Earth Day eats: Celebrating 10 years of locavorism in Naples

How timely is it that Chef Jeff Mitchell’s The Local celebrates its 10th anniversary on Earth Day, April 22?

Mitchell’s restaurant focuses on locavore cuisine, a farm-to-table concept adhering to food produced within a community or region, thereby lessening a product’s carbon footprint. His immersion in the concept was gleaned at the Culinary Institute of America, utilizing Hudson Valley's homegrown products in New York.

What's not locavore? Think asparagus; at the grocery store, you might notice the attached tag indicating it was grown in Peru. It didn’t land on the store shelf easily, requiring flights and trucks to get there. Spotting produce at local fruit and vegetable stands with PLU stickers? Chances are a long journey was involved.

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Mitchell’s frustration seeing $45 per portion “Chilean Sea Bass,” technically Patagonian toothfish, an overfished, non-sustainable species on many restaurant menus in town was an early impetus for opening The Local in 2013.

“We have more sustainable fish here. Why get products from thousands of miles away when we're literally two blocks from the beach?”

Speaking of fish, is it safe to eat given red tide and post-Hurricane Ian water issues?

At The Local, his suppliers drive dayboats traveling “100 miles from shore. We're not getting all our fish from the Gulf of Mexico; we also source from Florida’s Atlantic coast so it's still pretty damn local.”

He typically offers snapper, grouper and Bluehouse salmon, harvested in Homestead and incorporating that region’s aquifer using a sustainable, additive-free non-GMO clean-water concept originated by Atlantic Sapphire in Norway.

When pigs fly

Meats and poultry are also sourced locally but can come with challenges including an animal’s size and other issues. He shared an anecdote about how Hurricane Irma affected former pork source Palmetto Creek Farms (closed 2019) because the electrically powered pens holding the Hereford-breed pigs were blown away and the swines scattered everywhere.

Overcoming obstacles

When first opening the restaurant, one area farm told him, “We prefer not to work with chefs because they’re a pain in the ass.”

Turning her no into a yes was the result of a nimble chalkboard menu with slats, created by a carpenter for specials inspired by the contents of whatever arrives from that farm’s weekly CSA (community-supported agriculture) boxes in addition to a year-round menu. When his kitchen runs out of a special’s defining ingredients, the slat is removed from the board.

From hibiscus lemonade to squash soups, seasonal and unusual offerings present learning experiences for his team because “as we constantly change our chalkboard specials menu, they're forced to develop something different. We’ll make a dish then refine the recipe depending on the outcome.”

The advantage for guests? Seeing what’s available at any given moment before mulling an order. There’s also a chalkboard for beers; when a keg is kicked, the slat disappears.

The advantage for farmers working with him: Mitchell’s flair for incorporating items like delicious salt-and-pepper cucumbers when farmers market attendance isn’t robust.

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Hungry for homegrown?

Mitchell explained Southwest Florida’s two growing seasons: Greens and lettuces usually arrive in October with availability through early June.

Pests and weather, including hurricanes, often affect crops. Hoping for big tomatoes might require settling for grape-size varieties.

For Earth Day through May, "it’s up to the farms." Germinating eggplant, okra and other items starts February or March. In June and July, tropical squashes abound by the boxload.

“Things like watermelons take a while to grow. If planting is successful and vegetables reach maturity, good stuff like kalabasa squash comes from that. We’ll typically have tomatoes. Mulberries are being picked now.” Resilient kale, arugula, mixed greens and spinach are menu mainstays.

The rest of it? “Up in the air” because Mother Nature might mar the process. Vine items including watermelon take longer to grow; squashes are susceptible to too much moisture, humidity and again, those dang pests, particularly caterpillars and nematodes that love Southwest Florida's soil.

Alas, no strawberries were delivered this year from one of his favorite organic farms because extremely limited amounts were exclusively sold at Collier’s farmers markets.

What's next for Chef Jeff? Mitchell’s goal is opening a second location either downtown or in Bonita Springs.

(5323 Airport-Pulling Road, Naples; 239-596-3276; thelocalnaples.com)

Diana Biederman is NDN's restaurant & food reporter. Connect via diana.biederman@naplesnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Earth Day dining: Locavore restaurant celebrates tenth anniversary