by Corey Poonacha, Operations Manager
Jul 2024
Over the last several months, SPSC has been very fortunate to be included in a testing phase for a new purchasing program put together by the Meals Partnership Coalition (MPC) and local farms food distributor, Farmstand.
Farmstand works with small local farms to assist in the distribution of their produce, meats, dairy, and foraged products. MPC secured the funding to provide SPSC with a monthly stipend to purchase these products each month. This program, if it becomes fully established, has the potential to greatly elevate the dining experience we create for our seniors.
The things that really set aside local producers from the larger ones is that they often have a much more refined and unique product that is not often found in grocery stores. Unlike factory farms, smaller producers can focus on the quality. These products are commonly heirloom, grown from seed—not cloned or hybrid. They can be more colorful or have other visual variations. This is why fine dining restaurants regularly source gourmet ingredients from these types of farms.
Another perk to this program is that SPSC chefs will get to learn and experiment with ingredients they have not seen before as well as build on their knowledge of new flavors! Some of the more unique produce they have used because of this program are Chrysanthemum greens, sunchokes, kale rabe, stinging nettles, sea beans, spruce tips, and French sorrel.
With this program, our team is truly bringing the farm-to-table experience to our seniors!
Braised beef with Kale Rapini and Meyer Lemon from Farmstand!
Beautiful Chef’s mix mushrooms from Farmstand!
Mixed Greens Salad including Chrysanthemum greens and French Radish from Farmstand!
Chrysanthemum Greens from Farmstand!