Shop like a chef: Chef Robert Lewis shares farmers' market secrets
By Brandy Welvaert
 Paul Colletti Take Chef Robert Lewis' tips for shopping the market like a pro to find seasonal fruits and vegetables like those at the Freight House Farmers' Market in downtown Davenport. More photos from this shoot |
It's no secret that chefs shop farmers' markets. But how do they shop? You'd have to live inside a chef's head to get those kinds of juicy details.
Unless, of course, you happen to meet Chef Robert Lewis, also known as The Happy Diabetic. Chef Robert shops farmers' markets around the Quad-Cities -- he lives in Bettendorf, Iowa -- to create healthy meals for his family that not only satisfy their tastebuds but keep his type 2 diabetes in check. As he puts it, there is no such thing as a diabetic diet, just a healthy diet.
"We probably eat 70 to 80 percent veggies, fruits and beans, and about 20 percent fish and poultry -- and just a little bit of beef," he says, adding that in summer, the market is the perfect place to shop for such good-for-you fare.
"I love the local grocery stores, but I know what I am going to find there. I will never find 'different' varieties of tomatoes at the grocery store. Especially, I won't find them in such small quantities," he says. At the farmers' market, "this guy, he might have two baskets of these tomatoes. That's all he's got, and to me, that's interesting."
He also likes the market because the foods are picked ripe and sold not long after.
"For most people who are selling at the farmers' market, their produce is picked, like, yesterday, so it's going to be fresher. ... From a nutritional standpoint, there's something to be said for freshness."
So how can you shop for fresh foods like a professional cook? Here are a few of Chef Robert's tricks.
* Cruise first, buy second. Don't drop your all your grocery money with the first vendor you visit. Instead, do a "lap" around the market to get a feel for what's available and what everything costs, take note of foods that really interest you. "That's basically what I do," Chef Robert says. Make all your purchases on round No. 2.
* Be creative. "In my mind, I'll have an idea about what I want to cook, but I'll be flexible as I go along," the chef says. If you enjoy cooking, you can allow in-season foods to inspire your menu rather than the other way around.
"I'll travel the stands and say, 'Now that looks interesting. I haven't had that for a while.' And I just sort of create as I go."
* Use your senses. "I am looking for brightly-colored fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants," Chef Robert says. He seeks produce that's bright for its type -- the reddest strawberries, the most vivid green bell peppers. "I like to say that antioxidants are nature's 'rust prohibitor.' They keep your body from getting 'rusty.'"
He also recommends smelling fresh foods and giving a gentle squeeze. "I like foods that have a nice aroma and are firm. I like firmer fruits and veggies."
* Seek the unique. "I also am looking for the unusual varieties, like the purple heirloom tomatoes that you can't get in your local grocery store," Chef Robert says. Old-fashioned heirloom foods often are prized for their flavor above all, and they usually don't travel or keep well -- so you won't find them in grocery stores. Moral of the story? If a unique ingredient pops out at you, snatch it up! You might not find it again.
* Get social. "It's really great to get to talk to someone about the tomatoes they grew," the chef says. "To me, that interaction makes shopping the market even more fun. I get the veggies, I know where they came from, and I get to talk to the person who grew it. It brings the food to life."
Growers usually are happy to talk about how they grow or raise their products, as well, he says. "I don't think too much about organics, but I'm interested to know that the growers are responsible with pesticides. I am realistic enough to know that organic farming is difficult."
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