The Wellington Gastropub's Chris Deraiche. (Photo by Darren Brown, OBJ)

Shortly after winter releases its icy grip on our landscape, the first bounty of spring begins to appear. Such delights as locally-grown asparagus, fiddleheads, leeks and rhubarb mark the beginning of a long season of delicious abundance for chefs and foodies alike.

In addition to boasting the largest agricultural economy of any major Canadian city, Ottawa is also fortunate to have a solid collection of excellent food shops, giving cooks a diverse palette of ingredients.

A growing number of Ottawa-area chefs share a deep commitment to delivering appealing menus packed with local foodstuffs. Not only are they supporting our region's food producers, they are also capitalizing on the fact that local foods are almost always tastier than those which have travelled great distances.

To support their passion for local foods, area chefs cultivate relationships with key suppliers, including some with impressive greenhouse operations, to ensure a winter-long supply of fresh greens to augment their stocks of root vegetables. Events such as the second annual farmer-chef meet and greet, held recently at the Chateau Laurier, do much to cement these bonds. But you don't have to be a commercial chef to enjoy access to these farmers' crops, some offer seasonal and even year-round home delivery service, while others welcome shoppers to their farms.

Among the more popular purveyors is Shawville's Bryson Farms, which offers year-round delivery to many parts of Ottawa of items such as fresh salad greens, micro-greens and root crops as well as dozens of varieties of winter squash and pumpkins. During the spring, summer and fall, it also offers hundreds of varieties of exotic vegetables. Check out Mariposa Farms in Plantagenet – its store is open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and offers a variety of fresh and frozen products, including duck and goose, foie gras, cassoulet, sausages, preserved delicacies and other game including quail, venison, bison and pheasant. World-class goat milk cheeses can be found at Ferme Floraple in Papineauville, open to the public every day. Not surprisingly, many area chefs, including such notables as John Taylor of Domus Cafe and Derek Benitz of Benitz Bistro, count the above three suppliers among their mainstays.

Chef Norm Aitken of Juniper Kitchen & Wine likes Acorn Creek Garden Farm in Carp for its diverse range of fruits and vegetables, including 100 varieties of tomatoes and 120 types of peppers; the farm is open to the public. Chef Ben Baird of the Urban Pear lists Hilary Chop in Almonte as a favoured organic vegetable supplier. Like many other farmers around the region, Ms. Chop offers home delivery services.

Across the city, there are many fine food shops where you just might rub shoulders with some of Ottawa's top chefs. Chris Deraiche of the Wellington Gastropub frequents the Herb & Spice, just across the street from his restaurant. Mr. Taylor of Domus can often be found at the Byward Fruit Market as well as Lapointe's for fish. Chef Marc Lepine, formerly of the Courtyard Restaurant, cites the House of Cheese in the ByWard Market as a favourite spot.

When it comes to food shopping, chefs agree that smaller is generally better. Saslove's and Aubrey's Meats are recommended as top-notch butchers who will gladly cut meat to order, and both offer hormone- and antibiotic-free meats. Forget the oriental food sections in chain grocery stores – go to Chinatown where the selection is vast and the prices are incredibly low. For specialty Italian foods, head to Preston Street, or try the Mid East Food Centre for rice, beans, spices and more.

Until the farmer's markets open again in May, why not take a tour of the many smaller food stores all over town, particularly those that offer organic or unusual produce. Glance at your fellow shoppers to see if they're wearing grease-spattered clogs, often a telltale sign of a chef. And the next time you're dining out, if the chef is circulating through the restaurant, take a moment to ask him or her where they like to shop. Just like the rest of us, many chefs draw their inspiration from what they find on the shelves of their favourite store.

By Paula Roy

Special to the OBJ