Produce Alliance (PA) is exploring an innovative, local partnership between iconic east coast restaurant group, Legal Sea Foods, and the Boston based hydroponic grower, Little Leaf Farms. Little Leaf Farms is known for their lettuce’s signature “curl” and fresh, crispy flavor which marries effortlessly with Legal Sea Foods’ 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.
Little Leaf Farms’ signature lettuce is sustainable, pesticide-free, and travels fewer than 80 miles to the restaurant within 24 hours of being harvested. Due to the minimized travel time and controlled growing environment, Little Leaf Farms’ greens stay fresh for two or more weeks when properly refrigerated. Little Leaf Farms’ greenhouse is fully automated, and their lettuce never encounters human hands during the growing and harvesting process. Little Leaf Farms has built the most modern, technologically advanced greenhouse in the world, and recently completed the third phase of their 10-acre glass structure in 2020.They primarily rely on natural sunlight to grow their greens, supplemented by efficient LED growing lights that use 40% less electricity than conventional grow lights.
Legal Sea Foods features greens from Little Leaf Farms in dishes such as their House Salad, Classic Caesar Salad, and in the Fennel Apple Salad accompaniment to their Signature Crab Cake starter. Now staple ingredients on the Legal Sea Foods menu, the lettuce provides a flavorful and crisp base to each deliciously blended salad. From their 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 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!” says Chris Sellew, Sales Manager at Little Leaf Farms.
Produce Alliance is excited to share the news about this relationship as they continue to grow into different state-of-the-art spaces like hydroponic farming. PA has been expanding their offerings to now provide grab & go, grocery items, dairy, eggs, and beyond to simplify their clients’ produce and foodservice management while reducing the carbon footprint. For more information about Produce Alliance, visit www.producealliance.com. To learn more about Legal Sea Foods, visit www.legalseafoods.com, and Little Leaf Farms, visit https://www.littleleaffarms.com.
