Batali: Less meat, celeb farmers are top trends

After I chatted with superstar chef Mario Batali last week about his upcoming appearance in Traverse City at a dinner for up to 2,000 guests, I asked him what changes he sees coming over the horizon in the food world. I can't get his answers out of my head. And the longer I think about them, the more I believe he's right. So I'll be watching two trends: farmers and vegetarianism. For several years now, local food has been at the heart of virtually everything good happening in restaurants. Batali thinks the spotlight will shift to include not just chefs, but the people who grow the food. "I see chefs and farmers collaborating even more deeply," he says. "For years, chefs have been the rock stars. But the farmers are the next rock stars ... not just in restaurants, but in home cooking." They'll become known for what they grow, he says. (Some in southeast Michigan already are; think of the lettuces from Ellen Gass in Ray Township, corn from Dave Ruhlig in Carlton and organic everything from Michelle Lutz at Maple Creek Farm in Yale.) Farmers will also begin partnering more intensely with chefs and consumers and growing specialty crops to order, he says. A chef might want an ongoing supply of squash blossoms or a home cook might look for someone to grow black-leaf kale. "I think the farmers will be able to respond. ... I think they'll become even more a part of our expectation of great food," Batali says. We've seen that change taking root over the past couple of years, as more restaurants list farmers, foragers, cheese-makers, beekeepers and orchardists on their menus. It's easy to imagine, as Batali does, that in a few years, some could be as well known as the chefs they supply. The implications of his other prediction are even more intriguing, especially considering the source. "I think people are going more vegetarian -- not necessarily vegan, but vegetarian," he says. Even he is shifting that way. "I'm a vegetarian all day until dinner, and I try to eat no meat whatsoever on Monday and Tuesday," he says. He made the change within the past six months, and he likes the way it makes him feel. His shift toward a more plant-based diet is driven by ecological concerns, he says. "I think overall we're spending too much of our natural resources on producing beef, and better natural resource management is essential to our future. ... So I'm trying to be more responsible," he says. Italians remain basically agrarian, he notes. They'll eat a few slices of prosciutto or other salumi and then make a meal of pasta and vegetables, he says. "They're beautiful people! And we can be beautiful people." "Do we see a vegetarian cookbook in your future?" I asked. "Yes, you do -- and that's a scoop." If you don't like veggies now, wait for the book: Mario Batali just may change your mind. And if you're interested in attending the outdoor dinner and hour-long interview with Batali next weekend in Traverse City, go to www.nationalwritersseries.com. Tickets are $25-$100. Contact SYLVIA RECTOR: 313-222-5026 or srector@freepress.com