Chefs are unlike most food consumers. They spend hours thinking, planning, and experimenting with ingredients, going through tens, if not hundreds, of iterations on a simple dish before serving it to their audience of eaters. So, when we wanted to know what people really think about eating hydroponic greens from a container farm, we decided that chefs would be the most critical and honest sources of information. The verdict? They love it! Whether it's the year-round availability, the hyperlocal production, the longer shelf-life, or simply the delicious taste, chefs are enthusiastically incorporating hydroponic greens into their menus.
There’s no better endorsement for hydroponic produce than from a chef who set up his own hydroponic farm to support his restaurant! This is exactly what the team at Vintage Hospitality Group in Montgomery, Alabama did when they established MGM Greens to provide the freshest possible greens for the group’s multiple restaurants.
Owner Jud Blout and Executive Chef Eric Rivera stacked two Freight Farms containers behind at the Vintage Year restaurant, meaning the kitchen gets access to just-harvested produce year-round. Not only does this produce taste better, but it also lasts significantly longer than what Jud and Eric can source from their usual vendors.
“The quality is bar-none, better than anything you can buy in the store... We’re able to hold this living product much longer, provide much more crispness, full flavor," says Eric Rivera, Executive Chef at Vintage Year. “Our arugula is actually really spicy, it’s peppery, it has all those notes that you’re looking for in arugula…it’s a deeper green–if green had a flavor–and you can taste that," he adds.
Read the complete article at www.freightfarms.com.