Schmidt, who began by studying electrical engineering, holds a culinary degree from Luberon College and the French Institute Technique du Vin diploma from Maison du Vin in Avignon. He received national acclaim when he opened Rattlesnake Club restaurants in Denver and Detroit. Recently, he has become the executive chef at Morgan’s in the desert, a new signature restaurant at La Quinta Resort & Club in the Coachella Valley of southern California. A true locavore, Schmidt sources the best local products grown and raised responsibly and features traditional cooking methods such as open grilling, slow roasting, braising, pickling and curing.

In Season
Known as a pioneer in America’s sustainable culinary movement, Schmidt has authored several cookbooks including Cooking for All Seasons, which celebrates flavorful cooking with ingredients at their peak; Jimmy Schmidt’s Cooking Class and Heart Healthy Cooking for All Seasons, co-authored with Alice Waters and Larry Forgione. In both his books and cooking, Schmidt honors the fact that our bodies crave seasonal foods. “What could possibly taste better than corn on the cob right from the garden, or pesto made from summer’s basil, or a fresh apple tart?” Schmidt writes. “Delicious, soul-satisfying food begins with the freshest ingredients, but to cook with fresh ingredients means to cook by the seasons, to take advantage of the day’s harvest.”

Today, most accomplished chefs regard in-season ingredients as the foundation of their cuisine; however, when Schmidt first began to espouse this cooking philosophy, it was still unfamiliar to some and not always embraced in the culinary world. In fact, one reviewer attacked Schmidt’s 1991 cookbook as “stupid.” The critic wondered why a cook would want to feature in-season, local dishes when any ingredient imaginable could be shipped worldwide. “The importance of eating fresh, local foods and the negative impact of shipping on the environment was not yet recognized,” says Schmidt.

The value of fresh foods was introduced to Schmidt at a young age. Born in Illinois farm country, his family gathered corn, raspberries, strawberries and black walnuts. “My father, a part-time farmer, was frugal and called it living off the land,” he says. “We would forage for bountiful foods that gave us nourishment.” In spring, Schmidt and his siblings searched for wild asparagus by the railroad tracks. Since he was the youngest of five and closest to the ground, Schmidt’s job was to pick it all. “It was a family adventure,” he says.

A Sustainable Future
Today, chefs are increasingly passionate about incorporating local, fresh foods into their menus. They forge direct relationships with farmers and fisherman and plant their own gardens. And consumers expect it. “This is more than a trend,” says Schmidt. “It is a natural cycle. We just got off course for a while. What we grow in the backyard is the most sustainable and best practice for generations to come. It’s here to stay.”

Schmidt believes that food should make two important contributions to our lives — to provide nutrition and to nourish the spirit and soul. Taste and nutrition must go hand-in-hand. For taste, Schmidt advises selecting ingredients that are at their seasonal peak since the most nutritious and flavorful food is directly related to seasonal freshness. “A tomato harvested green in winter and shipped to its destination for ripening,” Schmidt writes, “has about half the nutritional value of an in-season field-ripened tomato from your local farmer’s market.”

Generally, food is considered local if it is harvested within 100 miles. And just because food is grown or raised locally doesn’t make it sustainable. One needs to query growers and producers about production methods, confirming the food is produced with as few chemicals as possible, respecting the environment, workers and animal welfare.

Using an in-season, local ingredient seems doable to most of us during the spring, summer and even autumn months, when a wide variety of foods are available. But what about winter? Schmidt says that the winter season should not be overlooked and has much to offer. It is great for truffles, radicchio, endive, onions, squash, grains, braised meats and firmed-textured fish. It is the season of hearty foods, which fortify us against the cold.

Given Schmidt’s dedication to nutrition, it is not surprising that he also pursues the science of nutritional product development. He holds numerous patents and is the creator of LifeForceV & Life2Go, a “fully functional beverage” that promotes stamina and focus through superior natural nutrition. Costco and Meijer’s of America distribute the products.

To chefs starting out, Schmidt emphasizes the importance of understanding how ingredients combine with each other. “You’ll want to get inside your ingredients. Focus on their natural attributes and characteristics such as color, texture and flavor and then determine the best way to prepare.” Great ingredients come from our local fields, forests, farms and waters. “You need to know your food sources,” he says. “Go and see what the farmers do.” And if you make the effort to gain a comprehensive knowledge of in-season ingredients, Schmidt promises, “it will change the way you cook.”

Lynn Schwartz is a writer and former New York City restaurateur. She is currently the show manager for The Food & Wine Festival at National Harbor. She is based in Maryland.