Holly Wells, Vice President of Vertical PR + Marketing Photographs Girard Gourmet
As the “farm-to-fork" movement continues to gain momentum in the San Diego restaurant scene, the owners of Girard Gourmet dare to take the concept to the next level. Their motto is “From our farm to your plate. Eat fresh and feel great.”
Owners, Francois and Diane Goedhuys, own and operate their very own one acre farm in Julian, sourcing fresh produce to include stone fruit, banana squash, Swiss chard, kale, mustard greens and a variety of herbs, which they incorporate into their seasonal dishes and libations. They also have several dozen chickens on the farm, and incorporate the farm fresh eggs in their dishes as often as they can. Their mission is to source fresh foods to their restaurant and create sustainability in an interdependent manner.
They also make better use of food waste by recycling all of their kitchen scraps back into the farm, furthering their specialized process. This includes vegetable peels, leftover food waste and anything else that can be brought back to the farm to fertilize the soil. By using their own produce, the Goedhueys cut down on the cardboard boxes typically used in the delivery of produce.
While many restaurants incorporate the “farm-to-table” approach by purchasing local ingredients, the restaurateurs of Girard Gourmet are actually growing their own, personalizing the process as they go. This past year, they experienced their largest harvest yet and look forward to the prospect of growing their business in a highly sustainable manner.
The “farm-to-fork” concept is simple: the shorter the journey from farm to fork, the fresher the food. Locavores and foodies alike appreciate the improved flavor and of locally grown ingredients as well as more socially conscious motivations to include small farm economics, sustainable agriculture and community supported business.
Of course, none of this would matter unless customers wanted to eat at Girard Gourmet, and eat they do! As a flagship eatery in La Jolla for close to 30 years, Girard Gourmet has proven time and again that they can keep up with the trendiest of restaurants that come and go in the competitive San Diego restaurant scene. Owner, Francois Goedhuys, incorporates his classic European techniques while continuing to innovate through seasonal ingredients and specially formed methods.
Girard Gourmet has been featured in famed travel guide books, Lonely Planet and Frommer’s, as one of La Jolla’s “must-eat” destinations as well as publications to include National Geographic Traveler, San Diego Home and Garden and VIA Magazine. They have also been featured numerous times on local media and broadcast stations.
About Girard Gourmet: Girard Gourmet is a staple in the La Jolla, San Diego dining scene, having served savory dishes and sweet treats to San Diegans for nearly thirty years. Girard Gourmet specializes in European specialties ranging from delicious baked goods to fresh soups and salads to gourmet coffee and teas. Girard Gourmet is a full-service restaurant and catering business serving the San Diego and surrounding communities.
Girard Gourmet is known for its unique "farm-to-table" approach, which is unlike any other in San Diego. Owner, Francois Goedhuys, grew up on a small farm in Belgium where cultivating your own garden was a way of life. He was so inspired by this approach that he decided to open his very own sprawling one acre farm in Julian, California, where most of the produce for Girard Gourmet is sourced. The restaurant recycles all of the leftover kitchen scraps back into the farm, furthering their specialized process.
Girard Gourmet has been featured in famed travel guide books, Lonely Planet and Frommer’s, as one of La Jolla’s “must-eat” destinations as well as publications to include National Geographic Traveler, San Diego Home and Garden and VIA Magazine. You can find more information about the restaurant by visitingwww.girardgourmet.com
Posted February 13, 2015
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By Dan Heims, President, Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
Photographs courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
Terra Nova’s breeders have created a series of outstanding world-class echinaceas that are consistent in size, bloom power, color intensity and are a pollinator buffet. What’s not to like.
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As the “farm-to-fork" movement continues to gain momentum in the San Diego restaurant scene, the owners of Girard Gourmet dare to take the concept to the next level. Their motto is “From our farm to your plate. Eat fresh and feel great.” 
They also make better use of food waste by recycling all of their kitchen scraps back into the farm, furthering their specialized process. This includes vegetable peels, leftover food waste and anything else that can be brought back to the farm to fertilize the soil. By using their own produce, the Goedhueys cut down on the cardboard boxes typically used in the delivery of produce. 
