NevadaGrown Agriculture Helps Downtown Restaurants Grow Success

Downtown Reno isn’t just a place for late night buffets anymore. The explosion of the restaurant scene has transformed the way people dine in the urban corridor. New restaurants offering diverse cuisine, culture and globally-trained chefs have flooded the area and the abundance of food and atmosphere options has been warmly welcomed. One key ingredient to this newfound success: local food.

Reno has fully embraced the local agriculture movement, weaving the concept into every corner of the city. There are more than a dozen restaurants downtown alone that serve meat, dairy and produce all grown here in Nevada, thanks to the work of hundreds of farmers.

There are roughly 200 small ranches and farms in Nevada to buy from, many of which are also sustainable. These farms are growing because the demand for fresh, local food is increasing. Consumers are beginning to understand that less travel and freezer time means higher quality, better tasting ingredients at a lower cost. And restaurants are among those consumers.  

During the early 2000s, setting out to dine on Nevada-grown food required a little research, but that time has long since passed. Locally grown food is served in both classic downtown restaurants and the newest hot spots. La Strada, an old Reno favorite named one of the top 10 Italian restaurants in the nation, uses ingredients grown here. CAMPO, Old Granite St. Eatery, Cheese Board Bistro, the Hub Coffee Co. and Daughters Café also create dishes using the best ingredients that Nevada can grow.

But there’s something more to a mouth-watering roast chicken with grilled veggies and polenta. That meal drives our economy.

Over half the money from purchases at chain grocers and producers is sent out of the community, while 65 percent of every dollar spent on local agriculture is kept right here, supporting local families and businesses. So not only are restaurant owners creating the freshest dishes this town has ever eaten, they’re also pushing us toward economic stability as eating local has also been linked to preservation of small farms and rural communities – of which we have many. In fact, Nevada agriculture paired with local restaurants just might be the foundation that could bring more nightlife and entertainment, followed by housing and businesses, to northern Nevada.

So you can feel good knowing that all the hard-earned money spent at these restaurants stays in Nevada as an investment in the future of our community. I’ll eat to that!

To learn more about local food, farms and seasonal ingredients, or to enter your own local-food recipes for a chance to win a freezer full of local meat and produce, visit www.NevadaGrown.com.