Jeremy Barlow chef and owner of Tāyst Restaurant.
If you've seen the latest issue of Martha Stewart Weddings, you'll know that Liesl Menning, Martha's assistant, was married early last fall in Tennessee in a beautiful eco-friendly ceremony and reception. I have done some behind the scenes blogging to help you go green, too!
When we first started planning Liesl's wedding, she wanted an eco-caterer, so we looked for the best available. Tara Guerard, owner of Soiree Charleston and Liesl's wedding planner, found Chef Jeremy Barlow, owner of Tāyst Restaurant in Nashville.
His food was amazing, and he gave us some great green tips to keep in mind.
1. Get as much of your food from within a half day’s drive from your location as you can. If you can’t find all of your food from a local source, make sure the source farms in a sustainable manner.
2. Verify that your food choices are hormone free, organic, pasture-raised and otherwise sustainable. If your food choices fall under at least one of these guidelines, it’s likely you’re making a green choice. Conversely, when you’re buying from a small local farm, it might not be certified organic, but that doesn’t mean its farmers don’t farm sustainably. Simply ask them about their methods.
3. Compose a seasonal menu. By designing a menu that relishes in the local bounty of the season, you will guarantee success at finding green food. (Asparagus in December is not green.)
4. Make sure that your choices are presented in a manner that cuts down on the use of paper or disposable serving ware. If you must use paper cocktail napkins, find a brand that is 100% Post Consumer Waste (PCW) recycled.
5. While interviewing caterers for your wedding here are some questions to determine if they are on the green team:
• Are their menus seasonal?
• Where do they get their produce?
• What are their sources for meat, dairy, eggs?
• Do they recycle?
• Do they compost?
• What is their philosophy on cooking? Chefs can be green and still prepare food from simple, straightforward basics, or they can focus intensely on molecular gastronomy (which is very trendy right now). However, the answer will tell you how they feel about the food they serve. Is their passion for cooking seasonally equal to their passion for food? Are they concerned with where their food came from and who grew it? These are answers that should be obvious when a chef talks about his or her philosophy on food.
•What type of paper products do they use? Recycled?
It seems like a lot, but it's so important to know who you're working with before you hire them to get exactly what you want. For more helpful wedding planning tips, tune in to back-to-back episodes of Art of Cakes and Green and Gorgeous beginning at 8:00 PM on the Style Network. Check your local listings.
Those are great tips! I loved this most recent Martha Stewart special it was so inspiring
Posted by: Nelly | December 30, 2008 at 10:11 AM
Try going to www.NaplesWeddingCatering.com
Posted by: joe groom | April 04, 2009 at 10:12 PM