Here’s to Another Great Year!

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Beginning a new year always seems to have us looking back, as well as forward. As I look back – way back – I can’t help recalling all those great holiday seasons from childhood. One of the best treats of the season was always Mom’s homemade peanut brittle and the sweet smell throughout our home. Small wonder I started hanging out in the kitchen at such a young age.

Happiness is a locally stocked larder.

Of course, I also can’t help but laugh as I recall my first glass of wine. Sadly, like so many young people, that first glass of wine was – you guessed it – Cold Duck. I’ve come a long way since then. Maybe it was the Cold Duck experience that launched my quest for fine wines, so much so that I’ve dedicated my life to becoming not just chef, but also Master Sommelier. I want to make sure the food I prepare is paired with the perfect wine.

As I narrow my look back and focus just on 2012, I can’t help but be pleased with all that we at Local 127 accomplished this year. Certainly, we’ve increased the awareness and importance of local food sourcing. I believe we really are at the center of Greater Cincinnati’s local movement, evidenced by the 2012 Snail of Approval Award we received from Slow Food Cincinnati.

Local produce freshly harvested by Justin at our own Relish the Garden in Historic Over-the-Rhine.

Our Sunday evening local dinners have allowed us to showcase some of our region’s best local growers and producers. We really enjoyed partnering for these dinners with Carriage House Farm and Napolean Ridge Farm. Trips to “the holler” and Woodlands Farm with our local farm expert Justin Dean left us even more enthusiastic about Woodlands pork and continually energized our culinary creativity.

The Chefs Collaborative in Seattle was also a highlight of 2012. The opportunity to be among more than 300 sustainability-minded chefs and food professionals from all over the US was incredible. I was especially appreciative of the quiet conversation I was able to have with New York Times food critic Ruth Reichl as happenstance had us sharing a cab.

But the best of 2012 was definitely serving our appreciative and supportive customers at Local 127. Knowing that each of you shares our commitment to local sourcing and that you appreciate the difference it makes in the food we serve is what we’re all about here.

I want to thank each and every one of you you for your patronage and your support of Local 127 and the local food movement; and, for making our 2012 such a great year. So, here’s to you. All of us at Local 127 wish you a Very Happy, Healthy & Local 2013.

Emilio & Justin: Praise the Lard!

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        You all know my buddy Justin Dean, chef, gardener extraordinaire and connection to all things Local. Of course, if you know Justin, you know he always has a great story to tell. Sometimes, his stories are even believable. This week’s “Tale by Justin” is a great one. And I was present to witness it.
        Justin was at Local 127, talking food with representatives from the Cincinnati Union Co-Op. When he got up to leave, Justin caught the eye of celebrity guest, Emilio Estevez, who is in Cincinnati working on a new film. Estevez, it seems, was attracted to Justin’s crazy “Praise the Lard” t-shirt. Suddenly, Justin and Estevez were talking food, gardens, wineries and sustainable farming.
        Who knew Emilio Esetevez was into the whole local scene? Estevez, whom Justin describes as a “cool cat,” knew all about the local movement here in Cincinnati. And he knew about our Relish the Garden in Over the Rhine; knew all about our work with local farmers and growers; and, expressed great appreciation for what we’re doing here. He also enjoyed his lunch immensely and looks forward to coming back. Real music to a chef’s ears.

Casa Dumetz, the boutique winery owned and operated by Emilio Estevez and fiancée Sonja Magdevski. (New York Times Photo)

        Estevez also shared the details of his own acre of garden where he produced more than a ton of fresh veggies this year. He even pulled out his flip-phone (no smart phones for this guy) and proudly showed off his screen saver – a photo of the gorgeous green peppers he grew this summer. When it comes to talking about wine, Estevez can hold his own too. He and his fiancée Sonja Magdevski own Casa Dumetz, a boutique winery they began as a project on the backyard slopes of their Malibu home. It turns out this whole farming thing may actually be in Estevez’s blood. His grandfather, who was from Galicia, Spain, grew up tending a vineyard, growing potatoes, tending chickens. I guess at some point, one way or another, we all really can “go home again.”
        If anyone had told me, when I set up shop here in Cincinnati, that Hollywood celebs on film location would be stopping by to sample the fare and compare gardens and wineries, I’m not sure I would have believed it. But here I am. And here was Emilio Estevez swapping stories and enjoying a mutual enthusiasm with Justin and me.
        It’s just one more reason I love this town – and our local food movement.

What’s this Guy Doing in Cincinnati?

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Why Cincinnati? I hear this question all the time. My response is always the same, “Absolutely Cincinnati.”

For a chef, especially one like me, who is committed to local sourcing and providing the absolute best and freshest ingredients to our Local 127 clientele, Cincinnati is the perfect location. And I’ve lived and worked in enough other locations to know.

Beginning my culinary career in Las Vegas along-side famed Chef Andre Rochat clearly defined my outlook on the food and beverage world. Understanding the gastronomic marriage of food and wine, I wanted to make sure that the marriage in my kitchen was a solid one. So in 1995, I earned the certification of Master Sommelier to ensure that I was the best matchmaker I could be.

Here in the Midwest, it’s easy to locate the best and freshest local product to use in the creation of all sorts of gastronomic delights. Living and working in Cincinnati puts me in the midst of the heartland – among America’s best growers and producers. The local movement here in TriState region is thriving as residents are hungry for farm-to-table product and eager to support their local growers and producers. I love the ready access to so much great product to use in creating exciting Local 127′s New American cuisine for such an incredibly supportive and appreciative community.

What’s more, when Cincinnati decides it likes you, it really likes you. Cincinnati foodies are an amazingly supportive bunch. Despite its size and major metropolitan atmosphere, Cincinnati has that small town, everybody-knows-everyone feel to it. And Cincinnatians are loyal. Local 127 regulars are not only happy to come into our eatery where “everybody knows your name,” but are also eager to share our restaurant with their friends, family members and out-of-town guests. Word-of-mouth and who you know are huge here in Cincinnati.

But Cincinnatians do more than just come to a restaurant when they love the food and/or the chef. They also invite the restaurant and the chef to become an active participant in all that makes this such a great city. I feel honored to be included in so many events that define the very fabric of Greater Cincinnati. Just this past month, I’ve had the privilege of supporting the Cincinnati Zoo at their largest annual fundraiser, Zoofari; have taken part in the Carriage House Farms Tour; have spoken at the Civic Garden Center; and, fashioned an elegant meal for the “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” fundraising event for the Cincinnati Horticultural Society.

October is shaping up to be just as rewarding. “Relish the Garden,” managed by our own Justin Dean, as well as our many other local growers and producers, are providing an incredible fall harvest for us. Justin and I have also just returned from the Chefs Collaborative in Seattle – I’m looking forward to sharing the details of this with our followers. And, of course, we have our fall Local 127 Master Sommelier Wine Pairing Dinner coming up at six o’clock October 28. Be sure to join us for this four-course autumn dinner featuring wines of the world.

While I may technically be a transplant, Cincinnati definitely feels like home, not just to me but also to the local movement. I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.

So again, to all of those who ask why, I’m going to keep saying, “Absolutely Cincinnati.”