Trends to Watch
The Regenerative Table
Dining out focuses on delicious food and exquisite service. Today, more restaurant goers also look to align the experience with their own regenerative lifestyles and ethics.
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Chefs and owners in many top-end and casual dining spots are redefining what it means to eat out. It’s not just about organic ingredients or low-carbon operations. Instead, more restaurants focus on regenerating and not just sustaining the natural world and community. What does this look like in practice? The following restaurants source their food locally, often on the same property as the business itself. They offer biodiverse menus with seasonal options. Also, they promote social responsibility in both hiring and ongoing employment practices. The result is an experience that transcends taste.
Nestled in California’s wine country, this Michelin Star restaurant delights diners with Japanese inspired food and stunning atmosphere. Taste and style imbue every experience at Single Thread, but it’s what’s behind the scenes that makes this spot the first on the regenerative table list.
A short drive away lies the 24-acre farm that grows almost every ingredient on the menu. The Farm Store invites shoppers and people who want to learn about regenerative practices and organic farming as well. It’s socially regenerative as well as focusing on ecological sustainability.
Owner ‘DK’ Khosla grew up in a plastic-free town in India before bringing his unique focus of regenerative ideals to Thailand. At the beautiful Haōma restaurant, guests eat vegetables, fruit, and animal products including eggs and fish directly from the on-site farm. Some of the raised beds and ponds actually intersperse with the tables themselves. Beyond local sourcing, the business also prides itself on being zero waste with renewable energy use and more. It’s earned both a Michelin Green Star and a Champions of Changes award in 2021.
The land around Brae features an organic farm source for many ingredients used in the restaurant’s kitchen. Everything else is sourced locally from independent growers, making it a source of economic regeneration and support for the community as well as one focused on environmental stewardship.
Instead of keeping the farm and table separate, this unique restaurant invites guests to wander. They also offer six sustainable suites full of comfort. Regenerative measures continue here with rainwater collection, worm farm waste management, and solar power.
The list of eateries that use locally sourced ingredients and maintain kitchen gardens or organic farms on their properties is quite long these days. From the luxury Lodge at Woodloch in the PA Pocono Mountains to decades-old Chez Panisse in California, chefs everywhere embrace the freshest food.
These days, the enjoyment of conscious choice for a better world extends beyond what ends up on the plate, however. As more discerning patrons embrace regenerative, healthy lifestyles, they support smarter operations. Less waste, renewable energy, local community support and employment, and fair practices all combine to make today’s restaurant world one that shines for both taste and a brighter tomorrow.
