BUFFALO GROVE, IL - It is a beautiful thing to see fresh produce at the center of culinary creation. Aiming to elevate fresh fruits and vegetables at foodservice, Produce Alliance has kicked off a local partnership between east coast restaurant group Legal Sea Foods and the Boston-based hydroponic grower, Little Leaf Farms. With the grower’s lettuce, known for its signature “curl” and fresh, crispy flavor, Legal Sea Foods continues its longstanding commitment to quality and freshness.

“From protein to produce, sourcing local ingredients for our dishes has always been hugely important to Legal Sea Foods. We’re proud to support a fellow New England-based business committed to outstanding quality by partnering with Little Leaf Farms for our lettuce needs,” said Matt King, Chief Culinary Officer at PPX Hospitality Brands, the parent company of Legal Sea Foods.

Legal Sea Foods features greens from Little Leaf Farms in dishes such as its House Salad, Classic Caesar Salad, and in the Fennel Apple Salad accompaniment to its Signature Crab Cake starter. Now staple ingredients on the Legal Sea Foods menu, the lettuce provides a flavorful and crisp base to each blended salad. From its adherence to a pier-to-plate process for sourcing seafood to choosing a produce purveyor with sustainable growing practices, Legal Sea Foods continues to demonstrate a deep dedication to providing guests with the freshest meals possible.

Little Leaf Farms’ signature lettuce is sustainable, pesticide-free, and travels fewer than 80 miles to the restaurant within 24 hours of being harvested, a press release said. Due to the minimized travel time and controlled growing environment, the greens stay fresh for two or more weeks when properly refrigerated. Little Leaf Farms’ greenhouse is fully automated, and its lettuce never encounters human hands during the growing and harvesting process. The supplier recently completed the third phase of its 10-acre glass structure in 2020 and primarily relies on natural sunlight supplemented by efficient LED growing lights.

“Little Leaf Farms is thrilled to partner with Legal Sea Foods and become their official local lettuce supplier. As a Massachusetts-based company, we believe we are a perfect fit for their vision to procure local produce. We’re proud that our innovative approach allows us to supply restaurants like Legal Sea Foods with fresh, clean, and crispy greens and we can’t wait for their customers to try our lettuce!” said Chris Sellew, Sales Manager at Little Leaf Farms.

Produce Alliance is excited to share the news about this relationship as it continues to grow into different state-of-the-art spaces like hydroponic farming. The organization has been expanding its offerings to simplify its clients’ produce and foodservice management while reducing the carbon footprint.

Stay tuned for more opportunities to bring produce to the center of the plate.

Produce Alliance Legal Sea Foods Little Leaf Farms