Ventura, California: A Slow-Food Mecca

Filled with innovative chefs whose restaurants are dedicated to slow food principles of cooking with locally and sustainably grown ingredients, Ventura serves up some of the freshest, most artfully accomplished slow food cuisine in the country.

While many Ventura chefs buy directly from farmers with whom they enjoy symbiotic relationships, some purchase from the Ventura Grower's Collaborative (www.growerscollaborative.org). This farm organization teams with local farmers to distribute fresh produce (harvested within hours or less) to restaurants and institutions.

“You can really taste the difference – these vegetables and fruits are the gold standard of slow food as they are grown in season within close range of Ventura,” says Nic Manucchio of the C Street Restaurant at the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach Hotel. “Typically, I'll get green, red and romaine lettuce from the Grower's Collaborative, as well as butternut squash, celery, clementines, tomatoes, apples, citrus – all depending on the season, of course. We give their Fuji and Granny Smith apples away at the front desk, and our guests often comment that these taste so much fresher and sweeter than any apples they have ever had. In addition, I buy directly from Underwood, Deardorff, McGrath Family Farms and Scarborough. I also get a lot from Babe Farms, especially their mixed baby lettuce.”

Limoniera (www.limoneira.com) located just outside Ventura in Santa Paula, is a citrus and avocado farm that starting taking the ‘farm to table' concept one step further – they put the tables among the trees and serve ‘Orchard Dinners' throughout the summer. Jason Collis from Jonathan's Restaurant in Ventura caters these dinners, and in addition to freshly picked Meyer lemons, blood oranges and avocados from the property, he incorporates McGrath Family butternut and turban squash, and Underwood Farms baby heirloom carrots, leeks and zucchini. He also sources Yukon Gold, fingerling and Peruvian Purple potatoes from Valley Spuds. Because his restaurant is located one block from the Ventura Farmer's Market, Jason can shop every Saturday morning for locally grown micro-greens and edible flowers, plus “the best heirloom tomatoes known to man” for his popular downtown eatery.

“We are blessed to have local organic produce in our backyard,” Jason says. “Ventura chefs support local farms and produce companies that share our passion for the finest fresh food. All the farms we use are certified organic and no more than 15 miles from our restaurant,” he adds. “Along with sharing the delicious ideals of the Slow Food movement with our customers, as a businessman, I love to support the local economy,” Jason continues. “I source my fish from Ocean Pride Seafood, a small company that purchases local seafood such as halibut and lobsters right off the boats in Ventura Harbor. We purchase our meat from Farpoint Livestock, located off Hwy. 246. They raise their own cattle and game.”

A longtime proponent of the Slow Food Movement, Chef Tim Kilcoyne of the SideCar Restaurant and the Local Café buys directly from McGrath Family Farms. His favorites include beets, strawberries, heirloom tomatoes, dandelion greens, arugula, lima and fava beans. From Healthy Family Farms, he sources 100% organic free range chickens and ducks, eggs, goat cheese and whey, from which he makes his own ricotta. Underwood Family Farms supplies him with carrots, turnips, kohlrabi, corn and heirloom melons.

Since Kilcoyne deeply appreciates the labor involved in ‘working the land,' he has developed a program to showcase and thank the farmers he partners with. Instead of winemaker dinners, he holds a series of Farmer's Dinners throughout the year – where diners can meet the folks who raised the super-fresh, organic and locally grown produce that they are enjoying that very night. “It's our way of bringing Slow Food ideals full circle to the community,” says Kilcoyne. “Customers enjoy talking to the farmers who grew the food that they are eating. These dinners are a chance for everyone to feast on the freshest that Ventura has to offer.”

Andy Brooks, Executive Chef and owner of Brooks Restaurant, believes “Ventura is a great place for a chef to be.” There is a strong farming culture and an abundance of great local seafood. McGrath Farms is where I source all my pumpkins, squashes and Rocket arugula; in fact I even play golf with Phil, the owner. So, Ventura is more than just a culinary community, it is a community of friends as well.”

For information on these and other fine dining restaurants in Ventura, call the Ventura Visitors Center at (800) 333-2989 and ask for the free Ventura Culinary Guide, featuring information on dining, wine tasting, farms and farmer's markets. www.Ventura-USA.com