From Boise State Public Radio
An underground dinner in rural Washington wine country.
[HOST INTRO] Underground markets and restaurants have popped up all over the country. They open their doors only briefly, for an afternoon or an evening, in ever changing, often secret locations. Like 21st Century speakeasies for the foodie set, they sidestep the high overhead and complex regulations that traditional food establishments face.
In this installment of Edible Idaho, correspondent Guy Hand slips into the Northwest world of underground food.
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(Sounds at market) (Hand) With a smile and a legal waiver, a Treasure Valley, Idaho woman greets me at an unmarked door. Inside I find what she calls an underground food market.
Bacon cupcake from underground market in Idaho.
(Hand) And what is that? (Woman) It’s a little secret membership club where you can sign up in advance to come to this secret food market, sort of like the farmers’ market that’s downtown but, you know, it’s a little club, we’re not professionals, we’re die-hard amateurs. (Hand) Is it legal? (Woman) It is legal. We have a lawyer (laughing). (Hand) Oh, that makes it legal if you have a lawyer? (Woman) We worked very hard with our lawyer to get this up and running properly.
(Hand) So how is it different than a farmers’ market? (Woman) The difference is really just that we’re not paying a lot of money first of all to come set up a booth at a farmers’ market, but secondly, a lot of us have been trying really hard to break into the professional scene. There’s such a high cost associated with doing things professionally that this, we determined would be the best way to have a bunch of people start working towards becoming completely legitimate.
(Woman) That’s the short answer (laughing) (Hand) And are there any advantages for the consumer? (Woman) Yes, well there’s a huge price break. For example, I was traveling around yesterday trying to compare our prices and the difference is huge.
(Hand) This woman, who prefers to remain anonymous, says the morel mushrooms they’ve got are half the price of the store-bought version.
Various breads and scones available at underground market.
(Hand) So what are some of the things that are available? (Woman) Let’s see, I’m going to go around the room . . . There are raspberry plants, fresh spinach, catnip, quinio cakes that you can eat today, different kinds of cupcakes, andouillie sausage made locally.
(Hand) And what’s the advantage of making it underground or secret? (Woman) That component is partly so that everybody knows that they’re buying something that people produced in their own home, so it’s more like a club and we feel like that’s a little bit more fun too, for people, so they kind of have to find out about it through the grape vine . . .
(Hand) This woman admits the secrecy is there also to keep the health department from knocking down the door. She understands the importance of food safety, but thinks, like many in the underground food movement, that regulations are not only burdensome but often misplaced.
(Woman) . . . a lot of these things are actually better for you because we’re not using nitrates or nitrites and because we’re not boiling the kimchee to make it so that it has no bacteria in it, and we’re not boiling the goat cheese so it’s completely flavorless and bad for you.
(Hand) It seems like, getting back to those strict rules, they’re often times geared for big industrial food organizations and not small producers that can’t pay for or can’t follow those kinds of regulations and this seems like a way to get around that. (Woman) You got it. You totally just nailed it. I mean it’s just like radio. If you look on the radio dial, everybody on the radio is going to be this huge, giant company, but there’s no way that little people can get in edge-wise because of all the laws and the cost. And so here we are, we’re the little people, we’re getting in edge-wise, that’s it. (laughing)
An amuse bouche of salt cod fritter in romesco sauce at underground dinner.
(Crossfade to sounds at underground dinner) (Chef) The bottom of this bowl is hot ‘cause it was on a burner so hold it right here, a pinch on every plate . . .
(Hand) Some underground aficionados have already done time on the above-board, big-boy side of the food industry. (Chef) So it doesn’t take a lot K.B., not a lot. (Hand) Today, I’m in Washington state with a chef who once owned a critically acclaimed restaurant. He gave it up for the freedom, he says, comes with cooking underground.
(Chef) Brandon, once they get the pesto they can go . . .
Salad of local greens and vegetables with sherry vinaigrette at underground dinner.
(Hand) Tonight this chef, who also wants to remain anonymous, is preparing a multi-course underground meal for thirty-two. He divulged the location — a stunning orchid greenhouse in rural Washington — just the night before.
(Hand) Is it better than having a restaurant? (Chef) Well, you know what, at least there’s a bottom line here. As you know, having a restaurant, there’s no bottom line. It’s a way of enjoying what you do and actually not having all the costs that actually kill a restaurant.
(Hand) Along with lower cost and limitless location possibilities, he’s also free to make last minute menu changes.
(Chef) I’m dealing with ultra fresh stuff here, I mean I wait to write the menu until almost last minute and then scramble to get the stuff ‘cause I want to see what’s in season, what I have . . .
(Hand) The chef pops open a cooler of just procured early spring produce.
(Chef) This is all of our goodies in here. Fava beans, chive flowers, local radishes. Right here is the prized possession of the day: that’s all the strawberries that are in Walla Walla right now. I bought ‘em at the market this morning. Paid the guy $20 for two pints.
(Hand) That quest for perfect ingredients, the surprising locale and the mildly illicit allure of an underground dinner has attracted a well-heeled and appreciative clientele.
Guests at orchid house in rural Washington state.
(Guest) I don’t think any of us would have dreamt of having a meal like this in an orchid hot house. It’s just wonderful. It’s just great variety, it’s imaginative and it is just a great deal of fun.
(Hand) Some say the underground restaurant scene was born ten years ago in Portland, Oregon. It then spread to Europe and beyond. Regulatory agencies are predictably unhappy with these unlicensed, off-the-grid events. But proponents argue that they fill a need tradition food establishments simply don’t satisfy.
(Chef) Alright, sorry I didn’t get out right away to tell you what that last course was . . .
(Hand) From an undisclosed Northwest location, I’m Guy Hand
(Chef) That course right there was a fava bean flan . . .
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Guy Hand is a writer, public radio producer and photographer specializing in food and agriculture. |
How do I hook-up with the underground market?
Rebekah,
A google search of underground markets in your area should do the trick.