Restaurant Reformer » Organic

Nora Pouillon, Restaurant Nora and Asia Nora (Washington, DC)

RR — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 08:50:05 +0000

Opened in 1979, and still one of the most committed examples of organic, seasonal and local restaurant kitchens, we at Restaurant Reformer direct your attention to Nora. In 1999, Nora was the first restaurant in the country certified organic. Chef Nora Pouillon also takes the education of her guests seriously, putting information on the origins and issues around her food right on the menu. She makes no bones about the fact that quality ingredients aren’t cheap.

Following Nora, Asia Nora opened in 1996, bringing Chef Pouillon’s vision to asian-influenced flavors. Asia Nora closed in December of 2007.

Chef Pouillon was honored by the Organic Trade Association in 2004, and she is a founding member of the Seafood Choices Alliance. She’s been named 1997 Chef of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. You can often find her speaking at various engagements around the country (and the world?).

More on Nora Pouillon in Eat Washington, Star Chefs, Chef2Chef, CNN, and The O’Mama Report.

Cooking with Nora (208 pages of seasonal recipes) is available from Amazon.

Megenity, Mercury Cafe (Denver, CO)

RR — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:51:21 +0000

Far out on the edge of sustainability in food service, we find a place in Denver, Colorado. Featuring a living wall, greywater recycling, two wind turbines, no air conditioning, 99% organic, 80% local food sourcing, Marilyn Megenity at the Mercury Café is pushing hard on the sustainability front, with a specific goal of being completely off-grid.

More on the Mercury Café at the BBC, the Denver Post, and Greenprint Denver.

Ask a Sustainable Agriculture Expert

RR — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:15:47 +0000

Food service doesn’t happen without agriculture, so it’s probably worth investigating the links in the food chain to see if there’s something useful. Fortunately, the US Federal Government appropriated funds to let the National Center for Appropriate Technology continue to operate the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.

This means you still have an opportunity to ask an expert.

Previous answers discuss turkey, quail, mushrooms, dairy, hogs, persimmon, cherries, sugarcane, cheese making, pomegranate, alligator and much, much more.

If you are trying to source sustainable and/or organic food, the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service has a vast library of material available.