Making it their business to always choose farm-to-table

On June 17th, 2014, Fort Collins welcomed another breakfast restaurant to its community: RISE! A Breakfast Place. With the philosophy of always being able to offer fresh food, this breakfast joint gives a whole new meaning to the most important meal of the day, and has a menu that is completely prepared from scratch and unlike many others.

Founded by Chefs David & Gay Daggett, RISE! brings creative plates made with passion to Fort Collins. David was trained in San Francisco at the California Culinary Academy. He has expertise in menu development, restaurant consulting, and also taught culinary classes for Front Range Community College and Colorado State University. Chef Gay Daggett is an experienced baker and pastry chef. She has worked in clubs, resorts, hotels, and restaurants throughout the United States. Together, they use their talents to turn natural and locally sourced ingredients into quality plates served to their customers.

Supporting farm-to-table restaurants is a great way to help boost the local economy. When you support Rise!, you also support local farmers ensuring that the money you spend is going staying within your community. However, providing organic foods in the restaurant industry is still a less common choice due to cost of goods.

Organic standards are set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and require the food and animals to be grown and processed according to federal guidelines. Soil quality, animal raising practices, pest and weed control, and the use of additives are all addressed in this process. Organic eggs have these and additional requirements for the stamp of approval.  Hens that produce “organic” eggs generally lay them in a cage-free environment, eat organic feed, and do not receive any hormones, vaccines, or antibiotics. Even the land the hens live on have to meet requirements, such as being free from toxic pesticides and fertilizers.

According to an interview with John Quelch, a professor at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the demand for farm-to-table food supports the trend of shopping local. There is enough interest growing in the U.S. that customers are now seeking restaurants providing organic options and a more health conscious menu. However, due to the higher price of locally sourced organic food, many restaurants cannot afford it. This is what makes RISE! so unique.

Since RISE! is making sure every plate is as natural as possible, customers can expect thorough consistency with every visit. By choosing smaller producers over larger corporations, RISE! is also able to monitor quality of ingredients while simultaneously supporting other small businesses (such as Little Man Syrup, and pork from Creek Stone Farms).

So if you haven’t yet, head down to RISE! A Breakfast Place to try a delicious local meal that’ll leave your mouth watering for days. You can find their hours and menu by visiting their website: http://riseabreakfastplace.com

Sources:

https://hbr.org/2016/06/why-sourcing-local-food-is-so-hard-for-restaurants

https://www.dovemed.com/healthy-living/wellness-center/are-organic-eggs-healthier-regular-eggs/