Calgary Herald | January 5, 2000 | Gina Teel, Calgary Herald
The backlash against modern agriculture has, according to this story, begun in the kitchens of some of Calgary's finest restaurants.
In the past year, more than a dozen of the city's celebrated chefs have introduced menus that feature high-quality, organically grown ingredients. The story says it's called eco-cuisine and in a province known for its industrial-style, cattle feedlots, eco-cuisine is taking off.
A number of chefs say consumers now want assurances that from the barnyard to dinner plate, everything from pigs to potatoes has been managed in an environmentally responsible and cruelty-free way.
Colleen Biggs, an organic-food broker, was cited as saying that when the Banff Springs Hotel put organically raised turkeys on its menu for Christmas, the demand was overwhelming.
Michael Allemeier, owner and head chef at Calgary's Teatro Restaurant, was cited as saying eco-cuisine goes beyond eating choices, adding, "It's almost the survival of the agricultural community. I hope we get more agricultural producers coming on board because we can't keep poisoning our soil and water. We have to leave a sustainable environment behind for our children."
The story says that for Allemeier, eco-cuisine means purchasing organically grown produce whenever he can, and from only those farms that he has visited personally to check soil conditions and see how the product is grown.
Allemeier was further quoted as saying, "In my business, ingredients are king. Environmentally responsibly grown ingredients provide a much better quality of ingredient because there is no mass production, no genetic manipulation, no pesticides or herbicides."
Biggs, who also sells organically raised, grass-finished Angus cattle at TK Ranch in Coronation, says her methods result in healthier animals.
Healthier animals mean higher quality beef that's free of artificial growth hormones, antibiotics and residuals like pesticides that come from grazing on sprayed pasture. The story is similar with her organic lamb, pork, and buffalo.
