Native Bay gears up for "The Challenge"

Hello everyone! Nathan Berg, Chef/owner of Native Bay Restaurant, here. I just wanted to jump on board and let everyone know how excited all of us at the restaurant are to be gearing up for the Eat Local Challenge.

Here at Native Bay, utilizing fresh, local foods is a continuous -- not just a month-long -- challenge. Similarly, we're betting that after you see the culinary and social pleasures associated with this short challenge, you'll be incorporating a significant amount of local foods into your diet on a permanent basis.

Now, since Native Bay focuses on local foods all of the time, you might wonder what it is that we'll be doing differently for the Challenge. Well, here it is: During the month of September, we'll be highlighting numerous items from all four of our menus (Dinner, Lounge, Lunch and Sunday Brunch) that will be made entirely of locally grown or produced items. With these dishes, every single component will come from no further than 100 miles from our doorstep -- the only exceptions (and we mean ONLY) being salt, pepper, oil and vinegar!! These items will be prominently marked on the menu so that you can easily come in, sit down and choose from a host of completely local dishes. We'll even have a wide selection of beers to choose from that fit the bill, as well an offering of non-alcoholic drinks (can anyone say "melon agua fresca"?) for the more temperate, or underaged, of you.

Additionally, on Monday, Sept. 17th, we'll be holding our 3rd Annual Local Bounty Dinner where we celebrate local farmers and producers by having them sit down and relax for a change, while we serve up a five-course dinner featuring the very fruits (and vegetables) of their labor. This year, as an extra bonus, we'll be composing the entire five-course dinner from local ingredients (see exceptions above) to make it extra-friendly to those involved with the Eat Local Challenge.

Finally, we haven't yet pinned down the details, but Native Bay's kitchen will be moving to downtown Chippewa Falls for the Harvest Festival in late September to help congratulate all those who have taken the challenge (and even just those receptive to some good local food). More details on this to come...

As for myself, I will be actively engaging in the Challenge and posting up some thoughts on the matter over the course of the month. I'm happy to be a part of this exciting event and will glad be of assistance in any way I can.

* As an endnote, I've got a modest proposal for Sally or anyone whose taken an interest in her quest for local soymilk. Grampa Glenn, recently seen selling organic strawberries at the downtown Eau Claire market, also grows organic soybeans for the Japanese market. He's already holding a bunch of these soybeans for Native Bay and can surely supply more. So, I'll figure out how to get them and then, at the end of this month, just in time for the challenge, I'll hold a workshop here at the restaurant and teach you all how to make your own soymilk from scratch. Anyone game?