Spring Street Cafe: fresh and local in Sylva, NC: discover a delicious melding of eclectic and local cuisine with Laura Huff.

Our hyper-modern world of food has changed dramatically within the last few decades. New ingredients, flavors, and techniques are available to anyone with the means and interest to explore them. Restaurants, specialty stores, even TV shows focusing on exotic food preparation are popping up all around us. The exotic is everyday--but isn't necessarily nourishing. What makes some fine, eclectic cuisine truly nourishing and healthy?

Here at Spring St. Cafe in Sylva NC, we know that the best food is made with the best ingredients. The best ingredients are locally grown. "Unlike industrially grown food that has been bred to meet the demands of long-distance travel; local produce, delivered almost as soon as it is picked, can maintain the taste, diversity, and health that nature intended," says Faye Holliday, Spring Street Cafe's owner. Locally grown food is better for you. It retains nutrients and is usually organic and GMO-free. Locally grown food tastes better. It is usually picked within the past day or two and is crisp, sweet and loaded with flavor.

Using locally-grown food, Spring St. Cafe offers seasonal menus that feature ethnic dishes and vegetarian specialties created in the whole foods tradition. This means that in Sylva, NC, you can enjoy healthy, colorful meals of crisp, ripe, succulent vegetables; fresh, locally raised trout; and free-range, hormone-free meats. Featuring local farm produce, livestock and dairy as well as wild edibles, restaurants like Spring St. Care support the little guys, the independents, the favorites and the locals, bridging the world food trade gap between farm and community.

Connect with healthy fresh food through restaurants like ours that are committed to using locally grown food in their enterprises. By dining at those restaurants that support local farmers, you are getting the freshest, best tasting food and contributing to your good health.

Eating seasonally as much as possible will help ensure that you are eating food that is locally grown. The following recipe utilizes ingredients that you are likely to find in your local community during this season.

T'is the season for ramps and barbeques. Gather a dozen wild ramps and some mint and put together Faye's Fire Roasted Corn & Ramp Salsa.This salsa is great served over grilled mountain trout--which is always in season--or try it over grilled tofu.

Fire Roasted Corn & Ramp Salsa

4 ears fresh fire roasted corn (shuck & cob)
12 wild ramps or green onions (mince leaves & stalks)
1 red pepper (julienne)
2 cucumbers (seed, skin, julienne)
2 fresh limes (juice)
1 lemon (zest & juice)
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh mint (mince)
1 tsp sugar
1 tblsp hot sauce

Combine & rest up to 1/2 hour. Excellent also on burritos & tacos.

Laura Huff is aa independent marketing consultant specialist in strategic planning and marketing implementation for socially responsible local businesses. She currently resides in Cullowhee, North Carolina, enjoys serving great food to customers at Spring St. Cafe, and can be reached at [e-mail]