Milwaukee locavore movement

Oxford University Press editors chose locavore as their word of the year in 2007. In their exploration of the meaning and origin of the word, they claim the word was coined by four women in San Francisco in 2005, who proposed that local residents should try to eat only food grown or produced within a 100-mile radius of their homes. Since then, the challenge has been adopted by other cities including Milwaukee.

The word is a combination between local and -vore, as in carnivore, and its etymology also dates back to 2005. Coined by author and chef Jessica Prentice as a group moniker for the people who were proposing the Bay Area challenge to eat locally, the word has since made its way into several dictionaries and the lexicon of the green movement. 

In Milwaukee, eating locally has caught on and continues to pick up steam. Margaret Mittelstadt, director of communications for Outpost Natural Foods, said that in a time of economic hardship, buying locally gives people a chance to connect with and contribute to the community, which can bring a sense of security and satisfaction. Mittelstadt said that unlike with big corporations, the money that goes toward buying locally tends to stay in the community. Also, buying local foods reduces the risk of buying contaminated food, because local vendors tend to be smaller with workers who are less pressed for time providing more opportunity to focus on food safety practices.

Outpost Natural Foods stores, which are cooperatively owned, offer residents the chance to purchase many local products and have a say in what is being put on the shelves. Becoming an owner only costs $25 a year, with a full share costing $200.

“I think there are more and more people interested in where their food comes from,” said Anne

Steinberg, a volunteer at the Urban Ecology Center and the founder of Friends of Real Food, a group that meets monthly to promote local eating. Steinberg said that attendance was significantly up from previous years at this year’s Local Farmers’ Open House, held in March at Riverside Park. The open house gives farmers a chance to meet with people, and through Community Supported Agriculture, people can purchase a share in a local farm in exchange for fresh produce.

According to Jennifer Casey, a board member of Slow Food Wisconsin Southeast, farmers markets, especially Bay View’s South Shore Farmers Market, have enjoyed more popularity within the last few years.

Besides farmers markets and grocery stores, Milwaukee restaurants are also involved in the locavore movement. Chef David Swanson, owner of the Braise Culinary School, founded Braise on the Go, a traveling culinary school that offers classes in cooking and preparing local food. Swanson also created Braise RSA (restaurant-supported agriculture), in a collaborative effort to support local farmers and confront the challenges that impede restaurants from buying and preparing local products. A handful of Milwaukee restaurants, including Walker’s Point’s La Merenda, and Honeypie in Bay View, participate in his RSA.

Milwaukee’s Eat Local Challenge, sponsored by several organizations including the Urban Ecology Center, Outpost Natural Foods, and the Fondy Farmers Market, began in 2007. This year’s challenge will feature various activities throughout September, including a resource fair and local food festival, where people can inform themselves about the benefits of consuming local food.

The Bay View Compass will publish a consumer’s guide in late August called Celebrate Independents that will feature options for consumers who want to join the locavore food movement, as well as support local, independent businesses. If you would like to include your business in the guide, contact Monica: monica@bayviewcompass.com, call (414) 489-0880, or consult bayviewcompass.com/celebrate.