Georgia Grown — Connecting Restaurants and Producers

Georgia Grown is Go-To Source for Restaurant Operators Statewide

By Ellen Hartman

Georgia Grown, under the leadership of Agricultural Commissioner Gary Black, has blossomed in recent years. The initiative not only helps the agricultural community in Georgia thrive, it connects producers and restaurant operators across the state to work together and make Georgia products the top item on restaurant menus.

Restaurant Informer sat down with Holly Chute, senior executive chef of Georgia Grown and a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, to learn more about Georgia Grown. Before joining Georgia Grown, Chef Chute worked at the Governor’s Mansion for 33 years and a total of six administrations. During her time at the Governor’s Mansion, she cooked meals for the first families and for business leaders, all while planning menus and recipes to showcase Georgia produce and protein products. It was during this time she came to learn the value in using Georgia agricultural products to stimulate the local economy, while also offering fresher, better-tasting food.

Chef Holly Chute has now taken her years of experience and love of Georgia-made products to Georgia Grown. Restaurant Informer talks to Chef Chute about the program and how it’s making a difference for chefs and operators alike.

RI: What is Georgia Grown?

HC: Georgia Grown is the marketing and economic development program of the Georgia Department of Agriculture. It brings together producers, processors, suppliers, distributors, retailers, agritourism and consumers into one community to help agribusiness grow throughout the state.

RI: What is your role with the program?

HC: As the Senior Executive Chef and Ambassador for Georgia Grown, I am responsible for developing recipes that use Georgia products. These recipes are then used to help our members market their products statewide and nationally. You will often find me conducting food demos using these recipes at expos and events on behalf of the program and the Georgia Department of Economic Development. I also volunteer and conduct community outreach to give exposure to the program and its members.

RI: How does Georgia Grown help restaurant operators?

HC: At Georgia Grown, we help restaurant operators learn how to utilize Georgia products in their menus while also educating them on the availability of products based on seasonality. In addition to educating operators on the many Georgia Grown products available, we also educate them on how to source Georgia agriculture. We take chefs on farm and facility tours so they can see first-hand the farm-to-fork process and actually meet the farmers who are growing their produce and raising their chickens.

RI: Why is Georgia Grown so important to the state and to restaurant operators?

HC:  Consumers are demanding locally sourced food, and in order to be successful, restaurant operators need to meet this demand. Georgia chefs and restaurants can offer a healthy and delicious menu with products all sourced statewide – everything from peaches, pecans and peanuts to Georgia White Shrimp, beef, pork, quail and chicken.

Many chefs don’t know they can buy locally made fresh pecan and olive oils. Or that we can help them source unusual items like ramps that grow in the wild in the North Georgia Mountains. Georgia Grown should be the first place chefs go when developing a menu. They can learn what is available in Georgia and what’s in season.

RI: What chefs and restaurants have you worked with that have benefited from Georgia Grown?

HC: We have worked with so many Georgia chefs that make an effort to serve locally sourced food. Hilary White, executive chef at The Hil in Serenbe, makes seasonal produce a big part of her menu, and we work closely with her. On a larger scale, we are currently working with Chick-fil-A on using local produce in its Dwarf House and Truett’s Grill concepts. And [personal chef and menu consultant] Jennifer Booker is also a strong advocate of Georgia Grown.

In addition to working with restaurants, we also work closely with other organizations like Kennesaw State University (KSU). Chef Gary Coltek, senior director of culinary and hospitality services at KSU, is a member of Georgia Grown and is teaching the next generation of chefs the value and benefits of eating and serving locally grown products.

RI: What do operators need to do to get started?

HC: First, an operator must join through our website, www.georgiagrown.com, and complete the business profile to be included on the Georgia Grown website and locator map. They can then use the Georgia Grown logo on their menus, products and merchandise. They will also enjoy the marketing opportunities, like events and social media efforts, available to our members.

We encourage restaurant operators to get involved in Georgia Grown and utilize this innovative program to meet consumer demand for locally grown products.

Editor’s note: It is free to add your company’s business profile to the searchable database, then you may join as a premium member with five levels of membership starting at $100 a year.

Ellen Hartman, APR, Fellow PRSA, is the CEO of Hartman Public Relations, a full-service public relations agency specializing in the foodservice Industry. Hartman has experience working for Coca-Cola, Concessions International, Chili’s, Huddle House, First Watch, Fresh To Order, Billy Sims BBQ and Uncle Maddio’s and many QSR brands including Popeyes, Church’s and Arby’s. An industry leader for more than 25 years, Hartman is active in the Women’s Foodservice Forum, Les Dames d’Escoffier International and has served on the board of the Georgia State University School of Hospitality. She earned her APR accreditation from the Public Relations Society of America and is a member of PRSA’s Fellow program for senior accomplished professionals.