West Michigan – We love eating fresh in West Michigan. Whether that means we head to the farmer’s market to get groceries, or we visit a restaurant that creates farm-to-table dishes, fresh is best. With an abundance of farms in parts of West Michigan, eating fresh and local is easier than ever. Let these restaurants, farmers markets, and other businesses help you feast from the farm to your fork.
Farm-to-Table in Southern West Michigan
Kalamazoo’s favorite castle, the Henderson Castle Inn and Winery, now offers à la carte dinner options. Their menu changes daily and adapts to the season and market availability. They feature produce from their garden, meat and eggs from local farms and they even are planning to have their own free range chickens in 2017. It doesn’t get more farm-to-table than your own backyard, and Henderson Castle is going to great lengths to ensure that they can do just that.
Both the distillery and restaurant at Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks represents the farm-to-table concept. Journeyman is a certified organic distillery and they use locally sourced grains for their distillation process. Their restaurant, the Staymaker, uses ingredients from local farms in their ever evolving menu. They proudly partner with farmers, butchers and other companies from Michigan and the surrounding states to ensure that they are serving you the freshest food possible. Have a great farm-to-table meal at the Staymaker while sipping some of the distillery’s farm-to-glass spirits!
The Inn at Harbor Shores in St. Joseph is home to Plank’s Tavern on the Water. Focusing on approachable modern cuisine, Plank’s regularly changes their menu to best incorporate Michigan’s freshest fruits, vegetables and meats. They use fruits and vegetables from their own chef’s garden as well as local farms to create their dishes. If you want to stop in for one of their fantastic events, the finale for their 2016 Pairing Series, titled The Bubbly Dinner, will be on December 15th. Mark your calendars, or stop in anytime for a delicious fresh meal!
Looking for a unique place to host a company party or private gathering for your family or friends? Want to create your own unique farm-to-glass drink? If you answered “yes” to either of those questions, you need to visit Virtue Cider in Fennville for a Private Apple Pressing Party! These parties include a full tour and tasting, luncheon and apple pressing on site. There is a minimum of ten people and everybody must be 21 or older. Book your party two weeks in advance by emailing farmevents@virtuecider.com!
A meal at Salt of the Earth in Fennville restaurant is an authentic Midwest American rustic food experience, built from a foundation of fresh high quality ingredients from growers within a fifty-mile radius of Allegan County. Starting from scratch and prepared by hand, the Salt of the Earth kitchen prepares dishes in a simple fashion as ingredients change with the season.
More Farm-to-Table in Southern West Michigan
Farm-to-Table in Central West Michigan
Reserve Wine & Food in Grand Rapids loves using local ingredients as we saw briefly during harvest season. Right now, they have a few items that are must-have if you’re looking to get some farm-to-table grub. Their Squash Soup and Cauliflower Soup both use local ingredients from farms in Zeeland, Allendale and Ada. It’s so local that they can’t guarantee that it’ll be on the menu through November because it depends on what they can get from these farms. Both soups showcase the passion that Reserve has for quality and local ingredients. Another option is the Pecorino Sausage. The sausage is made in-house using whole hogs from a local Grand Rapids butcher and ingredients including polenta and tomatoes from local farms. While these may not be on the menu for long, be assured that you’re eating fresh, local and delicious meals at Reserve Wine & Food!
Not only does Boatwerks Waterfront Restaurant in Holland have Thanksgiving turkey with local origins, they released a new menu that focuses on locally sourced ingredients and antibiotic-free chicken. Much of their bread and rolls come from the locally popular de Boer Bakkerij, and their tortilla chips are cooked in house from El Milagro tortillas out of Grand Rapids. They also pride themselves on creating things in-house that most restaurants serve pre-made. For example, their new pumpkin cream puff’s filling was made from scratch in-house, as well as their glazes, remoulades, sauces, and toppings. Stop in for a bite off their new menu, and dine in confidence that what you’re eating is fresh and local.
Chef Clark Frain of Butch’s Dry Dock in Holland is focused on keeping the menu at Butch’s “approachable while emphasizing unique and interesting menu items which keep people coming back.” At Butch’s, a majority of the food you eat is locally sourced. The fruits and vegetables are served within 24 hours of harvest from area farms. Chef Clark personally shops the Holland Farmers Market every Saturday and Wednesday and has farm fresh deliveries to the restaurant every Monday and Thursday. Working with locally sourced fresh produce does require a more creative and hands-on approach for the head chef. Menus must be decided on weekly and must leave room for reinvention if the produce requested meets any kind of challenges in the field. The upside is that locally sourced food allows for greater flexibility and a quick turn around time for the more adventurous chef.
The DoubleTree by Hilton in Grand Rapids is home to Ganders, a delicious Michigan Farm-to-Table restaurant that specializes in American cuisine with a modern twist. At Ganders, their menu items are grown and sourced right here in the heart of Michigan. Their chefs take pride in their locally sourced ingredients and work with local vendors to create a variety of thoughtful entrees for guests to enjoy and savor.
The Muskegon Area (CVB) wants to treat you to some farm-to-table goodness! Amanda’s Bequest Bed & Breakfast is home to Bygone Basics Culinary School, a truly unique cooking school located nearby in Montague. Relive an era when things were simpler, great food was made from scratch and people knew what was on their plate. If you’re looking for some fruits and vegetables to take home for a nice meal (possibly with the knowledge that you gain from visiting Bygone Basics Culinary School), visit the Muskegon Farmers Market! Founded in 1884, the Muskegon Farmers Market has striven to bring the freshest foods and ingredients to your family! Their cooking classes will help you put those ingredients to good use. Their own Chef Char will be hosting a Pasta Making class on November 12th from 1pm to 3pm and a Homemade Holiday Pies class on November 19th. Muskegon has a diverse lineup of places to visit and classes to attend so that you can get the most out of your next farm-to-table meal!
The Mecosta Area wants to get the freshest ingredients, baked goods and meals into your hands (and stomach!). You’ll smell the food all through Mecosta as you drive past the various shops and restaurants, several of which offer farm-to-table options. If you’re in need of some fresh ingredients, Mecosta has that as well! Fresh fruits and vegetables are harvested from local farms and available at area shops. Keep an eye out and your stomach empty next time you visit Mecosta!
More Farm-to-Table in Central West Michigan
- Bistro Bella Vita, Grand Rapids
- CityVu Bistro at CityFlatsHotel, Holland
- Country Dairy, Inc, New Era
- Downtown Market, Grand Rapids
- Green Well Gastro Pub, Grand Rapids
- Grove, Grand Rapids
- The Honey Creek Inn, Cannonsburg
- San Chez Tapas Bistro, Grand Rapids
- JW Marriott – six.one.six., Grand Rapids
- Terra, Grand Rapids
- Twisted Rooster, Grand Rapids
Farm-to-Table in Northern West Michigan
Experience the extraordinary Harvest Dinners at the Inn at Black Star Farms in Traverse City! The creative farmstead cuisine for these monthly dinners is inspired by the best locally sourced ingredients, expertly paired with Black Star Farms wines. Dine on seasonal vegetables, fruits and proteins from some of northern Michigan’s finest farms. With ingredients so fresh and expertly prepared, these dinners are something that any food enthusiast does not want to miss.
As one of the most popular vacation destination in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Sault Ste. Marie invites you to visit this fall! They love bringing fresh ingredients to your table and have farm-to-table restaurant offerings throughout the city. We here in West Michigan love to eat local and fresh, so next time you visit Sault Ste. Marie, eat farm-to-table and enjoy your stay in one of northern Michigan’s hidden gems!
More Farm-to-Table in Northern West Michigan
