More Delicious Things Ahead at Sweet Beet: Meet Tracey Fitts

There are a lot of things we ask of our small but mighty kitchen crew at Sweet Beet Cafe.

Take what’s growing nearby. Follow the seasons. Make something creative with it. Make it really, really delicious. Have something for the vegan at the table, the gluten-free friend, the devoted breakfast sandwich person and the kid who may or may not be willing to try kohlrabi today.

And, whenever possible, help people feel a little more connected to the food growing around them.

It takes a certain kind of chef to get excited about all of that.

Luckily for us, Tracey Fitts is exactly that kind of chef.

The newest member of the Sweet Beet & the Kearsarge Food Hub team: Tracey Fitts steps in as Kitchen Manager and brings a wealth of experience and passion with her!

We’re very happy to welcome Tracey as the new Kitchen Manager at Sweet Beet Café, bringing with her 30 years of culinary experience and a wonderfully wide-ranging background that includes restaurants, private chef work, retreat cooking, culinary arts and holistic nutrition.

Underlying all of that experience is a pretty simple idea: food can nourish people in more ways than one.

Tracey is especially skilled at plant-forward cooking and creating food for people with a wide range of dietary needs. People who have worked with her and eaten her food remember not only the creativity and deliciousness, but the care behind it… her attention to allergies and food restrictions, her thoughtfulness about ingredients and the feeling that everyone at the table has been considered.

That combination of creativity and care feels especially at home here at Sweet Beet and Kearsarge Food Hub.

Our café is an extension of the local food system around us. We take inspiration from flavors around the world, but start with what we have right here: vegetables, fruits, meats, cheeses, eggs and other ingredients being grown and produced by farmers and food makers in our region.

That means our menu, specials and grab-and-go offerings change. Often.

And our kitchen gets to ask one of our favorite questions over and over again:

What can we make with what’s growing right now, and how can we make it delicious and fun?

For Tracey, that’s less of a challenge and more of an invitation.

She loves introducing people to new foods and new ways of preparing them, whether that means figuring out what to do with a kohlrabi, meeting a new ingredient for the first time or trying a familiar local ingredient in a way you hadn’t thought of before.

Sweet Beet has always been about making room at the table for lots of different eaters, and curious eaters, too. Our café isn't a vegetarian or vegan café, and that's not changing. What does make us a little different is that alongside hearty breakfast sandwiches, local meats and other Sweet Beet favorites, we put real thought and creativity into vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free food, too, with some of the most extensive vegetarian and vegan options in the area.

That happens to be an area where Tracey brings a lot of experience. Plant-forward food is a particular passion of hers, and she knows how to create those options not as an afterthought or substitute, but simply as really good food.

For us, that's the point; more choices, for more people.

Because Sweet Beet Market and Cafe isn't just about selling local food. As part of Kearsarge Food Hub, we're working toward something bigger – a community where people can access nourishing food, farmers can thrive, people know more about where their food comes from and food gives us another reason to come together. Beyond what you see in the grab ‘n’ go cooler or when you order lunch on the weekends, we’re able to also prepare foods for our Communtiy FREEdge, for new families through a partnership with the Dartmouth Health network, and continually looking for more ways to give more people access to quality food made with love.

Tracey’s own philosophy feels remarkably at home in that work. She believes in sharing what she knows, helping people become more confident preparing food for themselves and others, cooking consciously and intentionally, and supporting sustainable local food systems.

And we believe food has a pretty remarkable ability to connect us to farmers, to the land, to new ideas and, most importantly, to one another.

Tracey does, too.

Maybe that’s why Tracey joining us feels a little less like bringing someone new into the fold and more like finding someone who was already headed in the same direction.

So the next time you're at Sweet Beet, say hello and help us welcome Tracey to the kitchen and our community! We feel pretty fortunate that we found each other.

And keep an eye on that café menu. We have a feeling there are some delicious things ahead!

Find seasonal delights like this strawberry french toast in the rotation of specials.

Feel great with a bowl of goodness. With many options that change with the seasons, you’ll definitely find something you love.

Pack in those veggies! Pesto pasta is just one of many delicious ways to eat more plants.