Spotlight: Dig Inn
Dig Inn is all about good, fresh food.
75% of the food they serve are vegetables but meat eaters have great options as well. 100% of the vegetables are locally grown on Dig’s own farm or one of the local 102 farmers they work closely with to ensure high food quality (local = within 300 miles of the restaurant).
The dialogue between Dig Inn and farmers begins with choosing what seeds go in the ground, ensuring that the food grown is specifically chosen for Dig Inn’s seasonal menu. The relationship between the farmers and Dig doesn’t stop there. Since the USDA certification for a farm to become organic is a multi-year and expensive process that can be cumbersome for a farm on their own, Dig pays the transitional farms the same price as the organic farms, so that they can be supported through the transition process and have the incentive to make the change permanently to a method that is better for us all: fewer chemicals on the food itself and crop rotation for the longevity and benefit of the land.
On their own farm in 2017 Dig harvested 31 different crops, totaling 21,000 pounds of produce for their own stores within 48 hours of being harvested. Some more noteworthy facts about food at Dig Inn:
– In 2017 Dig donated 93,720 pounds of food (the equivalent of 78,109 meals).
– Dig embraces “ugly produce” (often disposed of and not even offered to consumers) in 2017 nearly 1,157,000 pounds of blemished vegetables were used to create the dish Rescued Vegetable Salad.
– Dig set the goal of buying over 1 million pounds of produce from 15 marginalized farmers in 2018, with the goal of supporting them succeed in an industry.
– Annually 40% of food produced in the USA goes uneaten; Dig uses the entire vegetable stems, leaves and all to help minimize food waste.
– Nutritional information for all items on their menu can be found on their website.
Dig Inn is located at 25 Thomson Place, open between 11 am – 9 pm.
Order in person or online. More info: https://www.diginn.com/