Weak response for ‘Farm-to-Chef’

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.