Photo courtesy of Ronin Farm
Most people eat out on a regular basis, and Bryan College Station residents have a unique opportunity to impact the B/CS economy by eating locally. Not only can guests choose locally owned restaurants, but some local restaurants, such as The Village Cafe and Ronin Restaurant, use local products from Howdy Farm and other local sources.
In order for a food product to be considered local, the total distance a product can be transported is 400 miles from its origin or within the state it was produced, according to the Food Conservation and Energy Act of 2008.
In B/CS, people are supporting local businesses, the local economy, and the environment by eating foods grown closer to where they live, says Sarah Gregory, Howdy Farm’s former farmers market manager.
While eating local might not be the first thing to consider on a menu, it is certainly something people living in the Brazos Valley can consider when choosing where and what to eat for a meal out.
When ordering Dr. Rex’s Breakfast at The Village Cafe hungry patrons might not know everything on the plate is purchased locally from either a farmer or a local food distributor. “I eat local because I can,” is painted in bold letters above the barista counter at the café.
“I like to keep the economy first to a person, second to a local corporation, and then third to a Texas corporation,” says Kristy Petty, owner of The Village Cafe.
The amount of direct to consumer food sales increased from 404 million in 1992 to 1.2 billion in 2007, a three-fold increase, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report.
“More money goes into the community if [food] is kept local,” says Jim Bob McKown, owner of Jimmy Bobby’s Sausage Company. When someone is selling to the big-box stores they’re allowing their product to be sold in Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin. “By putting money into these stores it really almost takes the money out of the local economy.”
Howdy Farm; Photo by Rachel Knight
Ronin Restaurant is another great example of the eat local movement.
“Ninety-five percent of the products used at Ronin come from Texas farms and our own personal farm,” says Amanda Light, owner of Ronin Restaurant. “Nothing ever stays the same; [the food] always changes.”
Howdy Farm also fuels the eat local movement by providing produce to local restaurants like Ronin Restaurant. They can also be found at the farmers market in Bryan every Saturday.
“Howdy Farm is a sustainable, organic student-run farm on [Texas A&M’s] campus and the organization teaches people about sustainability and where the food comes from,” Gregory says.
Knowing where food comes from also helps consumers make smart, healthy choices. The health benefits of eating locally are tremendous, Light says. “Fruits, vegetables, and meats that have been processed and picked in a recent time frame have a higher nutrient density versus those that travel across the country and are frozen,” she explains.
Petty says she has seen the eat local movement become a trend in B/CS. McKown urges people to spread the word, whether it’s word-of-mouth or through social media. You can eat local, too, and help the local economy in the process.
