Stanford University recently staged an “Eat Local” celebration in each of its six residence dining halls. Karen Andrews, associate director of Stanford Dining, offers her suggestions for operators who are considering “going local.”

“The first thing to realize is that it doesn’t matter how you start. The important thing is that you start somewhere. I think some people are intimidated because they think they have to do everything at once. Take little steps, like deciding what local is for you.

An easy way to approach it is if you have a local farmers’ market. Find out who the coordinator is and talk with them. Ask, How can I get your products into my operation? Maybe you even find a co-op to work with and bring a farmers’ market to your [customers].

Talk with vendors. Ask them what their growing practices are. Let them know that you are interested in buying product from them and find out how much they may be able to supply.

You have to work at it; things may not work for you right away. Cage-free eggs is a good example. We can buy the eggs, but it has been a challenge finding liquid eggs made from cage-free. We haven’t found a source yet, but we continue to have the conversation.

Remember that local doesn’t necessarily mean organic. For us, at this point, buying local is more important than buying organic.”