Farm-to-Table dining

As the locavore/local food movement heats up, more and more restaurants are sourcing from farms and ranches close to home. This means they’re rotating their menus with the seasons, basing meals around what’s available in the moment.

That’s great news for environmentalists, who want to ease greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution by minimizing the distance food has to travel to land on your plate. And it’s great for small farmers, who suddenly have a huge market for their produce and/or meat.

For travelers, that means getting a sense of place with every meal. In the throes of globalization, it means a departure from generic meals that can be had anywhere. Eating locally engages all five senses in travel; it turns meals into memories.

Leading the charge is Chef Rene Redzepi in Copenhagen. His Noma restaurant has been ranked as the best in the world by Restaurant magazine four times, and Redzepi isn’t kidding around. He forages for edibles you won’t find anywhere else, and creates stunning, bizarre dishes with reimagined Nordic flair.

Eating at Noma is out of reach for the average traveler; reservations are nearly impossible to get even if you can afford the 1,600 DKK (approximately $270 per person) price tag. Luckily, much more affordable options are opening constantly.