New Orleans: At The Heart of the “Eat Local” Movement

Local food is the craze these days. As Americans are becoming wearier of where food comes from (watch this clip from Melissa Harris Perry), local and organic food movements are growing for good reason. Similar to a majority of today’s positive change—the food revolution is taking place on a local level, and New Orleans is at the heart of it all.

Every city can trace its culinary accolades to a particular set of circumstances. New York, for example, is the melting pot of the world. With a confluence of immigrants, the New York food culture expands each day as one can venture east to Bangladesh for lunch, south to Peru for dinner, and back to America for late-night drunk food. Los Angeles is known for its top-notch Mexican food (among many other cuisines), thanks to its southern neighbor. For New Orleans, which sits at the mouth of the Mississippi River in the midst of arable farmland, and warm, moist weather, it comes from its fortuitous agricultural location.

New Orleans has one of America’s most vibrant food cultures—so vibrant and complex, in fact, that the Huffington Post needed to publish an infographic to explain it all. Years of French and Spanish occupation, before the city’s incorporation into the United States, left New Orleans with more than just its iconic tiled street signs, unique accent, and bustling Mardi Gras festivities. The city has Creole cuisine thanks to immigrants of European, African, and Caribbean descent, while New Orleans’ “Cajun” influences derive from its rural outskirts. Unlike many cities, New Orleans has grasped its roots, which have persisted for centuries (Imagine if New York was still all about Dutch cuisine?).

Age-old techniques are modern and relevant as New Orleans’ culinary legacy grows. Local eating here is not just a niche for the ; rather, it is viewed as an engine for economic and social vitality.

Todd A. Price, a food writer at The New Orleans Times-Picayune and NOLA.com, says he hopes the “national trend” of focusing on local “signals a realization that supporting local economies benefits the places where we live.” While “going local” in many places can be synonymous with “going broke,” in New Orleans the movement has led to a cycle of economic activity that makes “local” good for body, soul, and wallet.

“The recent push for locally sourced foods has made it increasingly easy and affordable to eat local,” says Sonia Ginsburg who works with NOLA Locavores, a local non-profit working to grow the local food movement. Each summer, NOLA Locavores sponsors the 30-day “Eat Local Challenge” encouraging New Orleanians to eat food sourced within 200 miles of the city. Chefs and restaurateurs also do their part; adding new ingredients and dishes to menus to promote and satisfy the demand.

Chef John Besh, who owns 9 restaurants, a majority of which are in New Orleans, dedicates a portion of his time to the John Besh Foundation. The foundation started a micro loan program, among other things, which provides funding to “assist and advise” farmers and artisanal producers within 200 miles of New Orleans.

Restaurants such as Dante’s Kitchen and Maurepas Foods proudly list the farms they work with for all diners to see. Frequent New Orleans restaurant-goers would not be surprised to see meats from “Two Run Farm” or “Covey Rise” produce, and finding seafood on a menu that did not originate from the Gulf of Mexico can also be quite the challenge (as it should be!).

Local swimmers like redfish and drum, and local shellfish such as shrimp and oysters are certainly more commonplace than salmon and clams. New Orleans takes pride in, and thrives off, what the natural eco-system provides it.

A commitment to local eating “makes the sources of our food more transparent, and provides the confidence to consumers that they are eating more seasonal, fresh, and more preservative-free food,” says Ophir Haberer, founder of the and the .

Next time you are in need of a good meal, think local. Take small steps to support local farmers and growers in your community; you’ll be happy you did, and so will those who you support in doing so. Oh, and don’t forget to come visit, and eat, New Orleans!

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