Going local? Been there, done that, right? We hear that Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is raising the bar on what diners consider to be local products.
The dish: The luxury brand has adopted local goats and chickens, as well as crafted its own homemade tofu. What's more, Fairmont's Green Cuisine program initiatives cater to specific local and regional needs.
At the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec, Executive Chef Jean Soulard has selected five Chantecler hens to be placed in a coop equipped with a copper roof that matches the architecture of the hotel (happy chickens make happy eggs, right?). Each hen produces about one egg per day with the collected eggs served up to guests dining in the hotel.
Down in California (where organic is a staple), Fairmont Newport Beach has adopted seven goats in the hotel's latest culinary initiative. The farm uses the goats' milk to produce organic and sustainable goat cheese.
At Fairmont Pittsburgh the restaurant serves up eggs from local heritage chickens, with a side of grass-fed beef from Burns ANgus Farm. The culinary team butchers their own steaks, roasts and ground beef. Nice touch: The hotel's house-made soap is made using the leftover tallow.
Fairmont Yangcheng Lake in Kunshan, China has developed 200 acres as a private, organic herb and vegetable garden and has added 10 beehives housing 2,500 honeybees.
For more information on other Fairmont local initiatives visit www.fairmont.com.