Chorizo Burger & Egg Red Potato Salad
Recipes from Tricia Houston, Farmstand Market and Café. TheFarmstandMarket.com
Hidden Treasures
The food industry, like any, is often tied to the ups and downs of particular trends — trends that can bypass smaller, more rural areas of the world. But there are those who seek to bring these areas into the future. Which is where restaurants like The Blue Raven and The Farmstand Market & Café come in. Both establishments have realized that there’s a market for what they have to offer in even the most unlikely of places.
Chef Matt Corbin is the owner and operator of The Blue Raven, located in his hometown of Pikeville, Kentucky. After graduating from Lexington’s Sullivan University branch, Corbin spent several years working in other people’s kitchens before he and his wife decided to move back and try their hand at the restaurant game. Six years later, he found himself the proprietor of a booming business unlike anything his fellow Pikevillians had encountered before.
“When we opened, it was kind of a shock for people. Pikeville didn’t have a lot of restaurants like this,” Corbin says, laughing. “They weren’t used to the kind of food we were serving, but we’ve grown our business every year.”
The Blue Raven describes its fare as “Kentucky and Appalachian staples,” but Corbin further clarifies what that is exactly. “It’s really just my take on Southern food. A little more upscale, though, maybe.” While The Blue Raven’s menu is planned around whatever Corbin can get in season, there are a few star attractions available year round. Two items that Corbin cites as Blue Raven specialties are the goat cheese salad and their crab cakes. “At this point,” Corbin laughs, “I can’t really take them off the menu.”
Corbin likes to use local produce as much as possible and he knows his customers appreciate it as well. And while Pikeville isn’t known for its agricultural diversity, Corbin has found a nearby answer to this shortfall. “We use Four Petal Farms as our main supplier. They’re the biggest source of our fresh produce. They get us microgreens, tomatoes, Asian greens, head lettuce, herbs. If I ask them for something they’ll try and grow it for me. And they’ll plan around what we’re going to be using here. They supply us with things to consistently keep on the menu.”
This reliance on local sourcing (up to half of the greens and vegetables in spring, summer and fall) is reflected in The Blue Raven’s seasonal menu. But they still do their best to provide customers with something locally grown as much as possible.
“In winter we’re down to hardly anything but Four Petal does get us some things. They even grow greens they call ‘mild and wild,’ which we use in our goat cheese salad.” The Corbins are also enlarging their own garden so as to add their own harvests to the restaurant’s inventory; pickling and canning their own vegetables for future use; keeping their own bees; and becoming certified to serve their own eggs in the restaurant.
“Pikeville is a little behind the times as far as trends go,” Corbin admits, though that’s not stopped him from doing his best to bring Pikeville up to speed. He is in the unique position to influence the eating habits of an entire town. “People are getting more and more into what we’re trying to do. Obviously, people are eating a lot healthier than they used to, which is a big thing.
There’s a big demand for that. There’s just a big demand for fresh produce and not doing a lot to it, not smothering it. Just letting the good quality come through, which is what we focus on. We always get the best ingredients that we can. People just appreciate buying locally. It’s become a big deal for them.”
As more and more restaurants like The Blue Raven embrace local sourcing, The Farmstand Market & Café of Union, Kentucky, takes the concept and cranks the dial to 11. “We do farm-to-table as much as possible,” owner Tricia Houston proudly informs me. “We have a whole list of farms so when you come in you can see the farms that we deal with.” As a farmer herself she wanted to offer the chance to eat wholesome, unprocessed food to those who might not always have ready access to it.
However, Houston acknowledges the logistical difficulties of buying local goods from so many sources. She’s since resolved the headache by employing the efficient services of the Ohio Valley Food Connection. “They’re a distribution company that solves the problems of individuals coming to your back door and having to write them a check individually,” Houston says. “The Ohio Valley Food Connection has a portal for the farmers to list everything that they have to sell and another portal that I, as a chef, can go to and pay for everything that I need. They pick it up from the farmer one day and deliver it to me the next day. It’s amazing.”
Besides tapping into the ever-growing demand for local products, the savvy Houston also created an accompanying retail market. “It’s very much tied in with everything we do at The Farmstand. There’s local cheeses, local milk, eggs, lettuces from one of our suppliers, Eighty Acre Farms, which are all hydroponically grown. Also, jellies, salsas, freezer beef, freezer pork.” The idea is simple yet brilliant: If you enjoyed a particular dish at the café, why not make it yourself at home? Chances are, you can find all the fresh, locally grown ingredients in the market next door.
The Farmstand takes in 50% to 75% of its supplies locally, including meat, so it’s no stranger to shifts in seasonal availability. But even while they regularly rotate their selections they also maintain favorites. “We serve burgers, sandwiches that we call ‘farmwiches,’ and salads, appetizers, desserts. And we do specials all the time, which depends on what we have, what might come in, based upon what’s in season.” Houston touts their infamous chorizo burger as one of their signature crowd-pleasers. “We make it with non-GMO, pasture-raised pork from Hundred Happy Acres. Actually, all of our meat is non-GMO, grass-fed and pasture-raised.”
Houston doesn’t only hawk her goods at The Farmstand. She supports local business widely and with abandon. “It’s not just meat, its not just produce that we feature but produced products as well. We buy our ice cream from Crank & Boom [in Lexington], pies from a local pie maker called Piebird, for instance.” Of course, understanding well the circle of life that exists between small, local businesses, Houston is more than happy to help other businesses. In fact, she sees it as her duty. “It’s just so important to support other local businesses,” she says.
When I asked Houston what other trends she saw shaping her business she answered without hesitation. “Dietary issues,” she said. “It’s become one of the foremost thing on our minds here. We try to make sure that we have things like gluten-free products and vegan and vegetarian options available for our guests. We’re just trying to be hyper aware of these dietary restrictions that people have and we work with them very closely. There seems to be a lot more now.”
Recipes from the Article
Chorizo Burger & Egg Red Potato Salad
Recipes from Tricia Houston, Farmstand Market and Café. ...
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