I want to convey the unique qualities of local products, both secondhand clothing and vegetables."
Ando Farm is run by a local friend of mine from junior high school. I think it was more than 10 years ago, when I had a small reunion with my local classmates, Ando-kun came through a friend and we met again. When I heard that he was going to take over the farm, I thought, "That's great! That's great!" I thought, "That's great!" (laughs).
Some of my local friends were running restaurants, and I introduced them to the idea of using the vegetables in their restaurants, and they actually started using them. Then, the real voices of the customers about how tasty the vegetables were would be fed back to them. Recently, I think that local production for local consumption is gradually becoming the standard, and I think that this way of eating vegetables is very good.
Zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers are also vegetables that can be picked in the coming summer. There is also edamame (green soybeans), but surprisingly, edamame tastes better this time of year or around the beginning of fall than in mid-summer.
I am happy that my friend's delicious vegetables are served at his restaurant, which serves delicious food, and as a result, delicious food is served to customers," he said.
When we hold a vintage clothing fair called "SLOW Vintage Market," we put the vegetables grown by our friends in the store together with the vegetables we sell to "Slow Tempo" customers. It is only because I run a store that I am able to make customers happy when I recommend vegetables to them, saying, "These vegetables were picked this morning, so they are very tasty. I feel that vintage clothing and vegetables are both "local" in the sense that they can only be found there, and I hope that our customers will enjoy them as well.
Takehito Onodera (right) and Tomokazu Ando, the owner of Ando Farm.
