Menu Ingredients Sourcing Project
Your task is to design one entrée (main dish) focused on locally sourced ingredients. An entrée is something that someone would be served as a complete lunch or dinner in a restaurant. A hamburger is not an entrée. A hamburger with fries and salad is.
Please complete the project using the local food system around Saint Helena. I’m sure the local food system where many of you live is great, but it is too hard for me to learn and confirm the products for all of these scattered places.
You will need to describe your dish, compile a detailed list of all ingredients used (including, spices, salt, oil, etc.), find a source for each ingredient from which it is available today, and provide a reflection on the process. You can see a detailed description of what I want you to turn in below. If you have any questions about the assignment, please contact me.
It is strongly recommended that you start by finding the products that are available locally at this time of year, and use the list of products to develop your entrée, rather than coming up with a recipe and trying to find the ingredients for it locally.
Local can be defined in many ways, but the simplest definition is distance. Try to source your stuff from as close to Saint Helena as possible
While you are compiling products, be sure to note the specific farm they came from, and where that farm is located. You will need that information to complete the project.
Project Report
Your final project report should consist of the following:
1) Name and detailed descriptions of one entrée.
2) A complete list of ingredients (including spices, salt, oil, etc.) with the following info for each:
- Name of farm or producer
- Location of farm or producer (Town and State).
- If it is not a local product (like peppercorn), indicate this and say where you got it from. Though the grocery store is an option, it is neither cost-efficient or a good use of a chef’s time to go on shopping trips.
- Please create a table for this part. See the example below:
| Product | Farm/Producer | Location |
3) Write a reflection on the process. This should be a thoughtful paragraph or two and may contain answers to questions like:
- What did you learn?
- What were the challenges?
- How did you overcome them?
- How might having gone through this process influence your choices as a chef?
- If you opened a restaurant, would you be interested in doing farm-to-table cuisine? Why or why not?
Grading Rubric
| Criteria | Percent of Grade |
| The Entrée is Creative, Original, and Complex Enough to Include a Wide Variety of Local Products. | 25% |
| The Menu Items Center Around Local Food Products that are Currently Available (In-Season). | 25% |
| The Sources of Local Products are Fully Described | 25% |
| The reflection was thoughtful and descriptive. | 25% |