Farm to Table 7| J. TREACY KREGER | Washington Restaurant Association
1. 3/3/16, 10:15 AMFarm to Table | J. TREACY KREGER | Washington Restaurant Association | Our mission is to help our members succeed
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February 22, 2016
Farm to Table | J. TREACY KREGER
Treacy Kreger wants to spread his “ministry of food” to anybody who is willing to listen. With 30 years’ experience as
a chef, he has learned a few things about the food industry. His history as a restaurateur began with Charley’s Bar
and Grill. Then in 1987, he moved on to purchase the County Seat Deli & Catering.
Treacy eventually left the industry for a bit, heading off to Wall Street for three years to work as a stockbroker and
investment adviser. Culinary arts schooling followed in 1999. Upon finishing his training, he proudly opened Vern’s
Restaurant (which he named after his father) in 2004; Vern’s stayed open till 2011.
Treacy Kreger currently works part-time as an executive chef at St. Andrew’s Union Retreat. He does his best to
source all of his ingredients locally. In fact, much of the produce is actually grown on St. Andrew’s 5,000 sq foot
garden. Treacy enjoys that “people come on spiritual retreats and leave thanking me. It’s a unique experience
unlike any other food-based retreat they’ve ever known”.
When not cooking at St. Andrew’s, he works to raise awareness of farm-to-table issues beyond the kitchen. Treacy
sits in on various committees, and on the Friend’s of the Farmer’s Market board of directors, where he strives to
raise money for improvements to the market and for scholarships that support local food production farming. J.
Treacy Kreger is also a hopeful contender for Port Commissioner of District 1.
Treacy wants to build a partnership between the public and private sectors by revitalizing local business around
food. Because we all have to eat, he figures that we might as well build a more stable economy around food. Within
the next 5 years, Treacy would love to move from a food industry model that sources only a fraction of its
ingredients locally to one that sources closer to a quarter of its ingredients regionally.
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2. 3/3/16, 10:15 AMFarm to Table | J. TREACY KREGER | Washington Restaurant Association | Our mission is to help our members succeed
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CATEGORIES: PROGRAMS, WRA BLOG, WRA BLOG -
HEALTHY EATING, WRA BLOG - SUSTAINABILITY
TAGS: FARM TO TABLE, FOOD SOURCING, HEALTHY
EATING, NUTRITION, SUSTAINABILITY
He’s currently trying to get the Port of Olympia to focus on developing local enterprise. As he perceives it, the Port
has the ability to build infrastructure while supporting processing, storage, and distribution through private and
public partnership industries.
According to a study done in 2009 (by the World Bank, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Euromonitor
International), Americans spend less on food than any other country in the world. Most Europeans, by contrast,
shop and buy their products daily – many from open air markets that span multiple blocks. The U.S. diet is
inexpensive and unhealthy; we spend less at the till and – consequently — get less for our money.
Although good food may be more expensive, it’s still a whole lot cheaper than cheap food. In something resembling
a rallying cry, he intones that “We need to talk about farmaceuticals, not pharmaceuticals”. Whether it’s high
idealism or not, he believes chefs and restaurants have the power to change people’s eating habits. He pointedly
notes that our collective consciousness will always find influence in different places at different times. In the early
history of the farm-to-table movement we sought influence from role models like the restaurateur and activist Alice
Waters (an early proponent of organics and sustainability), but now surf for sustenance through the shallow pool of
the Food Network. In the age of instant entertainment, everyone wants to be a foodie. And yet Treacy maintains
that the farm-to-table movement is far from a passing trend.
In the U.S., he guesses that only about 10% of the population can afford healthy food. So the question remains:
how can we better incorporate healthier food into our lives? To complicate matters, even if healthy food was more
readily available, Treacy feels that we’d still face the challenge of getting people to recognize its value. Assuming
that people with financial needs recognize what’s at stake, they then need to be educated about how to prepare it.
Due to the federal subsidization of food banks, many Americans are limited to eating and working with processed
and prepackaged foods. We only know how to prepare the food that we’ve been given. But Treacy entreats us that
“It shouldn’t be a luxury to eat well”.
When I inquire about the prevailing push for locally sourced food in popular culture, J. Traecy Kreger explains its
heritage. In this country, the promotion of local ingredients originally grew out of the need to create a stable,
secure, strong economy around food. This redirection of the food industry should lead to security and overall
economic growth; it centers around producing and purchasing food within the local range — whether this is a next-
door neighbor, or another county or state.
The crux of the farm-to-table dilemma comes down to the fact that we’re currently missing the infrastructure that
would enable small- to medium-sized farms equal access to all available markets. Despite the direct-to-consumer
models (i.e. CSA’s and farmer’s markets), small-scale food producers don’t have a way to distribute to larger
institutions like hospitals and schools. They’re either lacking the volume needed to supply such a demand or
they’re lacking the connections necessary to form a relationship with such industries. Food hubs desperately need
support through the grant system. Meanwhile, farm-to-table practitioners should continue educating the public
about how to source and use locally produced products.
Treacy adamantly believes that chefs and restaurant owners can play a pivotal role in the advancement of the farm-
to-table movement. A case in point: balsamic vinegar wasn’t commonly used in the restaurant industry a few
decades ago. But when chefs and restaurants began adopting it during the early 80’s, the public became more
aware of what was available and soon followed suit. Those in positions of influence, therefore, have a responsibility
to raise the standards for the type of food that they use. The restaurant industry, furthermore, can do its part by
requesting the volume that’s needed. Yes, they’ll need to pay more upfront, but they should rest assure that there’ll
be a return from the consumers. Ultimately, if the public demands it, restaurants will have to supply it.
In the end, change needs to come from everyone: average citizens and policy makers alike. A big reason why Treacy
is running for Port Commissioner is because he’ll have a better opportunity to encourage public entities to lead
that change. Big agriculture had good intentions from the start — we couldn’t have fed the world without that level
of industry. It’s now time to produce and supply quality food at the local level though. The taxes that we collect
should benefit the community.
If I can detect an underlying pulse to J. Treacy Kreger’s ministry of food it would be this: why do we treat food as a
means to one end (sheer survival) rather than as an opportunity to support both the physical health of the
individual along with the financial well-being of the local economy? “It took over 30 years for the United States to
embrace organic products”, Treacy says, “but the farm-to-table movement’s emphasis on locally produced food
might have more impact in the long-term while being more easily accepted at the outset”.
By Todd Gruel
NRN senior food editor Bret Thorn says eliminating
tipping won’t be easy. Nancy, I’d like to get your
opinion on the subject of tipping, or more accurately,
doing away with it. (Nation’s Restaurant News)
MARCH 3, 2016
RPI bounces back above 100
Although same-store sales and customer traffic
indicators remained mixed, the National Restaurant
Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI)
bounced back above 100 in January. The RPI stood at
100.6 in January, up 0.8 percent from December’s
level of 99.7. (National Restaurant Association)
MARCH 3, 2016
Chefs find new uses for seaweed
Chefs are exploring new uses for seaweed beyond its
traditional role in Japanese cuisine. Some chefs
forage for their own sea plants, such as Warren Barr
of the Wickaninnish Inn on Canada’s west coast.
“Guests love seeing us go out there and pick these
fresh seaweeds,” he said. (Chef)
MARCH 3, 2016
Here They Are: The Top 20 Most Talented People in
Seattle
In January, we asked our readers to nominate a
talented Seattle-area individual–in any profession or
medium–who they thought should make our
inaugural list of the Top 20 Most Talented People in
Seattle. That list (entirely selected by readers) is
officially live. (Seattle Weekly)
MARCH 3, 2016
Early morning fire damages Twisp River Pub
An early morning blaze on Monday (Feb. 29) caused
extensive damage to the Twisp River Pub on Highway
20. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
(Methow Valley News)
MARCH 3, 2016
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