Quote:
Originally Posted by PresentTense Pirate Penske
[true story] Getting my morning espresso at Cafe Presse, I ran into a Beard award winning chef, who happens to be a friend from school days, and gave him the context of the exchange. He laughed, and confirmed that generally speaking for the chefs worth their black truffle salt, you are wrong. they get raw materials locally and not at Costco, in any manner, for a reason, quality. Having said that, he did note that while he does shop at the Market weekly to get a sense of what is out there for the masses, he buys all of his proteins directly from local farms or off the boat.
He also noted that the next time he wants advise from a third tier food town, he'll skip Minneapolis and go for Tulsa. Or Anchorage.[/true story]
Ps: I am going to an event with Tom Douglas in a few weeks (friend of a friend). I'll ask him as well and report back.
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A skilled chef can buy food anywhere. The guys at the dock have to unload the crap that was already dead when they caught it somewhere, and you may be more likely to buy it from them than at a Costco where some idiot who sees a lot of fish is at least going to look at it first and may decide to throw it in the chowder instead. If you don't know your way around fish, you have no business buying it anywhere, but probably should settle for a knowledgable fishmonger; even if they charge a premium, they at least have a reputation to uphold.
