From Dan Simons, VSAG Principal, in Response to the December 7, 2009 article by Jane Black that appeared on the front page of The Washington Post:

We’re thankful to Jane Black for bringing such an important topic – sustainable agriculture and what it means to be a green restaurant committed to sustainable business practices – to the front page of The Washington Post. How much more important can this topic get for foodies and restaurateurs? Not much more, but we’re glad that there is focus on a successful business in Washington, DC, that is working to help American family farmers and pushing the envelope on a broad array of topics that go well beyond the superficial, easy topics. Read the rest of this entry »

Thai Chicken sauca

What’s one of the hottest trends in food these days?  Street food – but not any ordinary hot dog cart – today’s street food is driven by technology, great, unique foods and creative vision.  Ready to launch Washington DC’s most exciting new concept, VSAG announces the development of Sâuçá, a new concept in mobile restaurants.  VSAG has worked to develop the menus and processes behind owner Farhad Assari’s vision of bringing high-quality food to the streets.  International businessman, traveler, explorer and foodie, Assari has taken street food to a new level.  This very atypical restaurateur was inspired by the side street vendors in India, the old school food trucks in California, the railroad station vendors in Europe and the taquierias of South America, to create a new way to enjoy foods from around the world, with the convenience and fun of a serious kitchen on wheels.  The result is a great global gourmet experience with no reservations and no travel time!

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s no wonder that environmentally conscious diners think twice about ordering bottled water from the restaurants that they frequent, but for patrons of VSAG client restaurants Founding Farmers and Farmers & Fishers, there’s not bottled water available.  At least not the ‘fancy’ imported kind – their water comes from the Washington DC water authority – right out of the tap!  Since the opening of Founding Farmers in fall 2008, the Natura water filtration system has been used in house, and was installed at Farmers & Fishers last spring to eliminate bottled water and the waste it creates.   The system intakes tap water from the local supply and superfilters and mineralizes it for fresh, clean water to serve to guests, all without the use of chemicals and with a choice of room temperature, chilled, or sparkling.

Read the rest of this entry »

VSAG’s chefs are back at the pizza oven, this time with farmhouse pizzas.

Pizzas from a farmhouse? Never heard of it? Well, for something classic yet new with a farm-fresh twist, Farmers & Fishers now has a vibrant selection of artisanal pizzas on the menu.

The chefs are dedicated to serving true, American-farm ingredient pizzas that include selections like ‘New Haven Clam Pie’, the ‘Loaded Baked Potato’, ‘American Salami and Tender Meatballs’ and ‘Firefly Goat Cheese, Leek and Wild Mushroom’, just to name a few. Read the rest of this entry »

VSAG is proud of how well Farmers & Fishers did at the Arts on Foot event. They sold over 700 slices of carrot cake! See the post below from the Farmers & Fishers blog:

Well, Farmers & Fishers is certainly going to claim that title even if there wasn’t a true competition!   This past Saturday they sold more than 700 slices of our scrumptious, homemade carrot cake roll with whipped cream cheese frosting, candied walnuts and caramel drizzle at Arts on Foot…that’s a LOT of cake!   Just ask our super pastry maker, Supaya, who made it all, and delicious it was! Read the rest of this entry »

On Labor Day Monday Farmers & Fishers Sous Chef Mario Pineda appeared on the WUSA9 morning show and prepared the very popular Heritage Truck-style Fish Tacos on the air for anchor Kim Martucci in honor of Brazilian Independence Day.   Mario demonstrated his culinary abilities by whipping up our original recipe tacos in just 2 minutes!

See the video for yourself, and catch a cocktail segment with Founding Farmers Mixologist Josh Tugjnyam, who shook Cabana Cachaca (the spirit of Brazil!) into a couple great tasting cocktails.  No holidays for DC’s most popular restaurant!

On Labor Day Monday (9.07) Founding Farmers Mixologist Josh Tugjnyam appeared on the WUSA9 morning show and prepared the official cocktail of Brazil – the caipirinha – in celebration of Brazilian Independence Day.   Founding Farmers Chief Mixologist Jon Arroyo is the DC Brand Ambassador for Cabana Cachaça the upscale double distilled Brazilian Rum that is the key ingredient in the caipirinha.  Jon was away on holiday, so Josh stepped in to shake up some great cocktails.   See the video for yourself, and the food demo with Farmers & Fishers Sous Chef Mario Pineda, who prepared the very popular Heritage Truck-style Fish Tacos. No holidays for busy restaurants!

VSAG is very excited about Founding Farmers’ new iPhone App—it’s a great way to reach out to the guests and to keep the restaurant on the cutting edge, important parts in our work in restaurant management and restaurant social media.

Be among the first iPhone users that have discovered the fun, convenient way to see what’s new on the menu, make reservations and even choose a wine with dinner with the new Founding Farmers restaurant app.   This FREE app is available through the iTunes App Store, and Founding Farmers is among just a few restaurants that have seen the fun in reaching out to guests in a new way.  Even TIME magazine has noticed! Read the rest of this entry »

Another great story on VSAG’s green restaurant operations work at Founding Farmers. Lancaster Farming News, that is…which is great because much of what arrives at the restaurant daily and weekly comes from farms in Lancaster County, PA and from surrounding areas!  Thanks to reporter Tracy Sutton for spending so much time with Founding Farmers, and for sharing the important story behind the restaurant with information about the restaurant’s 42,000 American family farmer-owners (North Dakota Farmers Union) and about how food gets from farm-to-table, with a quick stop in the Founding Farmers kitchen along the way!   Read all about it – A Restaurant For the People, By the Farmers.

With Founding Farmers at the top of nearly everyone’s list as a destination for great plates influenced by Southern and soul food cooking, VSAG’s own Dan Simons is a sought-after source of information on this popular and delicious food topic.  Simons’ thoughts on Washington, DC, Southern-inspired cuisine was featured in the Express Night Out article “Take Your Mouth South: Finding Healthy Cuisine in Washington’s Soul Food Craze” published on July 14, 2009. Read the full article here.