By Amy Minchin

Bud & Alley’s has been a gathering place for casual fine dining and sunset cocktails since 1987, when the iconic beachside town of Seaside was still in its infancy along Walton County Hwy. 30-A.

“I order the crab cakes every time I’m here and the tuna dip is another favorite,” said freelance food and travel writer Susan Benton, owner of 30AEats.com.

With a wealth of knowledge about Gulf Coast food, restaurants and chefs, Benton has been cooking for most of her life and has deep roots in the region’s culinary community.

She joined us at Bud & Alley’s as we set out to find the best food taking part in the farm-to-table movement in Northwest Florida.

“I’m glad so many people are taking an interest in their food and where it is coming from,” Benton said.

With the Gulf of Mexico in its back yard, Bud & Alley’s dinner menu features the freshest local catch, from grilled snapper, shrimp and scallops to the famous crab cakes.

On this visit, at our request, Chef David Bishop prepared a selection of dishes featuring farm-fresh produce, beginning with tomato and peach salad with feta cheese and fresh basil.

This blend of sweet and savory flavors was followed by an organic arugula salad with shaved pecorino and toasted pine nuts.

“Our chefs seek out local ingredients as often as possible,” said Dave Rauschkolb, owner of Bud & Alley’s.

“We were inspired by Alice Waters when we opened nearly 30 years ago and we’ve been proud to be at the forefront of farm-to-table and fish-to-table on 30-A.”

Another dish, the roasted beets salad, wowed with a colorful presentation over organic local kale topped with toasted pecans, Gorgonzola cheese and sugarcane vinaigrette.

Local eggplant and zucchini were stars of the last plate we tried. Served over stewed lentils with harissa, chickpea hummus and grilled pita, this hearty vegetarian dish packed intense flavor.

Next door at Bud & Alley’s Pizza Bar, Executive Chef Phil McDonald serves up wood-fired pizzas with fresh, seasonal ingredients. “The menu we have in summer is not the menu we’ll have in the fall,” he said.

In late summer, figs picked just outside the restaurant are combined with goat cheese and sherry shallot vinaigrette for backyard fig bruschetta. The farmer’s market pizza offers grilled local eggplant with charred corn. Paired with a side of Italian flat green beans prepared with olive oil and garlic, it’s a delightful way to eat your veggies.

Farming since 2005, Charles Bush and Shueh-Mei Pong, owners of Dragonfly Fields, are former restaurateurs themselves. Now, in addition to cultivating vegetables from their 17 acres of land north of Defuniak Springs, they pick, wash, clean, pack and deliver Italian green beans, tomatoes and arugula once or twice a week to Bud & Alley’s and to other chefs and retailers they supply in South Walton and Okaloosa County. They also sell to the public at the Seaside Farmers Market.

“There are so many good restaurants now on 30-A. Growers and producers have stepped up to meet the demand,” Rauschkolb said. “It’s a group of people who like and support each other, and we all share in the value of the region. Those relationships, plus the bounty of the Gulf at our fingertips, are good for visitors and good for everybody.”

Our quest for the area's farm-to-table movement continued westward at FarmStand in Grayton Beach.

 Twin Oaks Farm, a 94-acre certified organic farm in Bonifay, serves up delicious concoctions like these preserves.
- Andrew Wardlow for VISIT FLORIDA

 

Benton introduced proprietor Renee Savary, a Swiss-born woman raised in France, who also owns and operates Twin Oaks Farm, a 94-acre certified organic farm in Bonifay.

Selling organic eggs, chicken, and other goods, FarmStand serves breakfast and lunch daily. “Our food is fresh every day according to what we have,” Savary said.

On this visit, a frittata made from Twin Oaks Farm eggs, ranked the number one organic eggs in the nation by the Cornucopia Institute, is served with green beans from Dragonfly Fields. Dessert is fresh fruit clafoutis, a flan-like dish prepared with peaches.

Savary is passionate for sustainability and organic farming, describing the methods she uses to raise and process her thriving stock of chicken, duck, and sheep.

The residents include around 50 large black hogs, which she affectionately refers to as Le Cochon Noir de Bonifay.

“I believe in maximizing what you get from each animal,” she said.

Alys Beach Executive Chef Kevin Korman works closely with Savary, visiting her farm and hand-selecting products for the heritage pork and chicken dishes on his farm-to-table menu at Caliza Restaurant in Panama City Beach.

In the Destin area, Benton recommends Tim Creehan’s Cuvee Destin. She notes Jackacudas Seafood & Sushi for its use of Fish Trax to identify diners’ fish entrees by type, as well as when, where and by whom it was caught.

In Pensacola, the award-winning Jackson’s Steakhouse and Executive Chef Irv Miller have set the bar with a fine dining menu of grass-fed beef and fresh seafood since 1998.

With an accomplished career spanning three decades in Northwest Florida restaurants, Miller has forged relationships with farmers and fishermen throughout the region. His forthcoming cookbook, “Panhandle to Pan: Recipes and Stories from Florida’s New Redneck Riviera,” highlights growers and producers who define the farm-to-table spirit.

MariCarmen Josephs, owner and chef of Carmen’s Lunch Bar, personally visits the Palafox Market in Downtown Pensacola each Saturday to select produce. Flora Bama Farms is another supplier.

At lunch, Carmen’s kale salad and soup of the day are good bets for sampling seasonal vegetables and fruit. Josephs makes a gazpacho with all local ingredients, including tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber and corn.

“I knew early on that fresh, quality produce would be a part of what makes Carmen’s attractive to our customers,” she said.

Offering many gluten-free options, Josephs incorporates more local ingredients into the nightly tapas menu. Homemade pepper jelly served over savory goat cheese cheesecake with crostini on a bed of arugula has been a popular item, she said.

Another dish, spiralized golden and green zucchini can be sautéed with homemade pesto made from local basil or served with Carmen’s Italian meat sauce with pork.

Josephs recently introduced a creamy local eggplant dip with basil-manchego-almond pesto. Garnished with roasted red poblano peppers and lemon zest, it is
served with freshly toasted crostini.

Other farm-to-table movement restaurants to try on this westernmost end of the Panhandle include Type, Restaurant Iron, The Fish House and Atlas Oyster House. Offering waterfront dining in the heart of Pensacola, both Fish House and Atlas participate in the statewide Fresh From Florida On The Menu program, offering produce grown by Florida farmers and seafood caught in Florida waters.

A bit to the east, In Tallahassee, Backwoods Crossing is not just farm to table, it is the farm. Diners only have to walk outside to see the crops sprouting in both the front and back yards. Chickens and quail are raised on premises, too. Not every single ingredient is produced on these four acres, but that’s not the only reason to dine here. The food is delicious and creative, a special experience in Tallahassee.

Other farm-to-table restaurants in Tallahassee featuring locally sourced food include: Kool Beanz Café, where chef/owner Keith Baxter was one of the first Tallahassee restaurateurs to buy from local farmers: Sweet Pea Café, a vegan eatery committed to local and organically grown ingredients: and Tupelo’s Bakery & Café in nearby Monticello. Caterer and culinary educator Chef Shac is dedicated to using locally sourced ingredients and to teaching people why it’s important to know where your food comes from.

Farms

Many small farms in the Tallahassee area have an open-gate policy and welcome visitors, but most ask that you call first. The New Leaf Market, a local organic grocery story and food cooperative, hosts an annual farm tour that allows visitors the chance to check out farms, wineries, cattle and goat ranches, dairies and other operations.

Some of the farms providing food to local restaurateurs and chefs include:

·     Turkey Hill Farm

·     Full Earth Farm

·     Orchard Pond Organics

·     Mt. Beasor Farm

·     Bumpy Road Farm

·     Sycamore Gardens

·     Sopchoppy Farms

·     iGrow Farms

Visit FreshFromFlorida.com and localharvest.org to find more local farm-to-table restaurants in Tallahassee, farmers’ markets, u-pick farms, co-ops, and events. Visit redhillsfarmalliance.com to find out more about sustainable agriculture operations in the Tallahassee area. Visit FreshFromFlorida.com and localharvest.org to find more local farm-to-table restaurants, farmers’ markets, u-pick farms, co-ops, and events.

Places to Remember

PLACES TO REMEMBER