Restaurants have been around since the 18th century. And boy am I glad I wasn’t around prior to that time, since dining out is one of my favorite things to do. Our weekends generally revolve around where we’re eating out for lunch and dinner.Getting out of the house on a beautiful summer afternoon or evening, walking to town and enjoying the plethora of restaurants our wonderful area has to offer is the icing on the cake when it comes to a great day in the Valley. Lately I’ve been noticing how local items are being increasingly integrated into our meals at restaurants. From local grass-fed beef and lamb, to potatoes grown in Buhl, to the cup of coffee freshly roasted in Ketchum to cap off the night. So, here’s a rundown of some local purveyors who supply restaurateurs around Sun Valley:
Teton Waters Ranch
Teton Waters Ranch hails from Idaho’s own Teton Valley and deals in 100 percent grass-fed beef. The founders take great pride in ownership (which includes their 5,000-acre ranch) and the stewardship of that land. Part of their commitment includes the creation of a 10-acre wetlands and the planting of thousands of trees. In the spring, the wetlands hosts migratory birds and provides a water source in an otherwise arid landscape. “We are invested in our land and our cattle and work hard so that our cattle can roam in open pastures, grazing a mix of native and irrigated grasses,” said Jeff Russell, Teton Waters’ owner. “Our cattle have never been administered any antibiotics, growth hormones or any other type of growth- promoting drugs.”
Teton Waters Ranch beef can be found locally at CK’s Real Food, Sun Valley’s Trail Creek Cabin, Boca and Ketchum Grill.
www.tetonwatersranch.com
Other Tasty Options: Niman Ranch,
Snake River Farms.
Lava Lake Lamb
Kathleen and Brian Bean are the visionaries behind Lava Lake Lamb. Since 1999 their mission has been to produce fabulous grass-fed lamb while protecting the land their sheep graze on. Lava Lake’s lambs roam freely over nearly a million acres of range. Impressive, right? Lava Lake Lamb is 100 percent free of added hormones and antibiotics, herbicides or pesticides. The company’s reputation is as glowing as the taste of this delicious lamb. Lava Lake Lamb is served at almost a dozen local restaurants, including: CK’s Real Food, Ketchum Grill, Globus, The Cellar Pub and The Ram in Sun Valley. It’s a growing business with nine employees. “The markets for Lava Lake Lamb are expanding every year,” said Mike Gordon, the business’s marketing manager. “Three years ago we teamed up with Mountain States Rosen to help distribute our lamb nationally. In the summer months, it’s in stores nationwide.”
Other Tasty Options: Blue Sage Farm in Shoshone and Gutierrez Family Farms in Nampa.
Cloverstone Bakery
Colleen Teevin is the mastermind behind Cloverstone Gluten-Free Bakery. Founded in 2011, Cloverstone filled the need for a gluten-free option in the Valley. A quick rundown of gluten: it’s a group of storage proteins found in wheat, barley and rye. Many people have adverse reactions to eating gluten, with symptoms ranging from stomach problems to foggy brain and vertigo. So, fear not if you are gluten intolerant; Cloverstone Bakery’s cookies, muffins and dough all taste incredible and won’t upset your tummy. You’d never know you were eating gluten-free food. Cloverstone now supplies gluten-free pizza dough to Rico’s Italian Restaurant, Bald Mountain Pizza, Red Oven Pizza, South Valley Pizzeria, McClain’s Pizzeria and Wise Guy Pizza Pie in Ketchum and Boise. Their fabulous gluten-free muffins and cookies (the pumpkin muffin is perfection as I can attest to personally) are found at Java Coffee in Ketchum and Hailey, the Konditorei, Atkinsons’ in Ketchum and Hailey, and Main Street Market. Cloverstone Bakery is growing daily and started “expanding to the Boise area last fall and has started the same process for Twin Falls,” said Teevin. Other Tasty Options: Bigwood Bakery.
M&M Heath Farms
Mike Heath, owner of M&M Heath Farms, put 300,000 miles on his last truck. Traveling between Twin Falls, Hailey and Ketchum every week all summer long, Heath sells his organic produce and vegetables at farmers’ markets. “We sell a lot of our organic produce in the Wood River Valley, Magic Valley and the Treasure Valley through our participation with Idaho’s Bounty, which has become our biggest market opportunity,” said Heath. The Idaho potato is one of Heath’s biggest sellers. “Because our potatoes are organic, we can’t use chemical sprout inhibitors, so we can only use cool temperatures to control sprouting. Our first hand-dug spuds are available in July and we can keep them fairly well into April,” said Heath. You can find M&M’s organic produce at CK’s Real Food, Ketchum Grill, The Lodge and The Ram at Sun Valley, and during the summer farmers’ market season at Cava Cava. Other Tasty Options: Shooting Star Farm, Wood River Organics.
Yellow Belly Ice Cream
Lacie Hernandez, owner of Yellow Belly Ice Cream, has spunk and an upbeat personality that’s nearly as addictive as her ice cream. Focusing on small batch production, Lacie’s number one ingredient (milk) comes from CloverLeaf Creamery in Buhl. “I’ve also been known to browse the local produce at the market for fresh fruits like berries, pears and plums. Last year I bought flats of blackberries from Waterwheel Garden for delicious sorbets. I also use fresh herbs to help intensify flavors,” said Lacie. In her third year of business, Lacie’s ice cream is available year- round at Big Belly Deli. Some of her most popular flavors are Sun Valley Burn, Salted Caramel and Lime Cardamom Yogurt. But don’t ask Lacie about her favorite ice cream—she prefers sorbet. Contact Lacie for special orders at yellowbellyicecream@gmail.com. Other Tasty Options: Toni’s Ice Cream.
Lizzy’s Coffee
Liz Roquet started Lizzy’s Coffee in 2008, leaving her job at Icebreaker Clothing to indulge her entrepreneurial spirit. Lizzy’s specializes in exceptional coffee, and for her restaurant clientele, being local means something. “Restaurateurs come to us with a desire to make the coffee experience in their restaurant or café top notch. They’re already making amazing food, and understand how important the coffee service is in completing the experience for their customers. I personally train each of our accounts in drink preparation per the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s best practices,” explained Roquet. Roasting coffee right smack dab in the middle of town at 971 Main Street in Ketchum, the coffees are freshly roasted for each customer, and Liz is readily available to offer support for them with any challenges they may face. Lizzy’s Coffee is featured locally at Rolling in Dough, Galena Lodge, Della Mano, Il Naso, and Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch. Anyone can purchase Lizzy’s Coffee online at www. Lizzysfreshcoffee.com and freshly roasted orders will ship the next day nationwide. Other Tasty Options: Hailey Coffee Company.