Paul Martin's American Bistro Joins with Local Farmers

Paul Martin's American Bistro takes its commitment to local farmers seriously. The mantra of the restaurant is "Eat organic. Believe in sustainable. Buy local. Love fresh." and simple yet delicious farm-to-table foods are the heart and soul of the bistro. Restaurateurs Brian Bennett and Paul Fleming developed the concept for Paul Martin's American Bistro in Roseville and spent over a year researching and selecting vendors for the restaurant's fresh, seasonal menu. They forged 40 relationships with innovative local farmers, 80 percent of whom are located in Northern California. Two years after launching the Roseville restaurant, the El Segundo restaurant opened, bringing fine dining to Roseville and El Segundo.



Chef Joshua Korn recognizes the importance of Paul Martin's commitment to local farmers. "One of the things I envision going hand in hand with owning a restaurant is really forming relationships with people who grow things," Korn says of his experience with Paul Martin's. The bistro's mission has been embraced by the chef wholeheartedly. "Smaller farmers are growing more for the integrity of the food and the flavor. So the freshness leads to flavor, color and texture," he explains. Korn relies on the restaurant's relationship with local purveyors to create the bistro's signature dishes, which are carefully prepared to highlight the flavor of the ingredients. "If somebody comes by with something that's just too good to pass up, we'll find some application for it or some way to work it in," Korn says of the bistro's relationship with local vendors.



This organic food restaurant in California also stands behind local farmers in Placer County as a sponsor of PlacerGROWN, an organization that was created to develop a unified community of farmers, ranchers, community organizations and businesses that all support agriculture in the county. The organization assists local agricultural producers with marketing their products, and works to encourage an expanded demand for locally grown foods. One of PlacerGROWN's objectives is to create and promote a sustainable local food system, as well as increasing economic development and stability in the area. The organization provides many marketing and promotional services in their effort to build awareness of local products, as well as forging direct connections with local citizens, institutions, restaurants, grocers and other retailers.



Paul Martin's does their part in building awareness by consistently allowing guests to experience a bounty of fresh, locally grown menu items and always highlighting the quality of their farm-to-table food. "Our food is very simply prepared, says Chef Korn. "And the reason we prepare food so simply is that the ingredients we use are so individually outstanding that we want them all to stand by themselves." Diners also have the opportunity to pair their food choices with one of an extensive selection of California wines, such as a delicious chardonnay from PlacerGROWN member Rancho Roble Vineyards.



Chef Korn recently shared his love of fresh ingredients and his cooking skills at the PlacerGROWN annual Food and Farm Conference, where Paul Martin's American Bistro hosted a cooking demonstration and reception for conference attendees, many of whom were local farmers. Chef Korn always enjoys an opportunity to forge bonds with the farmers that produce the ingredients he's so passionate about, as this top California restaurant continues its commitment to making a positive contribution to sustainable agriculture in their community.