Farmer’s Table restaurant at the Centre for Training and Innovation’s Rock Sound Campus is tantalizing tastebuds and creating “foodie fans” across the length and breadth of Eleuthera. Since its soft launch on September 6th, customers have been traveling across the island to get a taste of Eleuthera’s new and revitalizing, farm-to-table restaurant concept.
Farmer’s Table is open from 8:30pm to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday serving breakfast and lunch daily. Over the last month, the restaurant has been steadily gaining popularity and attracting repeat customers looking to enjoy flavourful and healthier meal alternatives at a fair price. Although the menu changes regularly to reflect the availability and integration of the island’s choicest produce and best locally sourced ingredients, there is a solid selection of delicious staples offered that are proving to be crowd pleasers.
The daily menu features savory dishes including grilled Atlantic Salmon, 100% Angus Beef burgers, blackened Mahi-Mahi burgers, veggie flatbreads and assorted wraps, Begian waffles, and breakfast burritos. Fresh, grilled vegetables, baked “island-stuffed” sweet potatoes, sumptuous soups, Jasmine Rice, and fruit-infused bush teas are some of the additional pairings to be enjoyed.
Setting the Farmer’s Table cuisine apart is a selection of signature, made-from-scratch dressings, marinades and robust sauces. Each provides an island-inspired, farm-to-table twist to amplify and complement natural flavors. Patrons can also anticipate a rotating selection of enticing, pastries baked and served fresh daily.
The restaurant’s relaxing café ambience beckons you to slow down and take a moment to savor every bite alongside the calming effect of being removed from the hustle and bustle of a busy schedule. The staff are warm and generous in their efforts to make every guest feel welcomed and appreciated whether they’re dining indoors to ambient music or enjoying the shaded, open-air terrace with a magnificent view of The Retreat Hotel’s 25-meter salt water pool.
With The Bahamas leading the region in non-communicable, diet-related diseases like Diabetes and Hypertension, and very few healthy dining options available locally, CTI’s Farmer’s Table is filling a void. Meals are all prepared using baking or light grilling techniques rather than frying. As the farm’s growing season takes off and the harvest variety and yield increases, even more fresh produce will be incorporated into the menu allowing diners to transition to a diet that includes more delicious and nutritious, plant-based dishes.
“Knowing what we eat matters – not only for the sake of nourishing our bodies, but as conscious consumers caring for our local ecosystems and the planet. Farm-to-table establishments like ours allow us to learn about the food we eat, while engaging with local chefs, farmers and the community. We are excited to see how our new restaurant will make an impact on people’s health and eating choices moving forward,” notes Yolanda Pawar, Chief Communications Officer. “We are also pleased to have increased our staffing by providing employment to a talented team of four who are currently running the restaurant’s operations.”
This latest addition to the CTI training campus will also assist the organization in expanding its footprint as the island’s premier tertiary, vocational training institute. Farmer’s Table, will provide the necessary facilities for students in South Eleuthera enrolled in CTI’s Culinary and Hospitality training programs to gain valuable, hands-on, practical experience in a real world setting.
As a social enterprise powered by the One Eleuthera Foundation, revenue generated from the restaurant will be used to sustainably support its staffing and operational expenses. Farmer’s Table will also reinforce the One Eleuthera Foundation’s and CTI’s commitment to support local farmers by purchasing ingredients and produce from other local farms and growers in Eleuthera.
