Silver Diner Rockville, MD

The journey from the standard American diet to real foods is different for each of us, and we all start somewhere.  I ate out frequently before I began my excursion into real foods and did not really think about what was in the food or whether the restaurant used local ingredients.  I rarely eat out now and when I do, I seek restaurants that source locally and provide plenty of real foods.  When I am in social situations that require eating out, such as family or friend birthday celebrations, I wistfully wish that local and real foods were a choice available at most places and hope like crazy that I will not alienate too many of my friends with my constant questions to the waiters of “Is there any MSG in that?” or “What do you use to fry your foods?”  Then I feel the swell of my own cynicism and resignation even before they tell me, “Soy oil.” When I have my beloved four children with me, I feel an even greater conflict between etiquette in the social situation and wanting my children not to eat too much processed “food.”  Sometimes, I give my young children just a few options that are the healthiest choices on the menu.  As a busy mom, totally committed to feeding my family real foods and local as much as possible, I am very excited when I find a restaurant where I can pick up a healthy meal.  It gives me great pleasure and cause for celebration when a restaurant makes the effort to use real foods and to source locally; more than it being great for me personally, it is a sign that the tide is turning and the combined efforts of all the “local foods” people are taking root and growing.

And now I’ve found something joyous to celebrate!  A couple of days ago, I had the pleasure of meeting with Ype Von Hengst, one of the founders of the Silver Diner.  Silver Diner is a local chain of about fifteen restaurants in the DC, MD, VA area.  They are committed to serving their communities, giving back where they can and embracing their employees and customers like family.  I began corresponding with Ype shortly before NICFA’s March 10 lobby day on Capitol Hill in DC, which he attended and participated in one of the meetings with Senate staff.  He was interested in participating because Silver Diner is in the process of transforming their menu to local and real foods!  Prior to our meeting, Ype explained to me that they were sourcing some of their foods locally and were interested in finding additional farmers to supply more.

My meeting with Ype gave me a whole new appreciation for the Silver Diner, their commitment to their local communities and their exciting new journey into local and real foods!  I went armed with Weston A Price Foundation brochures about the benefits of butter and other traditional fats and the background of Dr. Price’s research only to find that they were already incorporating much of it.  I arrived at our meeting a little early and had the chance to peruse the menu.  I saw that they use local dairy, local eggs from an Amish farm and local produce.  I noticed that one could easily order an entire meal of local items and real foods.  I learned that they already use no trans fats in any of their foods, no MSG, and they are using grassfed beef!  As I munched on my buffalo chicken wings (made with butter) and chowed down on my delicious bacon cheeseburger (from grassfed beef) we had a wonderful chat about real foods and Ype shared some stories about his experience with fresh milk growing up in Holland.  I learned about the people behind Silver Diner, and witnessed how wonderfully the owners treat employees and customers.  During our lunch at the Rockville Silver Diner, Ype greeted regular customers like old friends.  It was obvious that his employees and customers are like a big family and that sourcing locally grown food from trusted farmers is an extension of their  “family” ethic.  What became very clear to me during my visit is that the warmth and joviality at the restaurant grows from the people in charge.

It is a boon to the local foods movement to have a restaurant chain as well established as Silver Diner recognize not just the business sense it makes to go local, but the environmental, health and broader economic sense as well.  A busy mother of four young children, I am so excited, that I have found a place where I can feel good about feeding my children; they are getting a real foods meal while I am supporting a local business that supports a happy, robust, local economic model.  Perhaps the great example set by Silver Diner will inspire other local restaurants to take the leap into local foods for their customers.  As the Silver Diner menu says about their transition to local foods—it’s a journey.  And so it is a journey.  With Silver Diner’s new commitment, the local foods movement has just taken a huge leap forward.

Do you have a favorite local foods restaurant?  Or know of a place that is transitioning to real foods?  If so, please share below.  It will be great inspiration for other restaurants to follow suit.

About Liz Reitzig
Liz Reitzig is President of the Maryland Independent Consumers and Farmers Association and serves as Secretary of the National Independent Consumers and Farmers Association.  As a champion for real foods and farm freedom, Liz is a regular contributor to Liberation Wellness and raises her own family on real foods from local farms. Liz is the co-founder and partner in a farm fresh buying club. She is also a Chapter Leader for the Weston A Price Foundation.

To schedule an interview with Liz or another representative of Liberation Wellness, call 800-327-9010.