Art of Entertaining: Organic Menus

I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, but where we lived had a country-like ambiance with acres of fields around the homes, wild flowers just outside the door, and a yard sprinkled with wild black raspberries, mulberries, red and white currants, gooseberries, pears and apples.

My grandparents were avid gardeners, a trait that my mom inherited and one that would get passed on to me.   When I was four years old my grandpa passed away and grandma moved in with us and I grew up with us gardening together.   It wasn’t just flowers, but fruits, vegetables and fruit trees as well, many of which grew wild in our yard. Whether growing wild produce or maintaining a cultured garden, there was one thing that you didn’t find in our yard: chemicals.  I continue that tradition today; you won’t find me spraying a lab’s worth of chemicals on my food.

I’m the resident “environmentalist” at Kahn’s Catering, and I’ve been instrumental in heightening the awareness of the environment in this business (we’ll talk more about that soon).   Just like when we cater in someone’s home we try to leave the house “better than we found it”, we apply the same approach to our commitment to the environment.

When it comes to the food, this means supporting sustainable agricultural practices and buying “local” so that we know who produced or grew our food. In the coming months, as we prepare to update our menus, as we do each spring, know that you will see local products and new organic menus in our offering.

Our local selection will be based on what is seasonally available and our organic offerings to our menus will be available throughout the year.   Additionally, where possible we will continue to select certified sustainable ingredients when available, according to our quality standards.

Like most avid gardeners, I spend the cold winter months planning for the spring and am really thrilled about 2014’s new spring menus. Watch this space and in just a few short months we’ll all be enjoying the “fruits” of our labor.