Spoke & Steele has been recognized for its role in promoting good food and sustainable food systems with 5 links ( out of 6) on the annual Good Food 100 Restaurants List from the Good Food Media Network. They are the only restaurant in Indiana to achieve this recognition.
“Reducing the carbon footprint at Spoke & Steele has been a priority since I started earlier this year.” says Chef de Cuisine, Erin Gillum. “As a chef, it’s not difficult to source outstanding local ingredients. When you care about food quality, freshness, your community, and creating a more sustainable world it becomes habit to research quality ingredients required for our standard of sustainability and to create the best local dishes possible.” In addition Spoke & Steele has recently committed to using biodegradable straws, they recycle all bottles and plastic containers and work daily to implement additional practices focused on being more green.
The Good Food 100 Restaurants list is carefully curated based on the quantitative measurement of participating restaurants’ self-reported annual food purchasing data. Restaurants are rated with two to six links—symbolizing links in the food chain—based on the percent of total good food purchases. These purchases support state, regional and national good food producers and purveyors.
“Food is better when it’s fulfilling, not just filling,” said Sara Brito, co-founder and president, Good Food Media Network. “Transparency in food sourcing is an increasingly important issue. By offering a snapshot of what happens behind kitchen doors and restaurants’ commitment to sustainable purchasing practices, the Good Food 100 holds chefs accountable and instills consumer confidence so eaters are empowered to make the best possible dining decisions. Congratulations to all the 2018 Good Food 100 Restaurants. We look forward to continuing our collective mission of creating a good food system for all.”
In 2018 Spoke & Steele hired Chef Greg Hardesty to provide inspiration to the food created by their team. Earlier this year the team added Chef Gillum to lead the kitchen and to continue to elevate the contemporary American cuisine in a very chic setting. Chef Gillum and Hardesty both work very hard to cultivate relationships with local artisans throughout the Midwest to allow for a seasonal menu which represents an infusion of seasonal Midwest ingredients with international flavors. It is very important to the restauarant to continue to support the local patrons and the local food community in a sustainable manner.
Additionally, a corresponding economic report conducted by the Business Research Division of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder on behalf of the Good Food Media Network, found that the overall food purchases of the 125 participating restaurants totaled $120.1 million. Of this, restaurants reported domestic spending $80.1 million on good food, which translates to a $255 million economic impact on the national good food economy.
To learn more about the Good Food 100 and all the restaurants, visit theGood Food 100 websiteand to learn more on Spoke & Steele visit SpokeandSteele.com.
