Food with Purpose Change Maker: Chef Bobby Deland on Local Ingredients and Lasting Impact
Chef Bobby Deland heard that he was being recognized as a Food with Purpose Change Maker days before heading to Tampa, FL, for his wedding. In less than a year in his position as Executive Chef for a financial services company in the Charlotte, NC area, Bobby transformed what was offered in his marketplace, incorporating more sustainable ingredients and supporting local farmers, leading Teaching Kitchens to educate guests, and creating menus that both taste good and are good for you.
His commitment to Eurest’s wellness and sustainability program, Food with Purpose, and creating positive change in the food system for the health and wellbeing of people and the planet is central to who he is as as a chef, and more importantly, as a person.
“When I first moved to Charlotte, I quickly realized that the food scene is hyper-focused on local ingredients. I had spreadsheets tracking what was in peak season and would use those ingredients every which way for two weeks: pureed, pickled, roasted, dehydrated or made into stock,” said Bobby. “Because of that I have a really close relationship with farmers in the area.”
Chef Bobby runs Chef’s Tables in his marketplace a few times each month, crafting his menus for the action station with attention to local ingredients. “I treat it as a menu in a restaurant, listing what’s local, what farm it comes from and where you can buy it at a nearby farmers market.”
For this non-native chef, the guests at his marketplace love his Southern cooking, especially his grits. “Eating habits in Charlotte are very southern and once you understand how to cook that food you realize it is intrinsically tied to what grows here,” said Chef Bobby.
Days after his wedding, he watched as Hurricane Helene brought devastation to the place where he exchanged vows and the Western North Carolina communities and farmers he cherishes. Bobby immediately acted, issuing a call to help with disaster relief efforts, sharing resources and an impassioned plea to support our neighbors, friends and family.
“These are people that we have unknowingly met countless times and have helped facilitate countless memories for anyone who has taken a trip up to the mountains. These are the people who produce so many of the local products we use at work and consume in our personal lives,” shared Bobby.
As we come together across Eurest to support relief efforts in the wake of lives and livelihoods compromised by devastation to our planet, Bobby reminds us that every meal is an opportunity to lead with purpose.