Founding Farmers? A Closer Look…

This morning, I was innocently scrolling through my Twitter feed when I stumbled upon an article about Founding Farmers in the Washington Post (via my Twitter and Foodie buddy @FloridagirlinDC).  The article, among many things, took Founding Farmers to task for their use of farm raised salmon from Cooke Aquaculture (instead of using wild salmon) and its use of meat from Harris Ranch Beef Company, purportedly the very same cattle ranch that motivated Michael Pollan’s look into agribusiness in America today.  It also called into question just how often Founding Farmers regularly sources its ingredients from the smaller, family run farms printed on their menus.  To say I was pissed is an understatement.  I have been a frequent patron at Founding Farmers, first drawn to the restaurant because of its claimed committment to sustainability and small farms.  I read their promotional materials and spoke at length with their servers about their food and their philosophy.  The Boy was enamored by their house made ginger ale.  To learn that it may all be a lie upset me to no end.  I went on a Twitter tirade, blasting off angry statement after angry statement.  I.Was.Pissed.

I have made a personal choice in my life to be more aware of the food I put in my body.  I get up every weekend and go to local farmers markets to do a majority of my shopping. I may long for strawberries in the dead of Winter, but I choose to only eat those luscious berries when they are in season.  I also make an effort to speak with every vendor I buy from to find out their farming philosophy and to learn what they are doing to raise the foods I eat.  I don’t do this because it’s a fad or because I’m a food snob.  I do this because I believe in the principles of sustainable agriculture.  And I believe that fresh, in season produce should be available to all, hence my work with Common Good City Farm.  I don’t claim to know everything about farming (heck, I can’t even keep an herb garden alive), but I do know enough to ask questions.

When I go out to eat, I don’t expect every restaurant to follow my personal ethos of eating locally.  I am fortunate to live in a city with restaurants who do work closely with farmers from the Chesapeake region.  However, I am not stupid enough to believe every restaurant will provide me with beef from Bessie up the street.  But I do tend to pick restaurants whose chefs and staff shop the local farmers markets for their menu items.  I choose to support restaurants that at least strive to provide their patrons with fresh, quality ingredients.  This is one of the many reasons I have chosen Founding Farmers time and time again.  Because I believed their promotional materials. I trusted their servers when they assured me the food being placed in front of me was fresh from the farm.  To discover that their concept may be a game of smoke and mirrors left a bad taste in my mouth.  But in the middle of my ranting and raving, I realized something I hadn’t thought of before.  Had I asked enough questions of Founding Farmers? Had I just naively accepted their cheerful claims of being committed to the small farmer and to using local, in season foods? Had I stopped to consider whether or not such a claim would be, well, sustainable given the size of the restaurant (and the volume of business they receive)?  And should I just blindly accept The Washington Post’s article (especially given its less than stellar reputation of late)?

I’m not giving Founding Farmers a pass in the least. Instead, I want to know more about their business model, their food supply sources and how they manage to balance both profitability and sustainability.  Thrifty DC Cook posted a link to the Washington Post article on Yelp and Dan Simons, the chief executive of the management group behind Founding Farmers, responded back almost immediately. It’s obvious he is trying to do damage control, especially given the wrecking ball Washington Post may have just delivered to their reputation.  But he did offer to speak directly with her and offered to give her a tour of the restaurant.  If he follows through on his invitation, I will be joining her on this tour.  And this time my questions won’t be so easy for them to answer with slick marketing and catchy buzzwords.  I want real answers.

I must say, however, I should thank the Washington Post for bringing this topic to the forefront.   It really has made me call into question my own dining choices.  It has made me realize I may not be doing enough to support my locavore beliefs – at least when it comes to eating out.  It has made me want to be a more conscientious diner, a more informed restaurant patron.  And that, in the end, is a wonderful thing.