Montana-grown ingredients took center stage at the fourth annual Farm-to-Table Food Festival, where chefs, farmers and local food businesses gathered at Bodhi Farms to celebrate the state's agricultural community.
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More than 300 people attended the event, sampling dishes prepared by 10 chefs and food businesses using ingredients sourced from farms, ranches and producers across Montana.
Heather Babineau-z of Whole and Nourished served a summer salad featuring greens, chickpeas,feta and vegetables grown or produced in the Gallatin Valley.
"People especially in this area are seeing the importance of supporting local foods and local farms and we help them to do that," Babineau-z said.
Just a few booths away, Bodhi Farms chef Melissa Harrison prepared hundreds of Swiss chard bundles cooked over an open flame. The dish featured vegetables grown in Bodhi's garden and bison from North Bridger Bison Ranch in Wilsall.
"The bison comes from North Bridger Bison Ranch in Montana and all the vegetables including the Swiss chard is from the garden," Harrison said.
Bodhi Farms, a 35-acre organic permaculture farm and boutique eco-resort, served as the festival's host.
"I think the thing that we do differently is that we grow the food, we create the food and we create this whole entire experience," Harrison said.
Owner Rayner Smith said the property's focus on growing food on-site made it a natural home for an event centered on local agriculture.
Smith described Bodhi Farms as "kind of the epicenter of the local food movement around here."
That philosophy extends beyond the meals served on the property. Bodhi Farms operates with a zero-food-waste model, using composting and farm animals.
"Between composting and our farm animals and pigs, all of the nutrition that comes onto this property stays here and that's pretty cool," Smith said.
The festival reflected that commitment by including an on-site composting station while highlighting a variety of locally inspired dishes, including charcuterie, pierogies, matcha beverages and smash burgers.
Organizers said requiring chefs to incorporate local ingredients helps showcase Montana producers and strengthen connections between consumers and the state's agricultural community.
"All the chefs are required to operate with local foods and so that is a neat way to showcase a lot of the other farms in the area and a lot of the chefs that are kind of leading with that movement," Smith said.
Smith said building resilient local food systems starts with healthy soil and supporting the people who produce food close to home.
"At the end of the day the soil and the food production in any local situation is so important," he said.
A portion of the festival's proceeds will benefit Bozeman School District Food Service.
