“I’m so proud when I see our beef on the menu.”
That pride was apparent as Meridie Jackson looked out over her pastures at Smith & Jackson, her farm in Australia’s Yarra Valley. Her family had invited us to tour the fields and learn about the program as part of this year’s Lambassador program, which I was lucky enough to attend. We sat around a campfire drinking coffee and eating lamingtons while she told us how she transitioned from a corporate job to agriculture, her true passion. We learned about their rotational grazing program that moved the cattle through a series of 180 different paddocks, we crouched down to learn about dung beetles and fertile soil, and we even learned about the differing personalities of Angus and Wagyu (Wagyu are more introverted, while Angus are more outgoing and curious).
It was that type of knowledge that transformed the beef and lamb we would cook and eat over the course of the week – it reminded you of the story, work, skill, and passion that are behind ingredients and dishes. It’s one thing to enjoy a delicious roast lamb entrée, it’s another to know that it came from Yeringburg, a winery and farm where they are teaching a new dog how to herd, where they are dealing with the recent drought, and where shearing costs are going up so they are breeding more Merino into the lambs for a higher quality wool, which can fetch a higher price.
This type of knowledge and storytelling transformed everything we saw. At Georgies Harvest, a potato and root vegetable shop in the South Melbourne Market, we saw potatoes in a new light after meeting Georgina Dragwidge, the owner and resident “potato whisperer,” who can tell you what potato variety you’ll enjoy based on your background. (How about a Pink Firr Apple potato? Or maybe you’re a more Mayan Twilight type of person?)
At the Italian concept Grossi Florentino, it’s one thing to marvel at the art in the Mural Room and take in Melbourne’s oldest restaurant, it’s another to have Cam Smith, a Melbourne radio host (with the voice to prove it) and raconteur, describe the time when every table in the room had a landline phone on it, ready to ring with news for a local politician.
At a time when everything is so transactional (press “order” in the app!), storytelling is a real differentiator. That’s particularly true when prices for many ingredients have increased – that meaningful story behind the dish is a showcase of value. Is it any wonder that over half (56%) of consumers say seeing the face behind a product or dish makes them more likely to buy it?
So feature the farmer behind the beef and lamb you are using on the menu, showcase the curation that goes into selecting your ingredients, and teach your server to tell the stories that led to a dish. It matters.