Chef Ed Pickens of Café on Main in Mansfield was front and center at the Shelby Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning for the first “Farm to Plate” cooking demonstration.
Pickens has about 35 years of experience in the food industry and owns Café on Main, providing catering services, too. “I’ve been performing cooking demonstrations for a number of years. I have done them all over the area, one of them being at the Mansfield Library,” said Pickens.
“Farm to Plate provides a fresher, better flavor to the food because the ingredients are being used directly from the Farmer’s Market,” said Pickens. Pickens demonstrated how to cook and prepare a chicken Caesar salad.
He cooked all of the ingredients, including the lettuce and vegetables on the grill. The chicken that was used was locally raised at Rus-Men Farms in Galion.
He even gave a tip on how to keep your cutting board from slipping around the table, “Get a towel , damp it and put it under your cutting board. It won’t move around,” said Pickens.
“The purpose of Farm to Plate is to connect consumers with farmers who produce the ingredients,” said Organization Director of Ohio Farm Bureau, Tim Hicks. Hicks stated, “The local food is being prepared by the professionals.”
The next “Farm to Plate” will take place at the Shelby Farmer’s Market on August 3 and Chef Nathan Snyder from Mohican State Park Lodge will be providing demonstration to the public.
