Published: August 14, 2008 11:09 pm      

Manchin, Douglass tout Web site

FAIRLEA — Gov. Joe Manchin and state Agriculture Commissioner Gus Douglass joined ranks Thursday at the West Virginia State Fair and touted an e-commerce Web site created last year that’s linking up chefs and farmers across the state.

The Web site, www.wvfarm2u.org, was created by the Collaborative for the 21st Century Appalachia, a non-profit organization formed in 2005 to promote community and economic development through “cooking with healthier versions of traditional foods” which emphasizes Appalachian cooking and local ingredients.

“I’m here to say thank you to the farmers. As someone who enjoys your finished product; my wife shops all the time at the farmers market,” Manchin said at a news conference. “Now, with the collaborative effort and with the Web site, you’re able to connect every household and every restaurant to sell West Virginian homegrown products. It’s really what it’s all about. We are speaking about billions of dollars of economic impact. That’s how important it is.”

The Web site allows state chefs and farmers access to a database which centers on the use of local products in restaurants.

Chefs then have the knowledge of what local foods are at their disposal when making decisions in their kitchens.

The non-profit also works with local extension agents in order to hammer out logistical issues in regard to supplying products to participating restaurants.

“What a wonderful idea this is and West Virginia continues to be on the cutting edge of technology in agriculture and a lot of people don’t realize that,” Douglass said.

— E-mail: cgiggenbach@register-herald.com