North Haven High School is one of 76 schools, restaurants, institutions, caterers, farms, and wineries in the state participating in this year’s Farm-to-Chef Week being held Sept. 15 to 21.

Farm-to-Chef Week Coordinator Linda Piotrowicz of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture said school programs are a prime focus for her department.

“Raising awareness in school-age children, of all age groups, of how much food we grow in this state is an important initiative,” said Piotrowicz. “This is the fourth year we’ve taken the program to the schools.”

The program has found a receptive audience in North Haven.

“We are extremely excited to join our culinary colleagues around the state to commemorate the importance of being a part of Farm-to-Chef week,” said North Haven Public Schools Director of Dining Services Jill Donnelly.

The menu at the high school this week includes meals such as zucchini wraps, turkey and cheddar paninis, pickled cucumbers, and even balsamic peach and chicken pizza.

Donnelly, who, along with Sandra DiTullio is preparing all the food for the school-age kids, added, “It has been a lot of work to pull this off, but we feel it is very important to have the students experience restaurant-quality food.”

Piotrowicz said Connecticut has seen a spurt in farming in recent years.

“The trend is away from full-scale farms,” she said. “Instead we are seeing lots of diversification—lots of people have gotten into farming in our state on a part-time basis.”

At North Haven High School, Chartwells Dining Service is partnering with area farmers, including Ferrari Farms, Baggot Family Farm, Becket Farm, Fair Weather Acres, and Windsor Farm. At the school during the week, students have had access to fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables such as peaches, pears, apples, tomatoes, corn, peppers, eggplant, pickling cucumbers, and green, yellow, and butternut squash.

Spreading the Word

The celebration of local food isn’t limited to the schools. Farm-to-Chef Week was started in 2010 by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture as part of its Farm-to-Chef Program. According to Agriculture Commissioner Steven K. Reviczky, it is a way for culinary professionals to tap into their creativity. It also provides an opportunity for residents and visitors to learn more about the vast array of items grown and raised in Connecticut and to enjoy some of those items prepared in new and unusual ways.

“With so many types of food service venues participating, there are choices for every taste and budget,” he said. “Vegans, vegetarians, pescetarians, and carnivores alike all have a multitude of options during Farm-to-Chef Week, whether they want a formal, multi-course dinner or a quick lunch on the go. The variety is one of the things that makes this week-long event special.”

While the popular restaurant-week concept often follows a fixed-price, dinner-menu structure, Farm-to-Chef Week’s guideline encourage diversity and creativity in menu development.

Participants must offer a minimum of four items, with each featuring one or more Connecticut-grown items. Venues that normally serve alcohol must also offer at least one Connecticut wine. Beyond that, the menu is limited only by the chef’s imagination.

The result is a plethora of offerings ranging from traditional fare such as stews, soups, burgers, sandwiches, and salads to more unusual dishes such as the ice cream flavors and chocolate confections made with Connecticut-grown fruits and herbs that were featured in previous years.

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture launched the Farm-to-Chef Program in 2006 to help connect food service professionals with Connecticut-grown farm products. There is no cost to either farmers or chefs to join.

This year the Governor’s Council for Agricultural Development has focused on public schools (grades K-12) and state institutions, while another concentrates on private K-12 schools, higher education, corporate, and healthcare facilities. The third centers on restaurants. All three are investigating the challenges of using more Connecticut-grown farm products in these institutions and seeking ways to overcome those challenges.

In addition, several of the council’s other working groups, such as those focused on infrastructure, food security, and marketing, are exploring issues that overlap with those faced by the three farm-to-institution groups, including aggregation, distribution, food safety certifications, and more.

For more information about the Farm-to-Chef Program, visit www.ctgrown.gov/farmtochef. To learn more about the Governor’s Council for Agricultural Development, visit www.ctgrown.gov/governorscouncil.com.