When the farm-to-table movement exploded on the New York dining scene decades ago, it was inevitable that rooftop vegetable gardens would begin to spring up, especially in the boroughs. Local, after all, is local.
But 700 square feet of viable planting space also limits the restless cook’s options and hampers his creativity. Now a new solution has arrived that gives local chefs the farm-fresh produce that they crave with enough variety to please the most exacting artisan cook.
Its name is Local Bushel, and it is the New York City chef’s one-stop shop for harvested-to-order ingredients and seasonal produce. Local Bushel works with dozens of local, sustainable farms within 250 miles of the city and currently partners with about 200 metropolitan restaurants.
But Local Bushel doesn’t just stop at vegetables and fruits. The company’s inventory includes hundreds of products, including pastured eggs, sustainably raised chicken, and heritage breed pork.
The impact is already visible. Great Performances, the catering concern that operates Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, has just signed on as a client, using Local Bushel to augment what the company gets from its own upstate farm. And British gastropub Jones Wood Foundry has expanded its menu offerings to include new monthly seasonally driven menus inspired by local ingredients harvested to order from Local Bushel.
