Farm-to-Table Cuisine

Enjoy fresh ingredients locally sourced

Pamela Bieri Restaurants

Three growing seasons bless the Coachella Valley with bountiful agriculture. And nearby farming areas such as Hemet, Anza, and Temecula provide fresh produce, allowing desert area chefs to offer the freshest in-season products available. Check out the following restaurants for farm-fresh, seasonally attuned cuisine.

Morgan’s in the desert

James Beard Award-winning chef Jimmy Schmidt is a celebrated pioneer in the farm-to-table movement and the creator of cuisine at Morgan’s in the desert at La Quinta Resort & Club. His innovative dishes have raised the bar when it comes to using locally sourced ingredients.

“We plan out our menus on a weekly basis according to what our farmers are growing and producing,” Schmidt says. “The combination of ingredients coming to fruition is used as a palette for our dish designs.”

The providers Schmidt relies on deliver the best quality — and in the case of meat and dairy production, raise animals in a safe, humane, and sustainable environment.  

“We love all our farmers and sources,” Schmidt says. “One local farmer, Alan Weeks, provides Morgan’s with amazing, perfectly tree-ripened figs.”

Morgan's in the desert
49499 Eisenhower Dr., La Quinta.
760-564-7600; www.morgansinthedesert.com

 

La Spiga Ristorante

Connie and Vince Cultraro’s La Spiga Ristorante features more than 5,000 feet of vegetable and herb gardens, fruit trees, and lush lawns. Chef Vince grows most of his own produce on property, using the herbs, vegetables, and fruit in his dishes.

“Whatever is ready to pick becomes the daily special,” he says. “Our own garden is my favorite purveyor, as we have no pesticides and can accurately control how everything grows.”

In summer, La Spiga features figs from the gardens, as well as grapes, peaches, apricots, and Japanese persimmon.

La Spiga Restorante
72557 Hwy. 111, Palm Desert.
760-340-9318; www.laspigapalmdesert.com

 

Chez Pierre Bistro

French chef Pierre Pelech is an avid farm-to-table advocate who regularly sources produce from local certified farmers markets and farms in Mecca and Hemet.

“Whenever I go, they are happy to see a chef buying their produce and always let me know what is coming ahead so I can plan my menu,” Pelech says.

For the summer, Pelech offers a three-course, prix-fixe menu featuring a spa menu that Pelech acknowledges is very popular, largely due to its publicized calorie content.

Chez Pierre Bistro
44250 Town Center Way, Palm Desert (next to Trader Joe’s).
760-346-1818; www.chezpierrebistro.com

 

Grove Artisan Kitchen

Grove Artisan Kitchen Executive Chef Robert Nyerick grows many of the ingredients featured in his dishes on property at Miramonte Resort & Spa. He also sources from local artisan growers and prepares each dish with simple, time-honored techniques. Nyerick’s farm-to-table strategy is to source locally and uses site-grown fruits (Valencia oranges, a variety of lemons, ruby red grapefruit, and kumquat) and herbs (sage, thyme, tarragon, rosemary, chervil, basil, and more) when available.

Grove Artisan Kitchen
45000 Indian Wells Ln., Indian Wells.
760-341-2200; www.miramonteresort.com