Consumers today are placing more and more emphasis on buying foods locally. It’s refreshing to see that after decades of most people not knowing a thing about where our food comes from, there's an upsurge of interest in obtaining this knowledge. Farmer's markets are becoming increasingly popular, farm-to-table restaurants are popping up in every city and people like Jaye Beeler are teaching her kids at a young age to ask, "Hey, where did this come from?"

An accomplished journalist with almost 11 years experience as the food editor for the Grand Rapids Press, Jaye's now the author of her own book “Tasting and Touring Michigan's Homegrown Food: A Culinary Roadtrip.” 

Whether you're reading one of her amazing columns or drooling over the pages of her beautifully photographed book, Jaye's passion for food is clear. Even more evident though, is her appreciation for the hard-working men and women who feed us:

“I call them 'tastemakers' because they are so much more than farmers, growers, herds people, cheese-makers, bakers, or chocolatiers. I love inviting myself over to just hang out with the tastemakers. I love sharing the amazing stories of Michigan's agricultural wonders.”

Her enthusiasm overflows as she describes the places that she visited during her year-long tour of Michigan with her good friend and photographer Dianne Carroll Burdick.

“I delight in telling the back-story of Michigan's agricultural landscape. I feel so honored to sit at the kitchen table tasting raw milk for the first time, walking the land, gathering the kids, canning tomatoes, still warm from the sun.”

The book reads like a travel guide cookbook of Michigan, and the photographs so masterfully capture the recipes you can almost smell the aroma of fresh cut hay or taste the ripe tomatoes.

And as if a book tour, cooking classes, and countless speaking engagements weren't enough to keep Jaye busy, she’s also busy raising her three children (ages 3-8)! Jaye gave me just a short snippet of what her days are like’

“My girls have big, big hair! God gave them more hair than most, so it's quite the task to tame the curls, feed them, finish the lunches,grab any errant library books and so on. With school starting, we're all about the routine, and trying to be organized - a nearly impossible task."

Despite her hectic schedule though, Jaye manages to pass down her interest in local foods to her kids.

“We let the kids pick one thing each at the farmers market, which might be Mooville ice cream from Ginny Rakowski or green-shell eggs from Jill Johnson and Mary Wills of Crane Dance Farm...

we know the names of the growers down there and they know mine.

[When we see them] they marvel at how big the kids are and notice [things like] they are wearing a soccer medal. All of that is part of the farmers market experience - knowing.”

Today, I had the pleasure of shopping the Fulton Street Farmer’s Market with Jaye and her three-year old son, Nico. You can tell he’s an experienced market shopper as evidenced by his own custom mini-shopping cart. I asked Nico, “What’s your favorite part about the Farmers Market?” Sadly he replied, “hot dogs!” But he later redeemed himself when he picked out his own squash and exclaimed “I eat these too!

Jaye's passed me her children’s staple squash recipe, which was handed down from her mother-in-law, Donna Jelier of Norton Shores, MI. It’s a simple dish, consisting of a halved squash, baked with brown sugar and butter… and the secret ingredient: marshmallows!

Jaye's Acorn Squash with Marshmallows

Jaye said, “If you just make it fun for the kids and involve them in cooking they will eat it.” I agree with Jaye - one marshmallow doesn’t erase all the great nutrition and health benefits of the squash, and if it gets your kids to eat more vegetables, by all means bring on Mr. Stay Puff!

Hungry for more? Check out www.tastingandtouringmi.com for a fun look at Jaye Beeler's "Tasting and Touring Michigan's Homegrown Food: A Culinary Roadtrip."

Jaye Beeler's Upcoming Classes

September 26th, 2012: Pesto Perfection

"If you’re looking for something simple, fresh and absolutely delicious, join Jaye Beeler as she invites you to share her passion for great food and perfect pesto! Learn helpful tips on preparing and storing pesto so you can enjoy it year round. But it doesn’t stop there! You’ll also prepare hands-on a variety of recipes using pesto including: Pesto Linguine with Shrimp and Tomatoes, Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Torte, Pesto Vinaigrette, Pesto Chicken Pizza and more! Learn how easy, efficient and absolutely wonderful it is to make homemade pesto!"

• Date: Sept. 26
• Time: 6 - 9pm
• Location: Spartan Stores Culinary Kitchen - 3960 44Th Street S.W., Grandville, Michigan 49418
• Cost: $40
• Register by Phone at: 1-888-296-5850
• Register Online at: http://familyfare.spartanstores.com/culinary-classroom

October 3, 2012 : Tasting and Touring Michigan's Homegrown Food: A Culinary Roadtrip

"A spectacular Michigan tasting, prepared by Jaye Beeler will inaugurate the brand-new Secchia Institute a tres chic space designed to party on. The big night offers a tasting and demonstration on Michigan's amazing bounty. Each guest will start with a gorgeous plate of Michigan fruits, vegetables, cheeses, whitefish and artisan breads, to be paired with a Michigan sparkling wine. Jaye will prepare her four favorites - pesto, oven-roasted tomatoes, frittata and fruit tart, divulging ways to make those four beauties year-round. This autumn party will continue with assorted tasting including a tea cupping and pairing of chocolate and craft beer. Along the way, Jaye will share the back-stories about each farmer and culinary artisans featured in her book and why we should never, ever, buy Canadian maple syrup, when Michigan produces a phenomenal product. (This seminar is a demonstration only seminar.)"

• Date: Oct. 3
• Time: 5:30-8:30 pm
• Location: Secchia Insititue for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College
• Cost: $89
• Register by Phone at: (616) 234-3690
• Register Online at: https://learning.grcc.edu/cooks/CourseListing.asp?master_id=245&course_area=CECA&course_number=244&course_subtitle=00

October 10, 2012: Totally Tomatoes

"Jaye Beeler's own fantastic, scrumptious and easy to prepare recipes using fresh, homemade Oven Roasted Tomatoes! Learn the simple basics to roasting your own tomatoes at home and in turn preparing a variety of delicious and family friendly recipes to enjoy year round! Roasted Tomato Soup, Roasted Tomato Pie, Roasted Tomato Phyllo Bites and Roasted Tomato Sauce are just a few of the recipes you will prepare in this gem of a class!"

• Date: Oct. 10
• Time: 6-9 pm
• Location: Spartan Stores Culinary Kitchen - 3960 44Th Street S.W., Grandville, Michigan 49418
• Cost: $40
• Register by Phone at:1-888-296-5850
• Register Online at: http://familyfare.spartanstores.com/culinary-classroom