Mie N Yu, Potenza, Zola -- they're all among a movement in Washington culinary circles toward locally grown, all-natural ingredients.

Continue reading

Another thing they have in common: dealings with Black Eagle Farm, a producer in rural Virginia that was found to have violated animal-care statutes and that lost its organic and humane certifications. Last December, a Virginia state veterinary inspector found that many of the animals at the Nelson County farm were emaciated and in need of veterinary care; the farm's working dogs ate raw meat rather than appropriate food; and one hen house contained eight chicken carcasses.

"The place was completely filthy," said Karen Davis, president of United Poultry Concerns, a Machipongo, Va.-based animal rights group that reviewed state records and photographs of the farm. "The company just stopped feeding the birds."

The state investigation was sparked by "numerous complaints" about maltreated dogs, livestock, and poultry on the farm, which is about 45 miles southwest of Charlottesville. A dead goat was tied to a fence, according to the records, and six dogs were allegedly being locked in a trailer full of feces for four days without water, and at least one was dying. The allegations and findings are spelled out in state records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by Gina Schaecher, general counsel for the Appalachian Great Pyrenees Rescue, based in Richmond, Va., which tried to rescue dogs on the farm.

"It was an ugly situation," said Woody Ward, a farmer who saw the dogs in the trailer, one dead after an apparent fight. "They were just kind of throwing meat into the trailer and it was nasty. Dogs were walking around in their own feces. The smell kind of hit us like a wall."

After the state descended on the unkempt farm, the organic police took note. Following the state's report, organic certifier Quality Assurance International threatened to suspend the farm's certification, prompting Black Eagle Farm to surrender it. The farm subsequently applied for certification with a new company, A Bee Organic, under the name Piney River Farms, Schaecher said.

Humane Farm Animal Care revoked its "certified humane" label for the farm after the conditions were revealed, followed by the American Humane Association certifying the farm as humane this year, according to sources. "It's misleading to the consumer who is willing to pay extra because they think they're getting animal products from a humane source," Schaecher said.

The findings on Black Eagle didn't please the proprietors of Mie N Yu, a Georgetown purveyor of innovative Asian fusion cuisine that boasts of using wholesome ingredients from farms that the chef and general manager have personally visited. "It makes a difference to know the farmer and listen to how they describe their products; we can then create dishes that best exemplify the unique flavors and textures that these meats have to offer," writes Chef Tim Miller on the Mie N Yu Web site.

The restaurant stopped buying from Black Eagle Farm last year, when it learned of the allegations, according to Mike Cherner, marketing and bar manager. "We kept an eye on the certifications when we could. We just have to order and relay the information as best we know it to our guests," he said, noting that the general manager responsible for the sourcing left a few months ago, for unrelated reasons. The farm's business with other D.C.-area outfits -- including D.C. Central Kitchen, Potenza, Zengo, and the J.W. Marriott -- is detailed in records of the bankruptcy proceeding that Black Eagle filed in a federal Virginia court in November 2009. TBD contacted regional Black Eagle customers identified in the papers and got comments only from Mie N Yu and D.C. Central Kitchen, which wasn't aware of the problems.

Nearly a year after the animal care violations were discovered, Black Eagle Farm owner Ralph Glatt is regrouping. His 2,400-acre property was sold at auction on Oct. 26 to repay a $5.29 million bank loan. The property fetched a total of $7.68 million from 15 different buyers in parcels that included riverfront property and an historic farmhouse. Glatt will receive the roughly $2.5 million in proceeds that exceed the amount owed to creditors, and has negotiated to purchase all the agricultural land from the buyer who won that parcel, according to Jim Woltz, president of Woltz & Associates, the Roanoke-based real estate auction company that performed the auction.

In an interview, Glatt said he was unaware of any mistreatment of animals last fall, saying he was in Europe from August to early December to raise funds to save the farm.