Stirring Up a Locavore's Dream at Andrews University

Now in its sixth year, Bon Appétit’s Eat Local Challenge is a celebration of fresh food, family farms, and fiercely local traditions.

Today, Sept. 28, Bon Appétit Management Company chefs are ready for the Eat Local Challenge: a memorable, made-from-scratch meal relying solely on what’s within farms reach. On this day, the chefs at Andrews University will join over 400 other Bon Appétit restaurants and cafés in preparing a special meal made entirely with ingredients sourced from within 150 miles of their kitchens.

Shrinking the distance our food travels from farm to plate is one way that Bon Appétit Management Company leads the way in changing the way we eat: drawing us back to the land, back to the kitchen, and back to the simple pleasure of real, seasonal food. For over a decade, Bon Appétit’s Farm to Fork Program has created unique partnerships between college and corporate campuses, talented chefs, and local farmers and artisans. Our Farm to Fork partners are small-scale, owner-operated, and sit within a 150 mile radius of the cafés they serve. Bon Appétit’s national span brings the “locavore” concept to the national level, with over 400 cafés supporting a renaissance of regional food production in the United States.

For this year’s Eat Local Challenge, Executive Chef Victor Lane of Andrews University is excited to highlight Southwest Michigan’s best with dishes like Eggplant Lasagna and Spaghetti Squash that he will prepare with the bounty from local purveyors such as Andrews University Farm, Shelton Farm, and Victory Farm.

“Over the past 6 years of the Eat Local Challenge I’ve experienced firsthand how Bon Appétit uses the kitchen to nourish not only people, but also local economies, and the planet. As a chef, I love supporting the farmers and artisans who grow our food, minimizing the impact our food choices have on the earth, and restoring the pleasures of the table,” says Victor Lane.

On the surface, Bon Appétit’s Eat Local Challenge is just one simple, delicious meal. But a quick peek under the lettuce leaf reveals a vast ripple effect – highlighting how local purchasing strengthens communities, keeps small family farms in business, and connects eaters young and old to the land that sustains us. The Eat Local Challenge gets guests thinking and talking about local food – while enjoying a meal that celebrates the flavor, environmental, and economic benefits of eating straight from the farm.

About Bon Appétit
Bon Appétit Management Company (www.bamco.com) is an onsite restaurant company offering full food service management to corporations, universities and specialty venues. Bon Appétit is committed to sourcing sustainable, local foods for all cafés throughout the country. A pioneer in environmentally sound sourcing policies, Bon Appétit has developed programs addressing local purchasing, the overuse of antibiotics, sustainable seafood, cage-free eggs, the connection between food and climate change, and most recently, farm workers’ rights. The company has received numerous awards for its work from organizations like the Natural Resources Defense Council, Seafood Choices Alliance, The Humane Society of the United States, and Food Alliance. Based in Palo Alto, CA, Bon Appétit has more than 400 cafés in 30 states, including eBay, the University of Pennsylvania and the Getty Center.