Farm to Table Local Flavors at The Heritage with Chef Kevin Barko

In this episode of Arizona Agriculture Connection, Nicole is on site as she visits Chef Kevin Barko of The Heritage on Main Street in Old Town Buckeye to discuss his restaurant’s focus on local flair and ingredients and to demonstrate how easy and economical fresh pasta is to make with simple equipment and basic ingredients like flour and eggs. Chef Barko describes dishes served at the restaurant, including chicken Alfredo with wide noodles and marinara with short ribs, featuring local tomatoes from farmers' markets and flour from Hayden Flour Mill, and suggests simple sauce variations such as adding lemon to Alfredo or spices to marinara. He outlines The Heritage’s small-group cooking classes (knife skills, Ireland cuisine, Italian/fresh pasta, desserts, and a simple Thanksgiving dinner emphasizing mise en place), explains local sourcing challenges and the need to seek products out, and shares his career path from Michigan to starting a catering/meal prep business during COVID before opening in Buckeye. Make sure to snag Chef Barko's Pasta Recipe on our blog: https://www.maricopacountyfb.org/ 00:00 Welcome To The Heritage 01:03 Why Fresh Pasta 02:32 Two Pasta Dishes 04:35 Easy Sauce Ideas 05:25 Cooking Class Series 06:58 Thanksgiving Prep Tips 08:38 Seasonal Menu Sourcing 10:12 Local Ingredients Challenge 12:00 Buckeye Community Growth 13:38 Pasta Recipe Breakdown 14:07 Chef Barco Backstory 16:43 From Catering To Buckeye