Chefs share favorite local producers

It's Local Foods Week! If you haven't checked out any of the fun events Local Matters is putting on around town, there's still time--programming runs throughout the week. I was out at the Grilled Cheese Throwdown on Saturday, where Latitude 41 Chef David MacLennan won over judges with his pork belly-based take on a BLT.

While I was working on the cover story for the newest Alive, I got to know some of the farmers and other people who produce the food we eat here in Central Ohio, like Katherine Harrison of Harrison Farm, Lisa Sippel and Ben Baldwin of Kokoborrego Cheese Company, Becky and Greg Swingle of Dangling Carrot Farm, and Michael Hermick of Zapico Foods.

I also checked in with a few chefs who regularly incorporate local ingredients into their menus and asked them to share their most trusted local producers. Here's what they said:

Chef David MacLennan, Latitude 41

1.Wayward Seed Farm in Marysville (vegetables, fruits and herbs)

2,.Bluescreek Farm Meats in the North Market (beef, lamb, pork, goat and veal)

3.North Market Poultry and Game in the North Market (grass-fed and free-range organic chicken, bison, turkey, pheasant, rabbit, venison and more from small local farms)

"I've been working with all three on a regular basis for several years. The awesome thing they all share in common is that they are incredibly passionate about what they do and give you the best product they possibly have to offer," MacLennan said.

Chef Alana Shock, Alana's

1.Toad Hill Farm inDanville (vegetables, fruit, eggs, chicken, lamb)

2.Swainway Urban Farm in Clintonville (vegetables, herbs, mushrooms)

3.Persinger Farm in Jamestown (vegetables, honey)

Chef William Fugitt, MoJoe Lounge

1.Sweet Meadows in Zanesville (grass-fed, pasture-raised lamb and chicken, heritage breed pork, brown eggs)

2.Rock Dove Farm in West Jefferson (vegetables and fruits)

3.Honeyrun Farm in Williamsport (raw honey)

(Jodi Miller photo, Latitude 41)