The menu has to be flexible to incorporate whatever might be ripe at the time, said Greg Neville, who uses organic produce grown by Bell Organics at his restaurants, Lugano and Pine.

Seasonal cooking

"Flexibility on the kitchen's part is crucial," Neville said. "Last night we used some just-picked heirloom squash and squash blossoms, and it was spectacular. They've got all these great candy-striped and yellow beets right now, so we did that with some roasted fennel and roasted potatoes as a set-up for the fish. I like to saute the beet tops and serve them with braised pork shoulder. Right now it's super-easy, because we have tomatoes coming out of our ears. We're doing an heirloom tomato salad that people wait for all year."

After summer crops are over, the focus turns more to root vegetables, and then asparagus in February and March. Two advantages to cooking seasonally, said Neville: "The quality's better, and it's less expensive. Our diners are smart; they can taste the difference."

One of the keys is developing a working relationship between chef and producer. Instead of planting items and then trying to find someone to buy them, the Bells seek requests from Neville and other chefs. If a chef prefers a certain variety of tomato, they can order those seeds and plant the amount the chef thinks he'll need.

Both Bambara and Grand America have hosted special dinners this summer using local foods. The Bambara dinner used Bell Organics' mixed greens and roasted baby beets topped with goat cheese from Drake Family Farms in West Jordan. Grilled Morgan Valley Lamb chops and pepper-crusted Utah elk had a sauce of currants from Week's Berry Farm in Paradise, and a chilled soup that used local peas and basil.

At the dinner, Barker commented that with fresh ingredients, chefs don't need a lot of heavy sauces, or "five different flavor profiles on a plate. The pea soup is just what it is."

It's not just high-end restaurants that seek out local products. The Mandarin in Bountiful buys its green beans, zucchini, eggplant and bell pepper from Bangerter Farms in Bountiful every summer, said Angel Skedros Manfredini, one of the owners. "We get it delivered fresh daily, and you can tell the difference. Our customers love it."

But organic or natural products are more expensive, she said. "These other restaurants who charge $24.99 for a rack of lamb can afford to use Morgan Valley Lamb, but our lamb dishes are only $9."

Local or organic?

Paulson said that Slow Food's priority is local products first, over organic shipped from somewhere else.