This is the second article of our three-part series on Buying Local. Our last feature focused on the Vance County Regional Farmers Market. You can search for that piece by typing Farmers Market into the WIZS.com search box. This piece will take a closer look at some of the independently owned restaurants in our area that serve dishes made with produce from local farmers.
Our first local supporters are Warren County native Carla Norwood and Gabe Cumming, Director and Assistant Director of Working Landscapes which is a produce processing plant in Warren County and parent to Foodworks, a farm to table café on Warrenton’s Downtown Main Street.
They work with over 39 farmers to bring the area food that is locally grown. The non-profit Working Landscapes was founded in 2010. During the 2015-2016 school year it served fresh chopped produce to over 30,000 school children in northeast North Carolina. Norwood said, “Our organization is committed to building distribution routes so it’s easier for local schools to get produce from here rather than say somewhere like California.” A lot of times the food served in schools comes from far away because it has to go through specific distribution routes.
Local growers who want to make their crops available to the school system must complete one of the many Health and safety courses and also go through a process known as GAP (Good Agricultural Practices), a state requirement for all produce that will be served in school cafeterias. Growers are also required to produce a farm safety manual and have their farms inspected by the Department of Agriculture.
*The Foodworks Café is a quaint and cheerful little spot in Warrenton’s downtown Main Street where 95 percent of the goods sold are locally grown and made from scratch right in the back kitchen. Customers can eat in the café or purchase food to take home and cook. Norwood said, “All of our beef and pork are pasture raised and our coffee beans are from Hillsborough. We want people to think about where their food comes from and how it was raised. It’s very simple, but society has gotten away from that. We would love for folks to give us a try.”
While visiting the restaurant for this article, I bought lunch to go at The Foodworks Café and for about the same price you would pay for a large size extra value meal, I had an egg salad sandwich with a side of chips, sweet tea with lemon, hot blackberry cobbler with fresh cream on top and a side order of hummus that came with enough carrot sticks that I was able to share a few with my horse after I got to the ranch! The café also serves local NC beers and wine. Norwood said, “We challenge people to ask where the food in the restaurant they’re eating in comes from. It’s about being able to live in a rural area and having a better quality of life through food and education. I think we can make good things happen here. It’s about community and economy as much as it is about food.”
*Just around the corner off of Main Street in downtown Warrenton is local restaurant Robinson Ferry. Michael Ring is the General Manager and Chef there. When asked about what produce the restaurant serves that is locally grown, Ring said, “It’s not always easy to do local in a restaurant because consistency in flavor is key, but we always try to buy from the Farmers Market or local farmers whenever produce is in season. Food simply tastes better when eaten within 12-14 hours of being picked. With grocery stores, there’s no telling how long an item has been on the shelf.” 
The Ferry recently featured radishes in a radish green slaw because they were in season at the market. They also create some incredibly beautiful vegetarian dishes for those who don’t eat meat or are looking for a healthier alternative. Ring said, “When you’re buying local vegetables, it’s easy to be inspired by them to make a visually appealing as well as delicious dish. I feel good about paying a local farmer rather than getting a product from say South Carolina. It’s just good business. The money stays in your county.”
Some items Robinson Ferry gets locally on a regular basis are duck eggs from Before & Afton, antibiotic and hormone free chicken from local Vance County supplier Henderson Fruit & Produce, and lettuce from G & D Produce. Ring said, “Buying local transfers to the chef, then to the plate, then to the customer who feels good about what they’re eating and in turn what their money is going towards.”
Other restaurants in our area that serve some percentage of locally sourced foods are Harvest in Oxford, with anywhere from 8-10 local farmers depending on the season. The Hardware Café in Warrenton purchases their lettuce from a local farmer there, and Nunnery Freeman Barbecue in Henderson uses cornmeal made in Kittrell, NC.
To find and support more farmers in your area visit your local Farmers Market!
*Farmers can feel free to contact Robinson Ferry or Foodworks Café to see if they might have need of any produce.
WIZS Staff Writer – Jo Smith
