For years, diners in the know have looked for a Vermont Fresh Network sign or window sticker to assure them that a restaurant is making a commitment to serving Vermont-grown food.

But VFN executive director Meghan Sheradin realized there were some restaurants that were really raising the bar.

"All Vermont Fresh Network chefs have to know their farmers and serve products from Vermont, but there are some chefs whose commitment to Vermont-grown products is exceptional," she says.

Now, the VFN is introducing a designation to recognize the best of the best.

In this week's paper, we share the news that the Guild Commissary, which will supply all the restaurants in the Farmhouse Group with meat and baked goods, is now open. That means delicious things for the Farmhouse Tap & Grill, El Cortijo Taqueria Y Cantina and Guild & Company.

But when we spoke with chef-partner Phillip Clayton, he also had lots to say about the forthcoming Guild Fine Meats butcher shop on St. Paul Street in Burlington.

The goal is for the store to open next month.

Clayton says that now that they're moved into the 5000-square-foot Winooski commissary, master butcher Frank Pace and chef Tom Deckman are perfecting products in three categories. First, there will be raw Vermont meat, including hand-selected grinds of more than one cut or animal, such as meatloaf mixes.

41 Cherry St., Burlington, 651-0080

Tomorrow morning (or today in the Bite Club newsletter), you'll be able to read my review of dinner at Juniper, the first restaurant to open at Burlington's brand-new, boutique-beautiful Hotel Vermont. To keep in step with the style of that piece, I offer you my first (and possibly last) roman photo blog post.

Think of it as a comic, but with photographs instead of drawings.

Saturday breakfast was host to a far quieter group than the bar crowd at dinner, but I still saw enough delicious-looking dishes pass by to get jealous. (As you can see, my boyfriend, James, was especially restless.)

He comforted himself with a cup of hot chocolate. Its latte-style art was pretty, but I wished it had tasted as chocolaty as it looked.

Food started coming out quickly. A big plate of hot gougères combined smoky bacon with gooey cheese curds. It was fun to dip them in a selection of three jams. And they were so filling that we took half of them home for the next day's breakfast.

If you've been seeing carrots on the streets of Burlington, you're not imagining things.

The roots have been stenciled on sidewalks from Church Street Marketplace to the Intervale Center to trace the very short distance separating Burlington restaurants from the farms that produce their fresh ingredients.

The carrots will lead the way this Thursday, June 27, when, at 5 p.m., foodies will make the trek from the intersection of Church and Pearl streets to the Intervale.

The walk celebrates the season's first Summervale event; even more notably, it marks the Intervale Center's 25th anniversary. "The Carrot Walk is really celebrating 25 years of sustainable agriculture in the Burlington city limits," says Joyce Cellars, the Intervale Center's community relations manager. Bikers are also encouraged to join the fun — they're calling it the Carrot Ride.

Though the official treks are taking place only this Thursday, Cellars says staff from the Church Street Marketplace and the Intervale Center will continue to touch up the sidewalk carrots throughout the summer.

Besides the route to the farms, sponsoring businesses that use Intervale produce are also marked with carrots. Cellars says she hopes the bursts of color on the sidewalk will encourage community members to eat at participating restaurants, have locavore spa treatments and make the walk to Summervale events each week until its season ends on August 29.

The restaurant business is a brutal one. Cripplingly long hours, injuries and physical and emotional stress are just some of the hardships restaurateurs and chefs endure, only to cater to the capricious whims of the dining public.

But one bright spot to the biz, at least in Vermont, is a close-knit community of producers with great food. Today's sixth annual Black River Produce Food Show is a culinary Candyland — without the presence of Gloppy the Molasses Monster or Lord Licorice. Some requisite out-of-state distributors make the trip, but the reason most Vermont industry folk come out each year is to see what's happening on the local scene.

Here are a few of my favorites:

One of my favorite cheeses, finally made in Vermont by one of my favorite producers, Maplebrook Fine Cheese. The semi-soft, nutty fontina that I tried was the first official batch, but Italy had better take note. The Green Mountains can make our own earthy fontina just fine, thanks.

Maple season is fast approaching, but in St. Albans it will arrive at 7 a.m. on Thursday, February 21.

That's when Maple City Diner opens at 17 Swanton Road, the home of Athena's Diner since 2011.

The owners of the new eatery are familiar faces in the Maple City itself — Marcus and Erika Hamblett, the owners of One Federal.

Erika Hamblett says that she and her husband will take over the space tomorrow and close for minor cosmetic changes, then reopen for seven-days-a-week service on Tuesday.

Those changes include vintage photos of local sugar houses. Soon, wood booths will replace the conventional diner booths for more of a sugar-shack feel, says Marcus Hamblett.

The menu, prepared by chef de cuisine and One Federal alum Stephen Young, also takes a cue from sugaring time. Breakfast includes a bacon waffle topped with maple butter; brown-sugar-pecan French toast; and skillets such as "the Vermonter," with apple, caramelized onion, bacon and cheddar over home fries and eggs.

Lunch features classic diner fare such as hot open hamburg and turkey sandwiches and a variety of burgers and clubs. Dinner brings seared pork loin and chicken topped with cheddar, apples and bacon. One Federal's popular house maple vinaigrette will top salads.

As at the Hamblett's 4-year-old restaurant, nearly everything will be made from scratch and locally sourced.

Though Maple City Diner will serve a full menu from the beginning, the owners have plans for growth in months to come. New England Culinary Institute grad Marcus Hamblett envisions a grab-and-go counter similar to the one at the defunct Burlington NECI Commons. There, freshly made breads, sandwiches and prepared salads will be available to-go, along with homemade pies, cakes and other pastries, including "big maple cinnamon buns."

Doughnuts will also be a big part of the fun. A doughnut machine will soon be popping out fresh desserts, including a bacon version.

Maple lovers of the world, unite and take over.

Maybe you're a member of the Vermont congressional delegation. Maybe you have tickets for the Obama swearing-in ceremony and an extra $100 to throw around on top of your round-trip ticket to D.C.

Either way, on Sunday you might find yourself at the Vermont State Society's 2013 Inaugural Reception in our nation's capital and enjoying a menu prepared by members of the Vermont Specialty Food Association.

And if you're staying home, consider this a recipe for a congressional-worthy meal all your own. 

Start with a cheese plate. In D.C., Shummy and co. (shown above at the ribbon cutting for the Mad River Food Hub, where a number of the featured foods are prepared) will be slicing into blocks of 2-year-old maple-smoked cheddar from Grafton Village Cheese, as well as selections from CabotCreamery and Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery.

Those playing the home game will want to get out their fondue pots. The Washington delegation will be dipping into melted versions of the above cheeses with roasted potato cubes, Empire apple wedges from Champlain Orchards and vegetable crudités.

If that's too fancy for you, apps will also include bags of chips from Gringo Jack's with the Manchester company's own salsa. Be sure to keep your fingers clean by using a fork when digging into pickles from Lyman's Specialties.

The main course includes a pasta bar with vodka and pesto sauces from Bove's and Vermont Fresh Pasta (right) as well as spicy satay sauce from Vermont Harvest Specialty Foods in Stowe. A carving station features Misty Knoll Farms turkey, sausage from Vermont Smoke & Cure and pork from Vermont Salumi. Those wishing to go vegan and gluten-free can grab a bowl of Thai curry squash soup from Joe's Soups at Screamin' Ridge Farm. A range of Vermont dressings will top salads, including the aforementioned satay. Clearly, the lesson is that the Thai peanut sauce goes on everything.

Vermont-made (though no longer Vermont-owned) Ben & Jerry's tops the list of desserts, along with apple pies from Ma Bean's Vermont Pie Company, a variety of slices from Vermont Cheesecake Company and Liz Lovely cookies.

But, of course, what really matters is the liquid courage. Whether you're getting up the nerve to talk to one of our representatives or just steeling yourself for the work week, local liquors will be in full force.

The hard stuff comes from from Whistlepig Straight Rye Whiskey and Vermont Spirits Distilling Co. A wide selection of beers includes sips from Long Trail Brewing Company, Otter Creek Brewing, Magic Hat Brewery and Trapp Family Lodge Brewery. Cider from Essex's Citizen Cider (right) joins wine from Snow Farm Vineyard and Honora Winery.

But when it comes to free-flowing nectar, perhaps it's best to party at home, near a couch and far from lawmakers.

Sarah Moran and Luke Stone, owner and chef, respectively, of Cloud 9 Catering, have formed a sister company.

It's called Vermont Feed Company and is the parent organization for the pair's mobile eateries.

Late last year, I reported that their Noble Pig hot dog cart might have to change its name. Indeed, a cease-and-desist letter from Noble Pig Winery in Oregon has forced the cart to adopt a new moniker, the Local Grind, making a collector's item of the snazzy shirt Stone is sporting above.

When I visited the pigs at at von Trapp Farmstead for my story in this week's paper about Vermont Whey Fed Pigs, I enjoyed the spectacle of seeing exactly how the Duroc, Old Spot and Tamworth mixed-breeds grow to their 225-pound hanging weight at slaughter.

And to celebrate the fact that we'll be feasting on turkey and not hog this Thanksgiving, I thought I'd share a pair of cute piggy videos.

One of the oinkers' favorites is pizza from Red Hen Baking Co.

Below, here's how the magic happens, as their caretaker, Ignacio Villa, spins their food through the air to them.

Here, a mama, whose piglets were born just days before, enthusiastically recharges with whey left over from the production of the Farmstead's organic Oma cheese. Rolls from Red Hen bob in the liquid. Hopefully, your Thanksgiving dinner has a little more variety, but these pigs are sure to be enjoying their own holiday feast this week!

While a tide of blue helped push Barack Obama into a second term, legalize gay marriage in three states, and green-light recreational marijuana use in a few others, not all election results were cause for Democratic swooning this week.

In California, voters rejected Proposition 37 — a ballot initiative that would have required mandatory labeling of foods that contain genetically-engineered ingredients. The measure, backed by organic farmers, natural food purveyors and people concerned with what they eat, was defeated by a margin of 53 to 47.

The victory for the No-on-37 supporters likely stemmed from their unrelenting media blitz in the state, such as the commercial above — it implies that the bill would financially burden farmers and result in higher food prices.