'All local, so it's all good' at Bellevue's Farm to Table gathering

BELLEVUE, Iowa — Mark Herman said there’s no secret why locally sourced food is gaining in popularity.

“These days, it seems to be a trend,” Herman said. “People want to have some control and know where their food comes from.”

Herman is the owner of Flatted Fifth Blues & BBQ, a local restaurant that participated in the second annual Farm to Table event held Sunday, in Bellevue.

Organized by the Marketers of Bellevue, the event transformed the 100 block of Market Street into an outdoor eating establishment featuring local chefs using food raised and produced by local farmers.

“It’s all local, so it’s all good,” said Tim Roth, a member of the Bellevue City Council who was enjoying the Farm to Table gathering for the second year.

Lori Roling, one of the organizers, said public interest after last year’s inaugural Farm to Table prompted her group to host the event a second year.

“People have said, ‘You better do this again,’ and they loved hearing where the food came from,” Roling said.

Walt Wickham, a Maquoketa-area farmer, provided pork for the event and chatted with guests as they arrived.

“It gives you a chance to answer questions they have about how we raise our hogs and how we do things differently,” said Wickham, who sells pork at farmers markets in Dubuque and Maquoketa. “Our hogs are allowed to be pigs – they graze in pasture and they can roll around in the mud.”

Jerel Thola is a chef at Off Shore Bar & Grill in Bellevue. He made a fruit salad with local ingredients for the event.

“It’s amazing using fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables,” Thola said. “Anything fresh is so much better to work with.” (full article).

BY ERIK HOGSTROM Dubuque Telegraph Herald, August 21, 2017

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