Just over two decades ago, Bon Appétit Management Company began our annual tradition of challenging our chefs to cook an entire meal made exclusively with ingredients grown within 150 miles of their café. The rules are simple: All elements of the meal must be grown, harvested, milled, raised, or produced locally — the only exception is salt.
Each September, Eat Local Challenge is a chance for our chefs to flex their creativity while emphasizing our year-round support for our local farmers and foodsheds. This year, the celebration will take place on Tuesday, September 22nd, and our theme celebrates foodsheds, the flourishing networks of food producers our teams rely on every day. As we challenge our chefs to build a 100% local plate, the importance of our regional foodsheds reminds us of their role in creating resilient relationships, communities, and ecosystems.
While Eat Local Challenge is a once-per-year celebration for us at Bon Appétit, its inspiration is grounded in a legacy of pursuing a resilient food future through ongoing, institutional support of local food systems and producers. Our Farm to Fork Program, which was created in 1999, tasks all our teams with spending at least 20% of their food budget on small, owner-operated farms, ranches, and artisan food businesses within 150 miles of our kitchens. While much has changed in the past 27 years, our Farm to Fork partnerships remain a foundational commitment for our teams across the country.
We are grateful for the chance to enjoy another Eat Local Challenge with our guests, chefs, farmers, and local food distribution partners, affirming our continual mission to expand and deepen the support for our regional foodsheds.
