locally grown

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PHILOSOPHY

With an awareness of our place in the Old Mission Peninsula & Northern Michigan communities, we at Mission Table take our inspiration from the land & waters that surround us. It’s by the tenets below that we support this region we call home:

  • Our food & beverage menus feature the best ingredients available from local farms & fishermen.

  • We use only the freshest products, which honor the seasons & support the agricultural economy of the region.

  • These foods are used in ways both innovative & traditional to bring out their unique essences.

  • Garnish & presentation are secondary to flavor & quality.

  • Be kind to the environment & it will not only provide energy for the body, but sustenance for the soul.

Mission Tables farming partners are why we stand out as a culinary delight from freshness, preparation and service. Here are some of our fresh food sources and their specialties.

 

Local Farms

  • Bardenhagen farms, Suttons bay - potatoes

  • Smeltzer orchards, Bear Lake - berries, cherries

  • Kroupa farms, Old Mission - produce, wine

  • Edmonson Farms, Old Mission - produce

  • Buchan’s Farms, Old Mission - Blueberries

  • Bakers green acres, Marion - chicken, sausage

  • Norconk farm, Empire - asparagus

  • Chapman farms, Eagle - piedmontese cattle

  • S&S farm, McBain - lamb

  • Duerksen farm, Mancelona - turkey

  • Bunny Hop Farm, cedar - Rabbit

  • Zenner Farms- Kingsley - tomatoes, produce

  • Shetler dairy, Kalkaska - Dairy

  • Werp Farms, Buckley - herbs, baby greens, heirloom veg

  • Halpin Farms, Goshen - eggs, cheese

  • Oleson’s bison farm, Traverse city - buffalo

  • Shoreline fruit, Williamsburg - fruit

  • Champion hill farm, Beulah - honey

  • Friske orchards, Charlevoix - apples

  • Hudsonville co-op, Hudsonville - root vegetables

  • Kitchen farms, Elmira - potatoes, onions

 
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FARE FACTS

Ramps or "wild leeks" are just one part of Northern Michigan’s Spring trinity we look forward to cooking (the other two being morels & asparagus). If you haven't been lucky enough to find a morel in our woods, chances are more likely you will find ramps. Chef Paul & his family typically forage in the woods of Glen Arbor this time of year with much success. Once back in Mission Table they are cleaned & pickled so they can serve them all summer long. Come in & taste the local difference.

 

SUSTAINABILITY

Abiding to our governing philosophy, from appetizer to dessert, we salute Mother Nature by using — & nurturing — the bounty of our local soil whenever possible. That’s why:

  • We purchase as much meat, poultry & produce from local farmers & growers as possible.

  • We grow our own herbs & morel mushrooms (a pound a week!) on-site.

  • We craft our ever-changing, seasonal menu around the ingredients that are the freshest & most representative of the region.

Specifically, our seasonal produce comes from Peninsula Cellars’ farm just a mile down the road on Old Mission Peninsula. The hour it takes from harvest to delivery ensures our squash varieties, pumpkins, cucumbers, tomato varieties, eggplant, peppers, brussels sprouts, beets, beans, red & green cabbage & zucchini are the freshest possible.

But we didn’t pick Peninsula Cellars solely based on proximity. Their focus on conservation & sustainable practices mirrors our own. For example, they use integrated pest management, which means chemical intervention only occurs when insects or disease are causing significant damage to the crops. These on-demand applications are in complete contrast to the traditional method of administering chemicals based on the stage of growth or the day on the calendar.

Peninsula Cellars also uses more labor-intensive practices than many farms. All their grapes are harvested by hand whereas other farms use mechanical harvesters that shake the grapes off the vine. This causes trauma to the fruit & increases waste as many more grapes fall to the ground.

This reliance on human touch continues with the farm’s dedication to pulling or hoeing weeds by hand in the gardens and vineyards. It’s just one more way they minimize chemical use and the farm’s overall impact on the environment.

 
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DRINK

Our dedication to sustainable operations extends far beyond just food. Our cleaning products are 99% phosphate-free & we will soon begin reusing all the wine & beer bottles we sell to completely reduce glass waste.

In addition, the brewing & distilling systems that produce our acclaimed beer & spirits are also predicated upon the same dedication to conservation:

  • Spent grains from the brewing process feed local cattle on Old Mission Peninsula whose manure is then used to fertilize the hop & grain fields.

  • We buy hops from the local Old Mission Hop Exchange to support our local growers & ensure we use the freshest hops.

  • We use untreated water from our own well which has a nearly perfect pH of 7.1.

  • Our brewery employs a Clean-in-Place (CIP) system that filters & reclaims cleaning chemicals so that we can use them multiple times. When their useful life runs out, we dilute them so that there is no environmental impact whatsoever.

  • The brewing facility is lit by compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) to reduce energy consumption & is heavily insulated to contain heat.

  • We use high-quality bottles, which reduces the amount of breakage.

  • The water used to cool down the beer as it leaves the brewhouse goes back to the hot liquor tank & is used for the very next batch, thus recapturing nearly 100% of the heat out of the beer.

It’s a simple approach. One that we hope will make a mark in the flavorful food & delicious drink we serve, but not on the land we love.