One of this year’s Farm to Table 100’s appetizers was spiced Gulf tuna with ice-crushed English peas and mint, topped with a Reyer Farms heirloom tomato marmalade.
Many people don't know where their food comes from. They know how they get food—the supermarket, of course—and they know it has a source, but few people try to discover its origin. And on top of that, a lot of those people don't realize that it's easy to find fresh, local produce, dairy products and even meat.
Table 100 wants to bring farm-to-table meals to the forefront. The restaurant hosted its third annual "Farm to Table 100" event Sept. 3, which recognized 16 Mississippi farmers.
"It's a celebration of our local farmers' bounty of the season," says Mary Allen Bennett, Table 100's sales and marketing manager. "We celebrate by having a four-course dinner where we invite our local farmers and their spouses and our purveyors and a guest to come complimentary."
Guests at the event started out with appetizers such as lamb sliders from Pickett Farms in Terry; spiced tuna from the Gulf of Mexico and crushed English pea hummus with mint and sun-dried heirloom tomatoes from Reyer Farms in Lena; and cucumber and local yogurt with cucumbers from Old Fannin Farmers Market in Flowood. Cathead Vodka created the craft cocktail. The salads contained ingredients such as bib lettuce from Salad Days Produce in Flora and lump crab from the Gulf of Mexico. The entrees included beer-braised ribs from Pickett Farms in Terry; olive-oil poached gulf shrimp ceviche; pancakes and grits from Delta Grind in Greenville; and braised turnip greens from Cooper Farms & Vineyard in Morton.
Mississippi Cold Drip Coffee and Tea Company in Jackson provided beverages for dessert, a parfait made with honey from Mississippi Bees in Flora. Proceeds from the event went to Farm Families of Mississippi, an organization that promotes agriculture in the state.
"We just support our state and local farmers regularly ... and since we use these farmers all the time, it's a nice way for us to celebrate them and (give) back to them so they can enjoy a night out," says Bennett, who has been with the Eat Here brand, the company behind Table 100, Babalu Tacos and Tapas and every Five Guys Burgers and Fries in Mississippi, since 2011.
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