Chef Chuck Lemke prepares bruschetta at the Tanana Valley Farmers Market.
On a busy June afternoon at the Tanana Valley Farmers
Market, among booths selling radishes, cookies, honey and artwork, one vendor
attracted extra attention without really trying. The crowds were drawn to a new
interactive exhibit called “Chefs at the Market.”
Knife in hand and food processor whirring, local chef Chuck
Lemke reeled in passersby as he prepared bruschetta. Not only was the appeal
the chance to watch a chef at work, but there were free samples to try.
Mixing basil, pinenuts, garlic, lime juice and olive oil,
Lemke spread the pesto on slices of baguette, added tomatoes and parmesan
cheese and served it up with a smile.
A new program sponsored by the Alaska Division of Agriculture, Chefs at the Market was created to bring attention and additional
customers to farmers markets as well as teach consumers new ways to cook and
prepare Alaska Grown specialty crops, said Kristi Krueger, a Division of
Agriculture’s project assistant.
Funded by a USDA Specialty Crop block grant, Chefs at the
Market is paying $15,000 to chefs this summer to prepare on-site food at
various markets around the state. In Fairbanks, the Tanana Valley Farmers
Market is featuring local chefs Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the
Downtown Market is highlighting restaurant owners. Mondays from 5 to 7 p.m.
“We hope we see a boost in industry sales for the farmers
markets that directly benefit local farmers,” Krueger said. “And of course we
want to give people the opportunity to talk to chefs around the state and pick
up on new techniques on how to prepare Alaska Grown produce. Connecting farmers
and buyers to food that is closer, fresher, better is one of the goals for the
marketing team at the Division of Agriculture.”
The Midnight Sun Chefs Association and the culinary arts
club at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Community and Technical College
offered to man the booths at the Tanana Valley Farmers Market, with the money
they receive going to student scholarships.
Lemke, president of the chefs association, said his
organization wanted to help the students and reach out to the public at the
same time. As the summer goes on, the chefs will be able to incorporate more
locally grown food, Lemke said. “It’s still early in the season.” He was able
to use basil grown at a local farm in the pesto.
Lemke was so excited about making pesto he was fairly
gushing. “It’s wonderful and versatile. You can grow basil here very well and
you can freeze the pesto before you add the Parmesan. Put in ice cube trays and
then pop into a sauté pan or add to soups.”
Pesto makes a wonderful pizza sauce, he said, and slathered
on a roast chicken it’s delightful.
As he prepared to wind down his demonstration, Lemke said,
“From the time I opened there’s been a lot of interest. I’ve given away 150
bruschettas.”
“This is such a good thing,” Lemke said. “The farmers do a
good job stepping forward and this solidifies our community base even more.”
Julie Emslie, project manager with the Fairbanks Economic
Development Corp., has helped organize the project. “Many leaders in the
Fairbanks local food movement have identified a huge disparity between what
most consumers are eating and cooking at home and what is actually being grown
in the community around them,” Emslie said.
“Promoting the transition from purchasing foods from outside
of the state to Alaska grown produce is a difficult task and many consumers
lose interest when they become aware of what products are grown locally,”
Emslie said. “We believe that this has less to do with taste or variety and
more to do with unfamiliarity. Many are working toward changing the cooking and
eating culture in many Fairbanks homes to be more reflective of local foods and
products.”
Emslie hopes that the program will help strengthen
relationships between local farmers and the chefs, culinary students and
restaurant owners who can help promote the use of locally grown food.
At the Monday evening Downtown Market, Amy Nordrum,
communications coordinator for the Downtown Association of Fairbanks, is
thrilled to add this new element. She simply looked at the downtown association
membership to find chefs. On her roster are chefs or owners from Alaska
Heritage House (bed and breakfast), L’assiette de Pomegranate, Lavelle’s
Bistro, Gambardella’s, Julia’s Solstice Café and more.
“It’s pretty serendipitous,” Nordrum said. “One of the
missions of the market is to tie in downtown businesses and bring traffic to
both the market and downtown. We had already thought of doing something like
this before the grant program came along.”
“This is a good way to go,” Chuck Lemke said. “It’s healthy
for the community in a lot of ways.”
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