Purveyors

With an emphasis on locally-grown, sustainable, organic and natural ingredients, Chef Tom Gray and Bistro AIX have led the way in sustainable sourcing in Jacksonville for many years.  In addition to all of our menu items crafted in-house, we are proud to include the following farms, purveyors and artisans on our menu.

Farm Sources:

Twinn Bridges Farm, Macclenny, FL:  Owners Denise and Scott Francis have been working with Chef Tom since 1999, they year of Bistro AIX’s founding.    They farm in an environmentally gentle way, free of pesticides, using heirloom seeds and grow in season to ensure flavorful and healthfulness of all that they grow.  Bistro AIX sources seasonal produce and year-round herbs such as fairytale eggplant, cucumbers, patty pan squash, “8-ball” zucchini, assorted lettuce, Napa cabbage and heirloom tomatoes, just to name a few.

Also, Bistro AIX sponsors a flock of 110+ chickens on the farm, which provide us with our fresh eggs for our quiches, pastas, pastries and other recipes.  We send our fresh kitchen trimmings back to the farm as feed for the hens.  Bistro AIX also sends in used cooking oil for Twinn Bridge’s biofuel program.

Black Hog Farm, St. Augustine, FL:  The Watson family distributes farm-grown items to restaurants and also operates a local CSA program for area residents. Black Hog supplies Bistro AIX with locally-grown and locally-sourced farm ingredients such as sweet corn, bell peppers, heirloom tomatoes, assorted lettuce, squash and zucchini as well as heritage pork and poultry products on occasion.

Bacon Farms, Jacksonville, FL: Fred Bacon’s hydroponic farm regularly provides delicate Butter Crunch Lettuce, Romaine and other lettuces to Bistro AIX.

Reed’s Groves Citrus, Weirsdale, FL:  Seasonal citrus for our culinary and bar offerings.  Three generations of the Reed family own 80 acres, and actively work nearly 400 acres, of citrus groves in south Marion and Lake Counties.

Beaver Street Farmer’s Market:  Individual sourcing based on availability of locally-grown offerings from a variety of farmers at the market.

Connie Green, Wine Forest Mushrooms, Napa Valley, CA.

Artisans:

Hobbs’ Charcuterie, San Francisco, CA:  Specialty smoked meats and charcuterie items including bacon, smoked prosciutto speck, sopressata, Genoa salami, wine-cured salami, peperoni, guanciale, hot coppa, rustica prosciutto salami, and cacciatore, among others.

Special Notes about Hobbs Shore: Hobbs Shore (1922 – 2008) was born in Romania and his family immigrated to the US in the early 1930s, settling in Brooklyn, N.Y. It was during his childhood on his grandfather’s farm in New York’s Hudson River Valley that Mr. Shore learned how to smoke meats.

Finding himself bored in retirement in the early 1980’s, he began tinkering with an old refrigerator he had turned into a smoker. One weekend, he brought some smoked meats to a party in Berkeley which happened to be attended by famed Bay Area chef, Bradley Ogden. Urged by a growing number of inquiries, Mr. Shore established a business enterprise and became a familiar sight at Bay Area restaurants.

Chef Tom became friends with Hobbs when he lived in the Napa Valley and purchased his products when he worked at the Culinary Institute of America and later, Dean & Deluca.  “He was so enthusiastic about sharing his discoveries with me, whether it was a new product he’d developed or a special ingredient he’d begun to use.  His passion was evident in each bite,” recalls Chef Tom.

Despite the many miles that distanced them from each other, the friendship between artisan and chef continued when Bistro AIX opened in 1999.   Hobbs’ products were featured prominently on the opening menu and continue to this day as key ingredients in many of our dishes and on Bistro AIX’s charcuterie platters.

Sweet Grass Dairy, Thomasville, GA: Located on a 140 acre farm in south Georgia, Sweet Grass cheeses are featured prominently on Bistro AIX’s cheese menu including Thomasville Tomme, Green Hill, Asher Blue, Fresh Chevre and Holly Springs, among other seasonal offerings.  Sweet Grass Dairy practices biologically sustainable, grass-based farming. The Jersey based cow and multi-breed goat herds are rotationally grazed and live their entire lives outside, roaming lush pastures and browsing the South Georgia woods. The pastures are precisely managed beginning with the gentle nurturing of the biological life in the soil. The high standard of operation at the farm provides the animals with healthy and clean lifestyles as well as an enjoyable work environment for the Wehner and Little families, who own and operate the farm.

Working Cow Ice Cream, St. Petersburg, FL:  Family owned and operated, making small batch, hand-blended ice creams and other dairy desserts.

The French Pantry, Jacksonville, FL:  Owned by Barbara and Tim Felver; fresh table breads and specialty items made and delivered each day to Bistro AIX from their hands-down “best of the best” bakery in Jacksonville.

Sustainable Meats & Fish Sources:

Niman Ranch All Natural Meat (Pork):   Niman Ranch consists of a network of family farmers growing a cross of Duroc, Chester Whites and Berkshire breeds.  They follow a firm set of protocols that are practical, humane, and very sustainable.  Niman Ranch is leading the industry in sustainable and hume agricultural practices.

• No antibiotics or hormones are used to promote unnatural growth – ever!
• Raised outdoors or in deeply bedded pens where they can express their natural behaviors, like rooting and roaming.
• Fed a wholesome, 100% all vegetarian, grain based diet

Ashley Farms All Natural Poultry and Game, Winston-Salem, NC:  Ashley Farms All Natural Poultry and Game provides Bistro AIX with all of its chickens and ducks. 

• Absolutely all-natural, minimally processed
• Humanely raised in a clean, low-stress environment
• Grown naturally on small family farms
• Fed only wholesome grains without animal by-products
• No antibiotics administered
• No artificial ingredients or chemical preservatives
• No hormones or artificial growth promoters
• Hand selected and graded for superior quality
• Environmentally friendly farming and processing

Foley Fish, Boston & New Bedford, MA:  Fourth generation fish mongers provide our incredible Domestic Calamari, Blue Hill Bay Mussels and domestic cold-water fishes, based on seasonal offerings and availability.  Sourcing is decided on a daily basis by our Executive Sous Chef, Zeke Mears and Executive Chef Tom Gray.

Foley All Natural Domestic Calamari is one of Foleys Signature Seafood Item Selections. Foleys All Natural Calamari is produced from the long-finned, Loligo Pealei or Boston Squid, which is preferred above 450 other species of calamari, for its natural tenderness and sweet, mild flavor. Foleys calamari are harvested from boats fishing off the coast of Rhode Island which limit their trips to short, 2-3 day excursions.

Blue Hill Bay Mussels, Blue Hill Bay, ME:  Blue Hill Bay is a pristine body of water bordered on the east by Acadian National Park.  The Park holds a 4,000 acre conservation easement on Long Island, an unspoiled island encompassed by the Bay.  Blue Hill Bay Mussels are aquacultured using eco-friendly husbandry. Our Blue Hill Bay Mussels are distributed to us by Foley Fish out of Boston.

Block Island Swordfish, Block Island, RI: Sourced by Foley Fish.  full flavored with an excellent moist flesh. They are available from July through early December when the fish are swimming in Rhode Island’s cold waters after a spring swim up from the Gulf.

Loch Duart Salmon, Sutherland, Scotland:  We source our salmon from the most highly regarded salmon fishery in the world.  ’Best practice’ is the principle applied to Loch Duart salmon at every stage of rearing, harvesting and supply – a sustainable and environmentally-responsible approach which defines a long term role for aquaculture as an essential and viable part of the food supply chain of the future. Awarded ISO 14001 (awarded to organizations that demonstrate effective environmental management, compliance with legislation and total commitment to continuous improvement.).  Located off the north west coast of Sutherland, Loch Duart enjoys a self-regenerating, polution-free enviornment at the very tip of Britain’s mainland.  The fish are raised in 98.5% water and 1.5% stock, meaning that the fish are active, lean and healthy – as close to wild salmon as possible.  A unique fallowing system is used, whereby each year Loch Duart removes all traces of salmon farming from one of their three sea lochs, allowing the natural wind and tides to cleanse and regenerate the waters.  Only sustainable, non-GM feed is used with no growth promoters or antibiotics, and integrated aquacuture of indigenous species grow alongside the salmon for “nutrient balancing”.

Cowboy Meats, Glen St. Mary, FL:  Provide us with our locally-raised beef for the AIX Hamburger.  Privately owned and operated cattle ranch, Cowboy Meats, is nestled in the heart of Glen St. Mary’s, in Baker County. Cowboy Meats relies on rotational grazing, allowing cattle to forage freely while supplementing their diets with fresh alfalfa grass hay.

C & C Fisheries, Atlantic Beach, FL:  We source local and non-threatened species from C & C based on seasonality and availability.

Fisherman’s Dock, Orange Park, FL:  We source local and non-threatened species from Fisherman’s Dock based on seasonality and availability.

• Pasta - Tagliatelle, Pappardelle, Ravioli, Gnocci and others, based on seasonal menu offerings
• Soups - Creamy French Onion, Smoked Tomato, and seasonal soups
• Dressings - every dressing is made in-house:  Blue Cheese, Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette, Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette, Traditional Caesar, Walnut Vinaigrette and seasonal dressings
• Stocks - Veal, Beef, Fish, Vegetable, Chicken, Mushroom
• Sauces & Herb-Infused Oils - Every sauce is made in-house, including: Pineapple “Ketchup”, Tatziki, Lemon-Yogurt Sauce, Tomato Aioli, Sweet Garlic Cream, Tomato-Cream Sauce, Parmesan Broth, Spicy Harissa Sauce, Chive Oil, and others, based on menu offerings
• Pastries -Bistro AIX’s in-house pastry teams make every dessert from scratch in our pastry department.  This includes cakes, tortes, profiteroles, creme brulee, fruit crumbles, cupcakes, cookies and brownies and other seasonal menu offerings

Eco Products, Boulder, CO:   We purchase all of our to-go boxes and drink containers from Eco-Products, which are made from renewable plant-based resources (vegetable starch and sugarcane) and are 100% compostable, petroleum free, non-toxic and break down in 45-120 days.Eco-Products partners with Native Energy to offset the emissions associated with the transportation of their products. Offsetting these emissions enables them to support carbon reduction projects in the U.S. Offsets are all verified by a third party.