Nathan Lyon learned as a child to grow and recognize fresh food. From his grandfather?s garden down the street to the Washington, D.C.?s farmers markets or his great-grandparent?s farm in the Shenandoah Valley, Va., Lyon grew to appreciate ripe greens and fresh eggs. Today, he shares that wisdom on his show, “Lyon in the Kitchen,” on Discovery Health. At the Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore City, the chef talked about his favorite topic ? food.
With a growing number of E. coli scares, how have you learned to find high-quality, safe produce?
I?m a product of my environment. We were latchkey kids, and my grandparents lived four doors down. I remember my grandpa taking seeds from anything and planting them in jars on his windowsill. I never had a fear for anything that came from my grandfather?s garden because I knew all about it. If you expand that to half-a-billion acres, which can you control more, my grandpa?s place or a huge industrial site?
Why do you promote the grower almost as much as you do the food?
When you know who your food comes from, you actually talk to the people who grow it, you develop a relationship. It?s a luxury nowadays. It?s also seasonal.
What do you make of the trend toward more organic products in the marketplace?
There?s so much more of an awareness today than there ever was when I was growing up. Organic means socially responsible ? you?ll even have stores posting a placard that shows where the food comes from. I don?t buy food that?s out of season. Except for spices and things they don?t make here, I don?t buy food that comes from outside the U.S.
