roof-to-table (and in some cases rooftop farm) is a social movement which promotes serving local food at restaurants and school cafeterias, by producing the food "on sight," often on top of the roof in which the establishment does business. This might be accomplished by a chef, restaurant owner, or third party undertaking the process of instituting gardens for produce and agricultural production for on site consumption. Roof-to-table often incorporates a higher form of food traceability (celebrated as "knowing where your food comes from") where the origin of the food is identified to consumers. Often restaurants cannot source all the food they need for dishes on site or locally, so only some dishes or only some ingredients are labelled as "roof-to-table."
The farm-to-table movement, is close in spirit yet different in that produce and food is produced off site an brought to restaurant or facility "preferably through direct acquisition from the producer (which might be a winery, brewery, ranch, fishery, or other type of food producer which is not strictly a "farm"). This might be accomplished by a direct sales relationship, a community-supported agriculture arrangement, a farmer's market, a local distributor or by the restaurant or school raising its own food."
Advocates and practitioners of the roof-to-table, like the farm-to-table model frequently cite the scarcity of fresh, local ingredients; the poor flavor of ingredients shipped from afar; the poor nutritional integrity of shipped ingredients; and the dangers of a highly centralized food growing and distribution system as motivators for their decision to adopted a more local approach to the food system.[2][3] Contents [hide]
Influences and Growth
Restaurants, early pioneers
Criticism
References
External links
Influences and Growth
Prominent advocates for the roof-to-table movement, either as chefs, writers, farmers, or environmentalists include: roof-to-table.com
www.roof-to-table.com includes an up to date directory of restaurants and establishments growing fresh produce on site, on their rooftops.