Top Three Tips For the Best Prepared Food

All of the very best bed and breakfasts, high-end restaurants, and top resorts have many things in common. Most likely they are the best because their hospitality surpasses the norm. Outstanding guest services aren’t the only part of the whole hospitality package, however. Top of the line amenities from the softest towels to the best gyms help these facilities rate high. Still, though, it’s the food that keeps people coming back. If the menu and the plates were memorable, if the taste of the food exceeded expectations, then chances are that people will want to come back for more. What makes that food so incredible? A fine chef does not make the fare. A fine chef takes the best selection of the finest food and assembles it into art. But you have to start with the best ingredients.

Local

Purchasing fresh meats, cheeses and vegetables from local ranchers and farmers is more than just a socially responsible thing to do. Besides supporting local farmers, harvesting from the very ground you are on allows the flavors and the effects of the environment to come intensely into play, giving your dish a unique character found only in your area. If you are pulling from your surroundings, like good wine in areas such as the California wine country, everything that’s in the soil and the area will be present in the flavors of your food. Keeping all of them collected together gives each dish a singularly delicious element that cannot be found anywhere else. Additionally, knowing the growers and where the ingredients come from lets the chef know he can count on the product’s quality, not just today but in the future. Continuing to buy locally ensures the growers will be around in the future as well. Everyone wins.

Organic

Why organic? Local and organic often go hand-in-hand. If you can’t buy everything from a local supplier, at least choose an organic product. Organic is the closest to purely natural that you can get without hormones or preservatives. When you taste organic versus other varieties, the flavors are richer and deeper. This gives the dishes the full effect of the ingredient you are introducing. Meats are plumper with fewer additives and more pure protein. Vegetables are packed with nutrients so you aren’t just providing a delicious dish, you are actually preparing a healthy meal. Of course, organic means that you have to use your produce and meats quickly. Though you may be making frequent shopping trips, you will know it’s always fresh and at its peak on that day. That’s why you will often see chefs shopping earlier on the same day they will be preparing their dishes.

Fresh

Speaking of fresh, what could be fresher than picking herbs and garnishes from your garden right before you use them? The best flavors come from a garden filled with wonderful selections of herbs and garnishments. Add some of your own vegetables and local is an understatement. Great garden-access varieties to keep on hand are

•         Rosemary
•         Thyme
•         Nasturtium
•         Roses
•         Mint

Having these amazing tools at your fingertips will give each dish the freshest advantage and most beautiful presentation because nothing is used until the moment it is needed and just before it is plated. What a powerful presentation!

Never underestimate the power of your ingredients. Whether you are the chef, restaurant owner or manager, providing your restaurant with the highest quality of ingredients will set you apart. Ensure that you always have the highest quality and purest flavor by putting local, organic and the freshest herbs and garnishes at your fingertips.