What you missed at the first, fabulous Homegrown event!
Homegrown Flavor dinner highlighted the 'farm' side of the farm-to-table movement
What you missed at the first, fabulous Homegrown event! Homegrown Flavor dinner highlighted the 'farm' side of the farm-to-table movement Check out this story on theadvertiser.com: https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/life/food/2015/03/23/spend-night-us-dark-roux/70352528/
Michele Marcotte, mmarcotte@gannett.com Published 6:36 p.m. CT March 23, 2015 | Updated 4:00 p.m. CT April 7, 2015
Diners converse during the Home Grown Speaker Series hosted by the Daily Advertiser and the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm at Dark Roux in Lafayette, LA, Monday, April 6, 2015. The series is intended to educate diners by connecting them with local chefs and food producers.(Photo: Paul Kieu, The Advertiser)Buy Photo
Dinner guests at the Daily Advertiser's Homegrown Flavor dinner Monday discovered the story of Louisiana food through an innovative meal encouraging them to taste thoughtfully rather than eat mindlessly.
Dark Roux Chefs Ryan Trahan and Cory Bourgeois prepared a fresh and inventive five-course menu of locally sourced root vegetable salad, tilapia ceviche, beef tartare, egg drop soup, pork belly and tiramisu.
Home Grown Speaker Series Dinner at Dark Roux
Chef Ryan Trahan plates a round of tilapia cakes during the Home Grown Speaker Series hosted by the Daily Advertiser and the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm at Dark Roux in Lafayette, LA, Monday, April 6, 2015. Paul Kieu, The Advertiser
Gotreaux Farm tilapia ceviche is plated for diners during the Home Grown Speaker Series hosted by the Daily Advertiser and the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm at Dark Roux in Lafayette, LA, Monday, April 6, 2015. The series is intended to educate diners by connecting them with local chefs and food producers. Paul Kieu, The Advertiser
Diners converse during the Home Grown Speaker Series hosted by the Daily Advertiser and the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm at Dark Roux in Lafayette, LA, Monday, April 6, 2015. The series is intended to educate diners by connecting them with local chefs and food producers. Paul Kieu, The Advertiser
Chef Ryan Trahan speaks about locally sourced ingredients used at his restaurant during the Home Grown Speaker Series hosted by the Daily Advertiser and the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm at Dark Roux in Lafayette, LA, Monday, April 6, 2015. The series is intended to educate diners by connecting them with local chefs and food producers. Paul Kieu, The Advertiser
Chefs Cory Bourgeois and Ryan Trahan fill bowls with egg drop soup during the Home Grown Speaker Series hosted by the Daily Advertiser and the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm at Dark Roux in Lafayette, LA, Monday, April 6, 2015. The series is intended to educate diners by connecting them with local chefs and food producers. Paul Kieu, The Advertiser
Egg drop soup is plated with swiss chard, an egg foam, and a kale chip during the Home Grown Speaker Series hosted by the Daily Advertiser and the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm at Dark Roux in Lafayette, LA, Monday, April 6, 2015. The series is intended to educate diners by connecting them with local chefs and food producers. Paul Kieu, The Advertiser
Chef Cory Bourgeois speaks about the meal during the Home Grown Speaker Series hosted by the Daily Advertiser and the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm at Dark Roux in Lafayette, LA, Monday, April 6, 2015. The series is intended to educate diners by connecting them with local chefs and food producers. Paul Kieu, The Advertiser
Brian Gotreaux, co-owner of Gotreaux Family Farms, speaks about sustainably growing various crops and animals during the Home Grown Speaker Series hosted by the Daily Advertiser and the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm at Dark Roux in Lafayette, LA, Monday, April 6, 2015. The series is intended to educate diners by connecting them with local chefs and food producers. Paul Kieu, The Advertiser
Sous chef Sullivan Zant uses a torch to caramelize sugar on a piece of goat cheese cake for a root vegetable salad during the Home Grown Speaker Series hosted by the Daily Advertiser and the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm at Dark Roux in Lafayette, LA, Monday, April 6, 2015. The series is intended to educate diners by connecting them with local chefs and food producers. Paul Kieu, The Advertiser
A root vegetable salad is served with goat cheese cake, beets, carrots, fennel frawns, pecans, and Poirier's cane syrup vinaigrette during the Home Grown Speaker Series hosted by the Daily Advertiser and the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm at Dark Roux in Lafayette, LA, Monday, April 6, 2015. The series is intended to educate diners by connecting them with local chefs and food producers. Paul Kieu, The Advertiser
Molly Richard, manager of the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm, speaks about hosting the Home Grown Speaker Series at Dark Roux in Lafayette, LA, Monday, April 6, 2015. The series, hosted by the Daily Advertiser and the market, is intended to educate diners by connecting them with local chefs and food producers. Paul Kieu, The Advertiser
Gonsoulin beef tartare is plated with spicy mayo, mushrooms, kohlrabi, asparagus, and ponzu, during the Home Grown Speaker Series hosted by the Daily Advertiser and the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm at Dark Roux in Lafayette, LA, Monday, April 6, 2015. The series is intended to educate diners by connecting them with local chefs and food producers. Paul Kieu, The Advertiser
Shannon Gonsoulin, co-owner of Gonsoulin Land and Cattle Company, speaks about raising cattle during the Home Grown Speaker Series hosted by the Daily Advertiser and the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm at Dark Roux in Lafayette, LA, Monday, April 6, 2015. The series is intended to educate diners by connecting them with local chefs and food producers. Paul Kieu, The Advertiser
"This was a fantastic event," dinner guest Kelly Briggs said.
Between each course, one of the two chefs appeared to describe the flavor profiles tasted in the locally sourced ingredients. Local farmers from Gotreaux Family Farms, Inglewood Farms, Gonsoulin Land and Cattle and Art's Coffee Roasters joined them to highlight how soil, seeds, compost or grazing techniques enrich the vegetables or meat.
"By buying local, you can have a huge impact on the lives of not only the family farmers but in the future of agriculture in Louisiana."
Molly Richard, Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market
Briggs applauded the taste and presentation of each dish, particularly the colorful beet vegetable salad, which Trahan and Bourgeois said underwent many transformations since its Dark Roux debut.
"I've never tasted goat cheese like that," Briggs said, referring to a bruleed goat cheese cake in the center of the dish. "It's amazing."
But the delicious food was not the only highlight for her and other dinner guests. Dining beside the farmers, guests learned myriad details on regional farms and the men and women who keep them operating.
"Tonight, you'll learn the importance of supporting local food," said Molly Richard, market manager of the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm, which co-hosted the dinner. "By buying local, you can have a huge impact on the lives of not only the family farmers but in the future of agriculture in Louisiana."
The dinner was just the beginning. Over the next six months, the Homegrown Speaker Series will highlight the impact of locally sourced foods on various facets of the community.
Scheduled events include:
Homegrown Habitat, 3 p.m. April 22: Exploring how community food systems promote sustainable agriculture. The talk is co-hosted by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Department of Sustainability in the UL Student Union. Speakers include Ann Savage and Dr. Carl Motsenbocker from the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education arm of the LSU AgCenter. In conjunction with the event, an on-campus farmers market is set to happen from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. the same day at the UL Alumni Center.
Homegrown History. Exploring how locally sourced food has impacted Acadiana food culture.
Homegrown Wealth, Date TBA: How buying locally grown foods impacts our economy.
Homegrown Health, Date TBA: How locally grown foods can impact your health. Dietitian Daphne Olivier will speak.
Homegrown Community, August 22: How food brings the community together. This event will take place during the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm.
The series' concept came from feedback dining and drink reporter Megan Wyatt received from an article she wrote illustrating how the farm-to-table movement hasn't significantly impacted farmers in Louisiana.
"One of the people who reached out to me after reading the story was Molly," Wyatt said. "She wanted me to know that it's nearly impossible for restaurants to source locally, which makes it nearly impossible for farmers to benefit from people demanding local foods."
But other communities in the country have invested in tools that make it easier for restaurant owners to source local foods. Richard offered sources for any future stories Wyatt might write on the topic.
Why stop at writing stories? Why not get the community excited about local foods and how they influence different aspects of life in Acadiana through events? Why not convince people to invest in growing our local food economy?
That's when Richard and Wyatt first planted the idea of what would become the Homegrown Speaker Series.
"This is an exploration of local food and its impact on Acadiana," Wyatt said. "I'm excited to see where the series will take us."
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