Irish Chefs and Restaurants in the Geography of “Local” Food Value Chains

Abstract

Restaurant chefs and owners have a potentially influential role to play in promoting the use of local foods and supporting producers. Indeed chefs are taste makers, and their conceptualization of local food can influence consumers' perceptions, knowledge and geographical awareness. Yet their role is not well documented in research literature. In-depth interviews were conducted with seven purposively selected chefs in Galway City, Ireland, who are seeking to develop a local cuisine. Menus, websites, and statements of philosophy were also analyzed. Attention focused on the definition of local food, sources of supply, how local food is used in cuisine, and how it is presented on menus. Common themes among restaurants include the geographic stretching of local food to include artisan products, issues of seasonality and variability in supply, and questions about the authenticity of promoting the use of local foods. There are opportunities for building linkages between chefs and local producers, to promote authentic use of locally sourced foods. Recommendations are made for five strategies to build a sustainable local food geography, based on strengthening the farmer-to-chef shortened value chain.

Estimating restaurant willingness to pay for local beef

“…Questions regarding restaurant characteristics and the primary decision maker's attitudes about serving local foods were also included in the survey. These questions originated from a review of restaurant and consumer surveys on local foods (Carpio & Isengildina‐Massa, ; Dentoni, Tonsor, Calantone, & Peterson, ; Duram & Cawley, ; Selfa & Qazi, ; Starr et al, ; Telligman, Worosz, & Bratcher, ).…”

Beyond calorie counting: assessing the sustainability of food provided for public consumption

“…In some cases, local and national are conflated by producers, consumers and food promoters (Carroll and Fahy, 2014). In a recent Irish-based study, the understanding of local by some chefs was extended to include speciality foods from other European countries (Duram and Cawley, 2012). In this instance, the concept of local is less concerned with geographical distances or boundaries and more associated with inherent qualities of the food such as artisanal production techniques.…”

The Consumption of Local Food in Restaurants: A Study in Kas

“…Others support 100 miles in general considering shipping time and delivery conditions of the products (Sirieix, Kledal, & Sulitang, 2011;Smith & MacKinnon, 2007;Ricketts Hein & Watts, 2010). Similar debates are also taking place within the production methods such as aquaphonics, hydrophonic and permaculture, sustainable agricultural practices, factors affecting the consumers purchasing decission, labeling the food items such as "locally grown", "organic" and "natural" (Goodmanan & DuPuis, 2002;Pollan, 2006;Inwood, Sharp, Moore, & Stinner, 2009;Duram & Cawley, 2012) Even though the generalisability of much published research on the definition is problematic, a considerable amount of literature has been published on the scope of local food that it is associated with consumers seeking high quality which they may define in terms of nutritional value, freshness, carbon prints, clean production, animal welfare, environmental impacts of transporting food over long distances (Parrott, Wilson, & Murdoch, 2002;Born & Purcell, 2006;Pearson, Henryks, Trott, Jones, Parker, Dumaresq, & Dyball, 2011). The scope of local food can be examined in several different ways: Local food can be a single product (Peruvian potatoes, Almonds of Datça) or a combined product (Dijon Mustard, Turkish White cheese of Ezine, Oaxacan Mole etc.)…”

“…Local food products play an important role in the maintenance of food tourism by providing a connection between local culinary stakeholders such as chefs, local producers and tourists (Gale, 1997;Duram & Cawley, 2012). Local food has a potential to stimulate the needs within the sustainable tourism agenda, by encompassing the concerns about food safety (Reynolds-Alliea & Fields, 2012).…”