local?

Shopping cooking eating locally is very important to us.  It is very important to Sycamore, the restaurant we co-own.  We day in and day out do our best to purchase local food, and we will continue during the year of "one cuisine at a time".  Mario Batali, on Molto Mario, said again and again, that the fresh local ingredient should always trump the imported, even when the imported is more appropriate to the recipe.  We need to embrace the spirit of the culture (again ambitious), while staying true to what is available here...sort of.  Do we use Mexican crema? or buy Central Dairy sour cream?  Quesa Fresca or local goat cheese?  on and on...  When it comes down to it I think learning some techniques and grasping the edge of the "spirit" of the cuisine in question is more important than always using the absolutely appropriate ingredients.