Few Fairfield County restaurants signed on for Connecticut”™s “Farm-to-Chef Week,” featuring locally grown food at eateries throughout the state.
The event coincides with the Sept. 14 arrival of the Big E fair in West Springfield, Mass., which celebrates agricultural offerings and specialty foods from Connecticut and its New England neighbors through the end of the month.
Despite a plethora of local restaurants touting their commitment to locally grown and sustainable produce, few appear on an official Farm-to-Chef Week participant list released by the office of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
Local participants in Fairfield County include:
- Bloodroot Vegetarian Restaurant in Bridgeport;
- Brownson Country Club in Shelton;
- Chartwells at Wilton High School;
- Henry Abbot Technical High School Restaurant in Danbury;
- Sugar & Olives in Norwalk;
- Wave Hill Breads Bakery & Café in Norwalk; and
- Sodexo cafeterias at Fairfield University, the University of Bridgeport and Western Connecticut State University in Danbury.
“We encourage participants to go above and beyond for Farm-to-Chef Week,” said Steven Reviczky, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, in a prepared statement. “Some are new to buying and using ingredients from local farms, so they might start more conservatively. Others are accustomed to working with local farm products on a daily basis. In that case, we ask them to stretch creatively.”
Farm-to-Chef Week runs through September 22; information is available online at www.CTGrown.com.
