Top chefs come together to promote local produce

Being a “farmer” is the new black.

Farming has become so trendy in the past years that socialites are now calling themselves farmers, flooding Instagram with posts of their farm visits, as if they actually knew what it’s like to toil in the soil (maybe some do).

Some top politicians, lives intertwined with socialites, have been repackaging themselves into farmers as well.

It’s a trend that is global and especially highlighted by internationally acclaimed celebrity chefs. So today’s World’s 50 Best-wannabes are quick to narrate their own trips to farms, harking on their newfound advocacy of going local and allegedly supporting local farmers while sharing their great “new” finds.

At Madrid Fusion 2015, veteran chefs quietly snickered as Instagram darling Chef Bruce Rickets gushed about one of his “discoveries”—monggo (mung beans)—because come on, monggo is something every Filipino household knows, something every Filipina yaya can cook to your heart’s content.

But the appeal of monggo to Rickets, who did not grow up in the Philippines, may be the same to foreigners trying it for the first time, giving eaters a sense of wonder and fresh appreciation for what locals consider commonplace.

This is a philosophy that renowned restaurants such as Noma in Denmark, Osteria Francescana in Modena, Arzak in San Sebastian and Narisawa in Tokyo have imbibed and capitalized on with sincerity: take the best local products and produce, no matter how peasant or common these may seem, heighten the flavors and character, and present these to the world on a silver platter.

Nerua

Most committed to this cause is Chef Josean Alija of the one Michelin star restaurant Nerua at the Guggenheim, who treats local produce as material for his art, as he seeks to express the idea of fully developing the authentic potential of food products while being as committed as possible to their origins and roots.

The menu presents ingredients that are authentically Basque: bacalao, carrots, enoki, crab. And as the server presents each dish, the origins of the produce and the dish’s appreciation in local culture is explained to the diner.

But these are in no way your grandmother’s cooking.

Bacalao, for instance, is made to go through a highly technical process that converts the fish to something that tastes like chicharon. Adria, under whom Alija mentored, would be proud. Another example: the aperitif is not alcohol but a leek and seaweed broth.

Minimalist

A slew of vegetables on the degustation menu are presented in a very minimalist way that if you are used to French fanfare or American standard servings, you would almost think it was a joke. But there lies the excellence of Alija: while lesser chefs are all about torches and spices, or elaborate mixing and matching, the Guggenheim resident brings out each ingredient’s virtues while stripping them to the bare minimum.

Soup is comprised of just carrots and enoki but the broth astounds in being so elegantly savoury, just from carrots and mushrooms. Spinach is presented to share the Basque love for calda and is an expression of umami. Local artichokes are distinguished from worldly ones—here, they are so soft they taste like chestnuts.

It’s vegetable art, if you will. The artistic expression of thanks to Mother Earth for providing us with these delights.

Supporting local farmers

I’m happy to note that in today’s smaller world, we have our own genuine advocates promoting local produce.

Agriculture Undersecretary Berna Romulo-Puyat has been bridging chefs and farmers to especially promote less known Filipino products like adlay. Margarita Fores, of course, since bloggers were toddlers, has been promoting things like diwal at her old showroom, Pepato. Claude and Maryann Tayag have always been fierce advocates of the best of local flavors. And recently, Chele Gonzalez, who had worked with Alija, has been at the forefront of practicing this culinary philosophy in Manila.

I hope that the sincere support for local farmers and promotion of local produce continue, led by true and not just trendy advocates of the cause. Imagine how colorful and uniquely flavorful the world would be if every city had its own restaurant working local produce like Nerua.

Nerua at the Guggenheim. Abandoibarra Etorbidea, 2, 48009, Bilbao, Vizcaya.

More from the author at margauxsalcedo.com. Follow @margauxsalcedo on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.