Farm-to-Table Restaurants in West Michigan

Keeping up with my vegetable garden was about impossible this summer, but Saturday I was reminded of why I do it.   Here it is, November, and I’m still getting cherry tomatoes and broccoli!   I also harvested rutabaga, turnips, cabbage beets onions, squash and brussel sprouts.   I roasted up several pans with olive oil and fresh garlic and had some of the most delicious food on earth!    My raspberries are even producing enough for a tasty snack every couple of days!

Is it any wonder that more people are growing their own food, and looking for restaurants that get food straight from the farm!

Here’s a list of Farm-to-Table Restaurants in our area:

• Malia Mediterranean Bistro in Battle Creek.

Owner and Chef Jeff Sampson says they’ve been buying fresh produce from the 365 Leiia Arboretum Garden for years.   He says they get heirloom tomatos and other vegetables and herbs from the Arboretum, as well as area farm markets.  He says they also buy from other local customers with farms and local mushroom foragers.

• Canal Street Café in Augusta

Owner Jeff Green says “We try to buy locally as much as possible.“  He says the winter months mean buying from out of state at times, but most of the year, they buy from farms within 30 miles of the restaurant.  He says even now they’re featuring fresh broccoli from the local area.   Green says Canal Street Café buys all its beef, chicken and pork from local farmers.  He says they buy produce from Soil Friends in Richland and Green Acres in Battle Creek.

• Henderson Castle Inn and Winery in Kalamazoo

They feature produce from their garden, meat and eggs from local farms and they even are planning to have their own free range chickens in 2017.

• Food Dance, Kalamazoo

Food Dance says they’re fixated on finding honest-to-goodness fruits, vegetables, meat and eggs that come from the farm, not the factory.

• Four Roses Cafe, Plainwell

Owners Tom and Jan Rose know the importance of using quality products and fresh, local ingredients.

There are also a lot of Farm-to-Table establishments near the Lakeshore, where a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables are grown.

• Journeyman Distilleryin Three Oaks
• The Inn at Harbor Shoresin St. Joseph
• Virtue Ciderin Fennville
• Salt of the Earthin Fennville
• Boulevard Inn & Bistro, St. Joseph
• Fenn Valley Vineyards, Fennville