Eat Local, Eat Healthy is a program that has been going on for about six months, but is still in the early stages of planning.
Olio is the only restaurant so far to be participating in Mancos, said Kim Lindgren, coordinator for the program.
Its pretty difficult to get started, Lindgren said. The restaurant has to submit the recipes they use on their menus to the hospital nutritionist. They also have to quantify the ingredients they use, so the nutritionists can create a label with how much salt, calories, vegetables, protein, etc. is in each one.
So, many of the local restaurants still are working on that, she said.
In Cortez, restaurants such as Let it Grow, The Farm, Pepperhead, Once Upon a Sandwich, and Pippos are participating in the Eat Local, Eat Healthy program. In Dolores, Carlas Kitchen and the Dolores River Brewery serve food made with local and healthy ingredients.
Fresh, local ingredients are not always available all year, she said. But LiveWell Montezuma is working with the producers of the food to get as much as they can.
By offering this program, Lindgren said, and putting the Eat Local, Eat Healthy logo by the menu items that apply, people will see that the restaurant is offering items that they are already familiar with.
And, they will know they are supporting local growers, she said.
Any farmer who is interested in selling their produce to further this opportunity should contact Kim Lindgren at 564-9849.
