Marche, an upscale restaurant tucked into a corner of the Fifth Street Public Market, serves its dishes according to the season.
“Marché is the French word for market, meaning we cook whatever ingredients are abundant, in season, and as local as possible,” owner Stephanie Pearl-Kimmel said.
Right now, Marché is in the process of transitioning from winter to spring foods, Pearl-Kimmel’s assistant Sulwyn Sparks said. They’ve moved from braising to grilling and searing, and they’ve begun serving spring vegetables such as asparagus, she said.
Pearl-Kimmel is a firm believer that locally grown produce is not only tastier and better for the environment, but spiritually nourishing as well, and said she tries to uphold that philosophy in her restaurant.
Pearl-Kimmel, various nutritionists and dedicated seasonal eaters argue any environmental purpose for eating organically — a farming process that uses only natural pesticides — is completely defeated when produce travels by truck from as far away as Southern California, Mexico and Chile. These members of the community strive to eat produce grown right in Eugene’s backyard, and say that with spring’s first harvest just around the corner, now is a better time than ever to start thinking about eating locally.
Eating locally supports the local economy and means “you’re not paying for fossil fuels,” Sundance Natural Foods produce manager Lauren Bilbao said, which is why she said she tries to buy Sundance’s produce as locally as possible.
Nutritionist Skye Weintraub said that because so little is known about the origins of food from other countries, it’s better to stick with foods grown closer to home.
“Personally, I wouldn’t eat the stuff (that’s been shipped from other countries), and I discourage my clients from eating it,” she said. “Sometimes countries like Mexico use gases and chemicals on foods that are shipped in. It’s getting so that it’s not even food anymore.”
Furthermore, both Weintraub and nutritionist Stephanie Wilson agree that human bodies crave the foods that are in season and distinguish between “warming” foods and “cooling” foods.
When we’re running around barefoot in the summer, our bodies crave cooling foods, like a cucumber and tomato salad or a juicy melon, Weintraub said. But in the fall, the temperature starts to drop and our bodies start to crave warming foods, such as squashes, stews and meats, she said.
There are also taste benefits for eating locally grown produce, Wilson said.
“If you pick corn and eat it that same day, it’s going to taste noticeably different than if you wait a few days,” she said.
She added that traditionally, when people couldn’t run to Albertson’s and buy whatever fruits and vegetables they wanted, people only ate what they could grow.
In the spring, that means peas, greens and radishes, which will be harvested in just a couple months, Bilbao said. Currently, winter crops of broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower, kale, mustards and leeks are being harvested and sold at the Farmers Market every Saturday, she said.
At Marché, Pearl-Kimmel said she buys locally for political reasons. When she buys locally, she knows she’s not polluting the air and she’s supporting local businesses, she said. And she forms a relationship with her growers, which she said is a priority often overlooked.
“There’s a saying I once heard,” she said. “Know your garden, and know where your water comes from.”