Farm-to-table is a popular concept with both food lovers and chefs. As the hospitality industry continues to align itself with the worldwide goal of reducing the carbon footprint on the planet, the need for a more sustainable lifestyle has led to the adoption of eco-friendly practices. But what exactly are farm-to-table restaurants and why are they popular?
Imagine a juicy orange, bursting with sunshine flavour, plucked from the tree and served to you on your plate within a few hours. That’s what farm-to-table essentially means. In this modern movement, the emphasis is on locally sourced and organically cultivated seasonal food that covers a very short distance from the farm where it is grown to the table where it is served.
The produce doesn’t require refrigeration and transport on ships across kilometres, sometimes across continents. It is plucked and sent immediately to the kitchen for preparation of some of the most delicious dishes ever tasted. This helps retain the freshness of the ingredients complete with all natural sugars and nutrition. Even the meat is sourced from animals that are raised organically and graze on nearby pastures.
While a reduction in transportation also means a reduction in carbon emissions, the support that local farms receive because of the concept helps in the increased adoption of sustainable farming practices.
Moreover, the farm-to-table concept helps build a connection between diners and the people who grow the food as well as foster a better understanding of the environment. Thus, not only restaurants but several popular hotels and resorts, too, have increasingly moved towards the farm-to-table practice.
Recognising the significance of sustainable practices, Michelin Guide introduced the Michelin Green Star in 2021. By June 2021, there were 291 Michelin Green Star restaurants around the world recognised for their best-in-class sustainable practices.
The Michelin Green Star is different from the coveted Michelin Stars. The latter has been the ultimate symbol of a restaurant’s status as a dining establishment and the quality of its food for close to 100 years.
A restaurant can be rated up to three Michelin Stars, attesting to the highest level of exquisiteness in their cooking. Only a handful of the farm-to-table restaurants enjoy the coveted Michelin Stars alongside the Michelin Green Star.
Even though the numbers are few, it is important to take note of the revolution these restaurants are bringing by ensuring the highest luxury that dishes can deliver while ensuring that the environment is always safe for all.
The best Michelin-starred farm-to-table restaurants
Maaemo, Norway
The name of the farm-to-table restaurant means “mother earth” in Old Norse. According to Michelin Guide, the high ceilings and the theatrical lighting of the restaurant offer an “exceptional dining experience.” Much of the ingredients are Norwegian in origin and sourced from producers in and around Oslo. The seafood, like king crab and other delicacies, comes from Arctic waters off the Norwegian coast.
The restaurant was awarded three Michelin stars in 2016. But because of a relocation to its current address near Oslo Central Station, it lost all of its stars in 2020. The following year, the restaurant not only won back all three of its stars but also added the coveted Michelin Green Star to its honour.
The seasonal tasting menu costs around USD 460 per guest. For drinks, there are three options: the wine selections at around USD 270 per guest, the prestige wine selections for around USD 915 per guest, and seasonal non-alcoholic drink selections for around USD 174 per guest.
SingleThread Farm, US
A winner of three Michelin stars, the Japanese-influenced restaurant is located in downtown Healdsburg in Sonoma County. The county is part of the world-famous Wine Country region of California in the US.
Owners Kyle Connaughton, who is also the head chef, and Katina Connaughton, the head farmer, have created a paradise that would delight both food enthusiasts and nature lovers on a 97,100-square-metre farm. Surrounded by vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley, it has everything from olive trees and heirloom fruit orchards to greenhouse and shade structures.
The farm is the source of the vegetables, seasonal fruits, herbs, flowers, honey and olive oil for the restaurant. The farm also supplies its harvest to neighbourhood communities as part of its Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programme.
Its 10-course tasting menu is priced at USD 425 per person. Special menus can be priced at USD 495 per person. The restaurant was also awarded a Michelin Green Star in 2020.
Book a reservation at SingleThread Farm
L’Enclume, England
L’Enclume was founded by chef Simon Rogan in 2002 in the village of Cartmel in Cumbria. Twenty years down the line, he has been awarded an MBE for services to the food industry in the 2024 New Year’s Honours list.
“The British dining scene has changed a lot in the last 20 years, and it has been invigorating to be a part of that, namely raising the profile of the ‘farm-to-fork’ way of growing and eating, and hopefully inspiring others to follow suit,” he said upon been named for the honour.
Measuring 48,500 square metres, his farm was, in his own words, “designed by chefs, for chefs; along with local suppliers for meat and fish.” The farm is located in the Lake District. It provides everything from vegetables to cattle for all the restaurants Rogan founded throughout the UK. Animal waste is returned to the land as compost, not only leaving a low carbon footprint but building a sustainable ecosystem in the process as well.
There are several combinations of dishes at the three-Michelin-starred and the Michelin Green Star restaurant. Guests can try boltardy beetroot, horseradish vinegar and salted mackerel tart, with juices infused with perilla, or pink fir apple potatoes cooked in chicken fat and crisp skin with pickled walnut and Park House cheddar, among other delicious delights that reach the table straight from the farm. The tasting menu for both lunch and dinner costs around USD 320. Wine pairings range from USD 128 to USD 370.
Those who wish to stay can book any of the 16 bedrooms and suites located around the village of Cartmel, within walking distance of the restaurant. Guests who stay get to enjoy breakfast at Rogan & Co., a neighbourhood restaurant which enjoys a one Michelin star rating.
Book a reservation at L'Enclume
Piazza Duomo, Italy
Three Michelin stars and a Green Star define the gastronomic excellence of this restaurant in the picturesque Piedmont region in northern Italy. The restaurant, which is located in the historic town of Alba, is instantly recognisable, with its distinctive red entrance door and pink walls of the dining area. Chef Enrico Crippa creates a sensory experience with five unique menus, which keep changing according to the season.
The menus are variously inspired by the gardens, seasons, Piedmont region, and even the country.
Two of the menus are special; one has four courses and the other has eight courses. The wine menu is of two main types, Solopiemonte, which includes wines from the region, and Tuttoilresto, which lists red and white French wines.
The ingredients that go into the courses come from the Monsordo Bernardina Estate a few kilometres from Alba. Around 400 varieties of plant species are cultivated organically. Among them are varieties of herbs, flowers and vegetables, which Crippa personally collects every morning.
Book a reservation at Piazza Duomo
Blue Hill at Stone Barns, US
Chef Daniel Barber’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns works with 64 local farms for its sources. Around 80 per cent of its seafood purchases come from day boat fishermen off Long Island. The farm-to-table restaurant has been granted two Michelin stars and a Green Star.
Founded in 2004, Blue Hill opened within the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in the hamlet of Pocantico Hills in New York state. The Stone Barns Center is a fully functional four-season farm and educational centre. Ingredients for the restaurant come from the surrounding fields, pasture and other local farms.
Using the farm-fresh seasonal produce, guests are offered a multi-taste feast as part of menus priced between USD 348 and USD 398 per guest. There is also a private dining room, which overlooks the vegetable field and herb garden.
Blue Hill doesn’t just offer outstanding dishes to its guests but also an experience and a unique option for guests to explore the farm with a prepaid reservation for up to six people. A 90-minute class is offered as well, where interested participants are how the experts at Blue Hill create cocktails, using the seasonal ingredients cultivated on their farm.
Since it is incredibly popular, reservations at Blue Hill can be tough to get.
Book a reservation at Blue Hill at Stone Barns
(Hero and featured image: L’Enclume/@lenclumerestaurant/Facebook)
Frequently Asked Questions
– What is the best farm-to-table restaurant in the world?
There is no specific name that can be called the best farm-to-table restaurant in the world. Some of the famous ones include Maaemo in Norway, SingleThread Farm in the US and L’Enclume in England.
– Does Malaysia have Michelin-starred restaurants?
Yes, Malaysia has five Michelin-starred restaurants. With two Michelin Stars, Dewakan is the highest-rated among them.
Manas Sen Gupta writes at the intersection of tech, entertainment and history. His works have appeared in publications such as The Statesman, Myanmar Matters, Hindustan Times and News18/ETV. In his spare time, Manas loves studying interactive charts and topographic maps. When not doing either, he prefers reading detective fiction. Spring is his favourite season and he can happily eat a bowl of noodles any time of the day.
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