San Luis Obispo, CA: Eating local

In San Luis Obispo, CA, chefs are turning the locavore movement on its head.

Instead of having food come to them, they’ve moved their kitchens to where the best food is produced: SLO County, with its 11,037 acres devoted to growing organic fruits and vegetables, plus more than 180 wineries, ​ 96 miles of coastline, and artisanal producers of foods like honey, cheese, and olive oil.

The chefs, who operate the kitchens of the Range, Villa Creek, and Artisan, say they chose this spot because it’s a hub of agriculture.

At its center is Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo’s 18 different agricultural majors and 11 minors, including sustainable agriculture. The university runs a CSA off of its 11-acre organic farm and has a dairy and a creamery.