I originally came out to start a small version of my own “Dean and Deluca.”   Something simple. Something that could grow into something bigger. I wanted to make a difference.  I never imagined that within six months after opening my dream would burn to the ground, literally.  Ten months later in 1998, I opened the Corn Exchange Restaurant. I think one of the luxuries that I have created is the smallness of the restaurant which allows me to make a connection with the farmers.  When I lived in NYC, I always went to the Union Square Market and I told myself that when I had my own place I would bring the same kind of freshness that was achieved in the places that I worked at.

In the spring I am able to get Wild Asparagus.  In a rainy season I can obtain Morel Mushrooms.  I have located sources for local buffalo and Angus beef. I also hooked up with a former Parks Department Employee from Wyoming who rented a fish hatchery in Spearfish and worked out a deal where I can get fresh trout pretty much year round.  I filet it or smoke it for the restaurant. 

Every year I try to reach out and find more purveyors.  It is important to me that I know where my food comes from.  It creates this connection to my customers and the farmers which is an important link. This is what I am trying to achieve.  I can't tell you what it is like to eat a watermelon in September grown from Farmer George in Hot Springs, SD, who has been growing watermelons for over 50 years, and to taste of one of Carlton's Heirloom Tomatoes.  When things are grown locally your food travels less.  It doesn't have to be trucked in from somewhere so you save on fuel. Our farmers market opens up on 4th of July and closes around the 31st of October. These people don't do it for the money.  They do it for the love of the land. Why should we buy from some other source if we can obtain it in our own backyard?

When people come to my restaurant I want them to experience South Dakota and what better way than to eat what comes from South Dakota.   I believe it is also a lifestyle choice.  I was lucky enough to grow up on Vashon Island, WA, with my grandfather and was surrounded by apple orchards, blackberries, strawberries.  Later I lived with my grandmother in the eastern part of South Dakota and experienced her home cooking and farm life.  These are memories that I carry with me always and it is these memories that I draw upon when I am creating a dish in the restaurant. There is a great feeling that comes from preserving traditions which is a big part of Sustainable Agriculture.  It is a sense of community and that is what I am trying to create and will always be trying to create.  It is a never ending process.

Chef M.J.
Corn Exchange Restaurant & Bistro
Rapid City, South Dakota

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