Farm to Table
Meet some of our local heroes: the people in Orange County who grow or catch our food, and the local restaurateurs who seek them out.
By Priscilla Mayfield
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NIC ROMANO
VR Green Farms
Tomatoes, some from Italian seeds brought here in 1905, are the foundation of Romano’s farm in San Clemente. He grows other things, but “if I did nothing else, it would be tomatoes.” Everything’s sustainable ... “so nature-driven, you pray to the tomato gods,” Romano says.
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HEIRLOOM SALAD
Studio, Montage Laguna Beach
Executive chef Craig Strong chooses an array of tomatoes from VR Green Farms, and accents the dish with a puree of herbs from the restaurant’s gardens. Why buy local? “Price, quality, it’s fresher, picked ripe, and supports our local economy.”
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VR Green Farms is open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Order baskets for pickup (from $29), or shop what’s harvested—private-label olive oil and honey, too.
200 Avenida la Pata,
San Clemente, 949-697-0032, vrgreenfarms.com
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Heirloom salad: tomatoes; extra-virgin olive oil; sauteed
eggplant marinated in balsamic vinegar and honey; herb puree;
and garlic-blossom garnish, $25.
30801 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach,
949-715-6420, studiolagunabeach.com
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This article originally appeared in the September 2012 issue of Orange Coast magazine.