With 47,000 farms scattered around the state of Virginia and agriculture being the state’s number one industry, the Darden School of Business can say it’s doing its part to ensure the success of nearby farms.
Over the past year, thanks to the efforts of Tom Cervelloni, Darden’s Director of Food and Beverage, the School has supported Virginia farmers by increasing the amount of local food it purchases. In addition to serving more locally-sourced foods in the Abbott Center dining room – between 20-40 percent, according to Cervelloni - for the second time in a year, he was instrumental in bringing local farmers, Wolf Creek and Double H Farms, to a Darden Market lunch, held on Darden Grounds.
The market features fresh, local food, which is served to faculty, staff, MBA students and Executive Education guests. Cervelloni says the recent market featured about 95 percent local food, including beef, sausage, fruits and vegetables. The first Darden Market was held at the School last October, and Cervelloni says there will be another market in September.
"We are pleased to support local farmers," Cervelloni says. "The product is fresh and delicious because it only travels a short distance, and we enjoy developing relationships in the community and knowing the source of our food."
Echoing that thought, John Whiteside, owner of Wolf Creek Farm, says that a key element of sustainability is knowing the source of your food. "The shorter the distance your food has to travel, the fresher and better-tasting it will be," he says. He says that to farm sustainably, it has to be done on a small scale, and these farmers rely on orders from local customers.
Darden has set the goal to be a zero waste, carbon neutral enterprise by 2020, and a top ten school for teaching and research by 2013.
Founded in 1955, the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business improves society by developing leaders in the world of practical affairs.
For more information, contact communication@darden.virginia.edu.