Hi Team,

How's everyone enjoying the shift to some even cooler weather?! It's definitely "wear wool socks in the warehouse and crank the heater" mode.

We are about a week away from it being the official start of winter. December 21st marks the end of the harvest season, Winter Solstice, and the shortest day of the year. In China, this is where the concept of yin and yang is rooted. After the solstice, the abundance of darkness in winter will begin to be balanced with the light of the sun.  Spiritually, it is the time to let the energies of new life and inspiration build slowly within us so that when spring comes we are bursting with freshness and ideas. Can't wait to see what the next three months will bring us all!

The vegetables seem to enjoy the colder weather because they've been appearing in droves with variety and going straight to our clients tables! Here’s our monthly Source Report, highlighting some of the local produce we carry and the farms who grow our crops.

NEWS & SEASONAL TRENDS

We've been sending some appetizing new goodies out to our events. It has been a nice change in seasonal offerings from just four weeks ago. If you missed the November Source Report, it’s a quick read! This month, we are seeing lots of citrus, valencia oranges, oro blanco grapefruits from Polito Farms in Valley Center, which have been great additions to dishes like our baby gem salad and blue cheese salad. Weiser Farms in Tehachapi has brought in some beautiful radicchio, spigarello, and treviso. You also tasted the flavors of sunchokes in the new farrancini appetizer! We’ve seen some really beautiful micro herbs and edible florals that have decorated the passed appetizers. Those are from a farm right in our own backyard, Girl & Dug in San Marcos.

A FARM WORTH READING ABOUT

Being able to source our produce from farms within San Diego County and then seeing them transform into beautiful dishes at events gives me a sense of pride and joy. It may be a relatively small step, but sustainably supporting and showcasing locally grown produce is right in line with our values at MIHO. This pride struck me specifically while observing the iceplants, mustard ruby mini greens, and marigolds from Girl & Dug being passed with the SDMA / Oaxacan inspired menu.

Earlier this year, I went out to visit with Aaron Choi who runs Girl & Dug family farm in San Marcos. He commutes from Orange County every day to provide high-end restaurants with unique and micro size offerings unlike anything seen before. Girl & Dug is a hidden gem that has been using the dedication of people like Aaron to push the envelope. He is constantly testing new ways of farming each of their crops, uninhibited by conventional agricultural knowledge that often argues against growing certain plants (such as beets and radishes) in greenhouses. Aaron did not have an agricultural background and yet is a true example of being passionate and creating your own path. Depending on the season, they are working with about eighty different crops and producing quality that sets them apart from the rest.

The passion and stories that our farmers carry are the people I like to follow. They keep me inspired and connected to the root of what we stand for at MIHO.