The demand for locally sourced ingredients is growing across the country with the intention of eating the freshest, healthiest products, while also supporting the local economy. The movement is huge among Boulder culinary school students, restaurateurs and consumers. Some of the hot spots in Boulder that take pride in their locally sourced meats, veggies and everything in between include:
Black Cat Farm Table Bistro
1964 13th St, Boulder
Jill and Chef Eric Skokan are well known in the Boulder food scene. In addition to running their restaurants Black Cat Farm Table Bistro and Bramble & Hare, their booth is a regular at the Boulder Farmers’ Market. They also own Black Cat Farm, just north of Boulder in Niwot. Both of their restaurants are sourced by the farm, where they grow 250 heirloom and heritage cultivars and raise Tunis and Karakul sheep, Mulefoot pigs, Freedom Ranger chickens and heritage turkeys and ducks. The menu at Black Cat Farm Table Bistro is changed daily to showcase what’s freshest from the farm.
Basta Pizzeria
3601 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder
Chef and owner Kelly Whitaker grows a small garden onsite at Basta, bringing a whole new meaning to “locally sourced.” He plants chard, kale, arugula, mizuna and tomatoes. The wood-fired pizzas at Basta are seasoned with herbs from the restaurants window planter. For as many of the ingredients as possible that aren’t grown at the restaurant, Whitaker is sure to get them from local sources. He takes pride in the fact that so much of Basta’s menu is fresh, clean, organic and locally sourced.
SALT – Boulder
1047 Pearl St, Boulder
SALT’s owners have partnered with Boulder’s Extraordinary Farmers, including Teton Waters Ranch, Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy, Munson Farms, Full Circle Farm and Oxford Gardens. Providing diners with fresh, organic and local produce and meat is imperative here. Their kitchen is GMO-free, serving only the cleanest products. It’s not just the meat and produce that’s local at SALT, either. It also serves slections from the many local breweries.
Shine Restaurant and Gathering Place
2027 13th Street, Boulder
Comfort food is healthy at Shine Restaurant and Gathering Place. The owners are committed to providing Paleo, vegan and vegetarian, farm-to-table dishes that are also gluten- and GMO-free. This applies to their house brewed beer too. Their ingredients come from the Front Range and the owners also send Shine’s scraps back there and to other Boulder farms to feed the soil and animals. Almost everything is made in-house, so you’re guaranteed to get the freshest meal possible.