Harvest Thyme Bistro is a new restaurant café serving locally-grown food. It is owned by Derek and Shari Olson, who both work there full-time. Harvest Thyme is located in the back of a building that also houses a bookstore and a used clothing store.
Our class had the opportunity to talk with Shari Olson about the bistro, which opened a year ago (the day after Thanksgiving). Shari explained to us that Harvest Thyme Bistro gets its food from more than 100 different farmers and producers. Harvest Thyme buys whatever farmers can’t sell. Shari said that the local foods they cannot serve or use right away are canned or frozen.
Challenges they’ve had to face include educating the public about the value of local food; finding affordable local food sources; and getting local food without a coordinated distribution system. They’ve made progress in educating people about the value of local food, she said. They talk to their customers personally about the importance of eating local foods, and they put up a sign that articulates their bistro’s values and principals. In addition, they include the farmer’s names under the specials made with their food, helping people connect the food to specific individual producers. In the future, they hope to have farm tours and facilitate interactions between customers and farmers. They also distribute the “Pine and Lake Country Local Foods Catalog,” in which Harvest Thyme Bistro is featured, and a “green routes” pamphlet listing locations and descriptions of food producers in Minnesota.
Find out more about Harvest Thyme Bistro on MPR.
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