Locally Grown... Fresh is Best

Set your table with locally grown, fresh and organic food selections. Or, leave the details to the pros and treat your palate to holistic and scrumptious menu choices from several diverse restaurants across Michigan. Savor farm-fresh produce, poultry and meats. Enjoy from-scratch bakery items, gourmet raw cuisine and handmade chocolates, desserts and juices.



At Ann Arbor's Cafe Zola, you'll find the freshest ingredients for their omelets, crepes, waffles, salads, sandwiches, appetizers, entrees and pastries. Nearly all of the restaurants produce, dairy, eggs, poultry, meat and seafood dishes are made from organic products.

The name "Zola" comes from Emile Zola, the famous French writer, because the original breakfast and lunch menu is largely influenced by French cuisine and culture. The scrumptious dinner menu has flavors and recipes borrowed from Italian and Mediterranean cultures and cuisine, including some Turkish recipes.

For organic food straight from the farm into your hands, visit Pond Hill Farm & Garden Cafe (about five miles north of Harbor Springs). The Pond Hill Farm & Garden Cafe is a year round destination for family fun and delicious foods. For more than 20 years, the environmentally sustainable farm has sold herbs, fruits and vegetables grown and canned onsite. The store features everything from maple syrup to Christmas wreaths made with local tree greens.

Fill a gift package with store goodies such as hot garlic pepper jelly, which makes a great cracker spread. If the seasons right, you can even pick your own strawberries. Pond Hill also offers hayrides, pig racing, animal feeding, several squash rockets, a trout pond to feed the fish, a very diverse pumpkin patch, a market with a huge assortment of mouthwatering homemade canned goods, wonderful year round pesticide and herbicide free produce, farm raised antibiotic and hormone free meats, handmade soaps and bath salts, a great selection of organic and natural foods, crafts and more.

This popular family attraction is also home to the Garden Cafe, which is open during the warmer months and features homemade lunches using their farm fresh produce and meats. Before you leave, see the Black Angus cows and Suffolk sheep that the farm raises.

RESERVE Wine & Food in Grand Rapids, serves a world-class menu, fully embracing the West Michigan farm-to-table philosophy. The locally-driven and seasonally-inspired menu features an eclectic and inviting selection of artisanal small plates, hearty entrees and decadent desserts, with an emphasis on house-made.

 

Apple Valley market, Michigan's largest natural food store offers an amazing selection of vegetarian foods, vitamins and natural foods. The market has over 600 bulk items, fresh produce, from scratch bakery items (mostly made from sprouted wheat) and a deli serving homemade vegetarian entrees. Apple Valley Natural Foods has five Michigan locations Berrien Springs, Battle Creek, Cadillac, Grand Rapids and Holland. Call your location of choice ahead of your visit for hours.

Steller Apiaries, in Jackson sells raw, organic honey, fresh vegetables, organic eggs and more.

So, you're still not ready to make the switch or at least add more healthy food choices to your menu? Then, you should plan a trip to the newly opened Cacao Treso Cafe in Royal Oak to learn about raw foods and the benefits of holistic nutrition. Specializing in gourmet raw foods, vegan and gluten-free menu items, this specialty eatery also serves raw handmade chocolates, desserts, juices, smoothies and a variety of organic superfoods.







Michigan is home to many farm-to-table restaurants.  Below you’ll find a small sampling of places to try on your next Pure Michigan getaway.  



The Marq, Marquette

Free Love Baker and Market, Manistique

Crow's Nest Restaurant and Catering, Harbor Springs

Hearth & Vine Cafe at Black Star Farms, Suttons Bay

The Fresh Palate, Alpena

Grove Restaurant, Grand Rapids

Red Haven Farm to Table, Okemos

Amaya’ Fresh Mexican Grill, Monroe

The Farm Restaurant & School of Cooking, Port Austin

Salt of the Earth, Fennville

Fenn Valley Vineyards, Virtue Cider, Fennville

Cedar Street Café & Coffee House, Portage

Food Dance, Kalamazoo

Journeyman Distillery, Three Oaks

Butch’s Dry Dock, Holland

Amanda's Bequesty and Bygone Basics Culinary School, Muskegon

 

Communities all across Michigan host farmers markets throughout the year, but places like Eastern Market in Detroit, with more than 250 independent vendors and merchants processing, wholesaling and retailing food, and the Flint Farmers Market, both open all year, are destinations in their own right.