Hyattsville Chef, Restaurant Featured At 'Buy Local' Cookout In Annapolis

Are you up for the challenge of incorporating at least one local product into your diet each day until the end of the month?

Gov. Martin O’Malley and Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Earl F. "Buddy" Hance are encouraging Marylanders to support local farmers by taking part in the state’s “Buy Local Challenge" until July 31.

The challenge kicked off the evening of July 21 with a cookout at Government House in Annapolis, as crowds gathered despite scorching temperatures to taste the latest local flavors. As part of this year's challenge, O’Malley invited teams to submit recipes made with local ingredients (See all 40 recipe submissions online here.)

The cookout featured recipes from 17 different teams of local chefs with farmers, watermen or producers from throughout Maryland.

Among those there was chef . Abdurrahman, of Prince George's County, started his first restaurant, with organic, fresh fare, at University Town Center.

Others on hand were James Barrett, executive chef at , who served chilled cantaloupe soup with cayenne coconut ice cream. The recipe featured eggs from Ivy Neck Farm in south county and cantaloupe from Sunrise Farm in Gambrills, among other ingredients.

The event also featured grilled rockfish with bayou shrimp ragout from Chef Jake Lydon of the and fusion bison tacos from Chef Ype Vong Hengst of Annapolis' Metro Diner Cafe and Silver Diner.

“I think we have tremendous potential as a state really to take agriculture into the next decade and do it in a way that is not only more sustainable but is also more profitable,” O’Malley said.

The event was also attended by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, who met with local farmers beforehand.

“What we see here today is a great response to the need for economic development in rural communities, more profitability in farms, healthy food and a response to the obesity issue, and Maryland is at the forefront of all of those issues,” Vilsack said.

Learn more about the Buy Local Challenge and local products available in Maryland here. Learn more about local seafood here.