Local food, local processing

CHAPEL HILL -- Margaret Lundy wants to sell some salsa.

And after years of discussions, she and other restaurateurs and growers might soon have a place to process local foods themselves -- and, they hope, put more cash in their pockets.

The Orange County Board of Commissioners could vote Tuesday on turning a 10,000 square foot building in Hillsborough into a regional value-added food and agricultural processing center.

Lundy, chef-owner of Margaret's Cantina in Chapel Hill, took a course at N.C. State a few years ago to learn how to process acidified foods, thinking she'd be able to bottle and sell the sauces she makes for her restaurant.

But she soon gave up.

"There's just no way to have the restaurant kitchen do double duty for that," she said. "There's a whole separate inspection by the agriculture department, in addition to the health department."

Lundy, who strives to feature locally grown produce on her menu, said she's also interested in using a processing center to put up vegetables for the winter.

"The cycle of local produce is we get the most in the spring, summer and early fall, and then we have a big dip where we can basically get collard greens and sweet potatoes in the winter," she said. She said she'd welcome the opportunity to freeze or can more local crops, which she's already doing with green chiles.

Locally made tortillas would be nice to have as well, she said.

Alamance and Chatham counties have said they want to be partners in the center. Durham County helped finance a study.

"We can let the other boards of commissioners know we are ready, we have a building," Orange commissioners Chairman Barry Jacobs said.

A consultant picked the former Orange Enterprises building on Valley Forge Road in Hillsborough as the best site. It would take about $750,000 to get the processing center up and running, Smithson Mills wrote.

The facility would give producers access to an FDA-approved workplace with both "wet" and "dry" kitchens, a vegetable wash line and a room for packaging.

Orange County has already applied for a $140,000 grant, and it might be possible to finance the entire startup through grant money, said Noah Ranells, the county's agricultural economic development coordinator. Mills estimated the annual operating cost would be about $120,000, with another $50,000 a year for equipment.

Jacobs said U.S. Rep. David Price has expressed support for the project, and Jacobs said he hoped it would attract federal funding.

Orange County Commissioner Mike Nelson questioned donating property, given the county's space needs.

"That's a substantial gift we're giving," he said. "What are the other counties giving towards this project?"

Ranells said the county would be able to use its contribution of the building as a 'match' against future grant applications.

Alamance County Commissioner Dan Ingle said his board supports the project, and Chatham County Commissioners George Lucier and Tom Vanderbeck are enthusiastic.

"It's a great idea for several counties to go in with this together," Lucier said.

Vanderbeck said natural foods grocers Weaver Street Market and Whole Foods also support the center and helped pay for the consultant's report.

Jacobs said Orange County has been talking about the project almost since he became a commissioner in 1998.

"This is great progress."