Local food isn't always easy to come by, but it's becoming more available to residents of south central Montana. The Owl Cafe, in Laurel, and Bridgecreek Back Country Kitchen and Wine Bar in Red Lodge are teaming up to serve food from the "Ranch of the Month" to their clientele. Their aim is to support local producers and increase public awareness of the quality and availability of local foods.

"I want people to become aware of what our local ranchers go through to provide quality food for us," says Chef Dirk Frickel of the Owl Cafe. Adds Chef Eric Trager of Bridgecreek, "This is an opportunity to involve our customers in the Montana Farm to Restaurant Connection and raise awareness of sustainably produced local food. Instead of the more familiar 'Catch of the Day' our menus will feature 'Ranch of the Month'!"

Chefs Frickel and Trager derive their inspiration for the campaign from their own passions for sustainably produced, local food and their involvement in the Montana Farm to Restaurant Connection. Both establishments have participated in the Farm to Restaurant Connection since its launch by Western Sustainability Exchange (WSE) five years ago. WSE, a sustainable development non-profit based in Livingston, designed the Farm to Restaurant Connection to facilitate the availability and awareness of local, sustainably produced foods, to promote restaurants that regularly serve those foods, and to increase the economic viability of family farms and ranches. Frickel and Trager are adding their own spice to the program with "Ranch of the Month," a new promotion whereby each chef will prominently feature a local ranch's product in specialty dishes for a month.

Minimum Waste, Maximum Benefit

Trager and Frickel plan to roll out the "Ranch of the Month" campaign at their respective restaurants on Earth Day, April 22nd. They will feature Sweet Grass Natural Lamb, a cooperative of natural lamb producers from Sweet Grass County. Though the featured ranch will remain constant for the month, the chefs will change the dishes to incorporate the different cuts of the lamb.

"And that's the beauty of the program," explains Trager. The only menu constant being the food's source, the chefs have the freedom to design dishes based on the cuts available. "It's a good way to use a rancher's surplus cuts," he says. Commonly, when a menu features lamb chops for instance, that restaurant cannot utilize the rest of the carcass, which creates marketing hurdles for local ranchers. Under the Ranch of the Month promotion, one of the restaurants' aims will be to use the whole carcass. It's a win-win-win: local producers find a home for their harder-to-market cuts, chefs have fun with local products, and consumers enjoy the bounty of all-Montana, sustainable meats.

Frickel has planned a number of specials to incorporate different lamb cuts: grilled lamb leg with feta mashed potatoes, braised Brussel sprouts, and red wine cranberry sauce; lamb skewers with zucchini, crimini mushrooms and a pine nut and dried fig risotto; and lamb stew over basmati rice pilaf, to name a few.

"This is an easy way for restaurants to get involved with local producers," says Trager. It's a way for restaurants to test the waters. A restaurant can buy one animal or one shipment of product and test it out with their specials.

"It's all about the ranchers," says Frickel. "This is a good opportunity to give people a steady stream of information about the people and ranches behind our food." The three ranches involved with Sweet Grass Natural Lamb have been raising sheep for generations. These sustainable producers each manage for economic viability, environmental health, and social responsibility. Each also bears WSE's certification of sustainable practices - another operation of the organization that pioneered the Montana Farm to Restaurant Connection.

"We'd like to see other local restaurants jump on board and give this a try," says Frickel. "I hope it's so successful that ranchers can line up outside local restaurants and get their product featured."