saturday mornings is regularly seen in cities (small and large) around the world. I urge Chattanooga to follow this lead. Moving our greenmarket to Saturday mornings, with an auxiliary market on Wednesdays, could create more accessibility, excitement and awareness among consumers and more revenue for the farmers. Two markets a week would increase demand, increase supply and hopefully lower prices. It would make local foods far more accessible for people in our community on a regular basis. This is fundamental to the framework of a healthy, local food scene.
In a world where words like "local" and "organic" are so often used without integrity and meaning, it is easy to turn a blind eye to the fact most of our produce and ingredients come from industrial coolers that house monocropped and sprayed produce for weeks (sometimes even months). We, as locals, need to sow our seeds to create a healthy foundation for local agriculture, not to mention our own health. Creating a space where chefs and consumers alike can shop locally — at accessible hours, more than once a week — is integral to supporting farmers, our growing food scene and the health of our community.
Joe Milenkovic Jr. is the chef de cuisine at Easy Bistro in downtown Chattanooga.
Contributed photo / Joe Milenhovic