The Next Phase in American Food

The next stage in our national food culture is the emerging American Gastronomic Region. There are already some American regions such as California's Napa and Sonoma Counties, and Oregon's Willamette Valley that have all the aspects of a European Gastronomic Region: unique terroir and name protection for their wines, high quality foodstuffs, and local cuisine featured in restaurants that attract tourists. There are also others that are featuring many of these aspects, including California's Marin and Monterey Counties, Eastern Connecticut, the Carolinas, Oregon's Rogue River Valley, along with several more.

To further this gastronomic regional development existing foodshed groups of growers, processors, markets, and restauranteurs need to emphasize their own "terroir," the local soil and climate qualities that impart a unique flavor to locally grown foodstuffs. The wine industry has raised this terroir focus to a high art and science, seeking legal name protection, through the designation of Amercian Viticultural Areas (AVA) which really is used as regional brand labeling.

Many of these foodshed areas lack a wine industry but still have exceptional food products that are a local terroir icon. They can be used as a feature of local cusine to attract national attention. An example of this are Rogue River Valley's tomatoes that are of world class quality that deserves its own branding. Perhaps food legal name protection similar to AVA should be considered to add value and marketing attention.

In Europe, name protection and branding are applied to a range of iconic regional foods, such as Parma hams. These countries have built sustainable rural regions on the base of these food brands that prosper from their world renowned food exports and agrotourism. They also actively promote their identity as gastronomic regions.

Local American regional tourism agencies together with the local food industry, and hotel and restaurant businesses should follow this example and help foster American Gastronomic Regions by developing this identity and promote around it. All would benefit.