The chef and owner of Foraged., Chris Amendola, shared with The News-Letter how his passion for seasonal ingredients and sustainable sourcing shapes a menu that follows nature’s rhythm. Through close relationships with farmers and a hands-on approach to foraging, he ensures that every dish captures the flavor of the moment.
The News-Letter: Could you tell me about your journey before starting Foraged.? What motivated you to open a restaurant centered around rotating menus and seasonal ingredients?
Chris Amendola: That’s an interesting question. I’ve wanted to be a chef ever since I was a kid. One of my dreams was to own and operate my own restaurant. I never had a specific concept in mind, but I just knew I wanted to cook.
I spent years working in the industry, traveling up and down the east coast, trying to get into the best restaurants I could. Eventually, I worked at a restaurant in South Carolina that had its own farm and a high caliber of fine dining. That experience was my introduction to working with local farms. Seeing the entire process — working with seasonal ingredients — completely changed my perspective on cooking.
I’d spend my mornings at the farm, planning and observing the amount of work that goes into raising animals and growing produce. When you witness that firsthand, it changes how you think about food. You don’t want to take that produce back to the restaurant and ruin it by overcooking it.
Over time, I realized that every week brings something new and exciting. To me, there are 52 seasons in a year, each with unique ingredients to look forward to. Sure, you can get strawberries or tomatoes year-round, but they’ll never taste like a summer tomato at peak ripeness. That’s what drove me to create a restaurant built around local, seasonal ingredients.
Building relationships with farmers is also a big part of it. The product is always better when it’s eaten in the season it was meant for.
N-L: It’s amazing to have that firsthand experience of farming and see how it translates to what we eat in restaurants. When I visited Foraged., I could really taste the freshness and seasonality — I love the concept. You mentioned that you source ingredients locally. Why is that important to you, and how does it make Foraged.’s food special?
CA: Sourcing locally builds community. We’re supporting our local economy and farmers instead of buying tomatoes from California that have already lost much of their flavor by the time they get here.
There’s also the ethical side of it. By working directly with farmers, I can see how the animals are raised and how the produce is grown. Some farmers are doing incredible work to give back to the land rather than relying on pesticides and fungicides.
For me, the biggest part is connecting with the people who grow our food.
N-L: Do you have any memorable stories about working with local farmers?
CA: One that comes to mind is my oyster farmer. I’ve been working with him for over 10 years. The first time I met him, I was outside smoking a cigarette, and he wandered up to our back door and said, “Mike, I’m an oyster pro. Want to try some oysters?” We ended up sitting outside, eating oysters and smoking.
Then there’s Whistle Pig Farm. They were amazing people — I used to get a lot of pork from them. Over the years, they became like family. They were deeply committed to treating animals properly and giving back to the earth. Sadly, the owner’s wife passed away a few years ago. Before that, I’d take her out foraging and teach her about wild ingredients, and in return, they taught me about farming. Those connections mean everything.
N-L: That’s such a special bond! You mentioned foraging — could you expand on that?
CA: My interest in foraging started with The French Laundry Cookbook, which had a section on foragers bringing in mushrooms and plants. It fascinated me. Then, when I worked at that restaurant in South Carolina, my chef took me out foraging and showed me how it’s done. Later, in Massachusetts, I met a serious forager who took me out and really taught me what to look for. Ever since then, I’ve been hooked — hunting mushrooms, foraging for fruits and plants. It’s become a passion of mine.
COURTESY OF FORAGED.
Amendola infuses his culinary creations with the spirit of a forager’s exploration.
N-L: There’s such an exploratory aspect to it, and you’ve turned it into a culinary experience. Since your menu rotates, what inspires your dish creations?
CA: A lot of inspiration comes from farmers. When they get excited about growing something new, I get excited too. Instead of writing a menu and sourcing ingredients afterward, we wait and see what’s available, then build the menu around that.
This time of year is especially tough — after months of root vegetables, we’re eager for something fresh. That’s where preservation comes in. We do a lot of preserving during the growing season so we can still work with summer flavors in winter. Right now, we have tomatoes on the menu, but they’re ones we preserved last summer. It keeps us creative and keeps things moving forward.
N-L: How do you approach working with new ingredients?
CA: We start with the basics — cooking it simply to understand its texture and flavor. Then we research different preparation methods and test what works best — whether it’s roasting, sauteing, or even serving it raw. It’s a lot of trial and error.
N-L: What’s been your favorite season and ingredient to work with?
CA: Spring, hands down. After winter, getting those first fresh vegetables and foraging again — it’s the best time of year.
N-L: I love how everything feels fresh and new in spring. Do you have a dish with an interesting backstory?
CA: Our mushroom “crab” cake. I never planned to make a crab cake since I’m not from Maryland, but one day, I noticed that lion’s mane mushrooms looked like crab meat. We started playing around, and eventually, we created a Maryland-style crab cake — without any crab. People are always shocked when they find out it’s vegetarian!
COURTESY OF FORAGED.
If you’re a fan of crab cakes, don’t miss Foraged.’s creative vegetarian take — can your palate tell the difference?
N-L: That’s so clever! I need to try it next time. You’ve won several chef awards — what’s your philosophy as a chef?
CA: Being nominated for the James Beard Award was huge — I’d always looked up to that list, so seeing my name on it felt surreal. But at the end of the day, what matters most to me is enjoying the process of cooking. I cook for myself first because everyone has different tastes, and I can’t please everyone. If people love it, great. If not, that’s okay too.
N-L: Agreed — passion is the best driver for the long run! How did you build your team at Foraged.?
CA: It happened naturally. I’ve always stuck to my values, and that’s attracted like-minded people. When you stay true to what you do, the right people find you.
N-L: Lastly, what impression do you want to leave on your customers?
CA: I want people to support their local farmers and eat with the seasons. Just because the grocery store sells tomatoes year-round doesn’t mean you should buy them.
