Ask “what’s cooking?” at John Jay Dining Hall, and there’s a very good chance the answer will be food that’s “locally grown – even organic.”

Tony Hall, Dining Services Production Manager, and Ray Prete, John Jay’s Chef de Cuisine, have spent a good part of the summer finding ways to increase Columbia’s commitment to serving food that’s been grown and raised nearby. For the most part, their menu planning is centered on seasonal availability of fruits, vegetables, pork, beef and turkey from Long Island, Upstate New York and New Jersey farms.

And on Monday, Sept. 4, applejack pork loin will inaugurate Hall and Prete’s new weekly plan to highlight a dish made with local ingredients.

“As you look into food sources, you find lots that are local, and you realize how much of a bread basket this area is,” Prete says. “The challenge is to find and coordinate local purveyors.”

Jose Fernandez is Sales Director at J. Kings, one of John Jay and Ferris Booth’s biggest suppliers of produce. Fernandez speaks proudly of J. Kings’ heavy reliance on produce from about 25 Long Island farms and the fact that what comes from Long Island to John Jay and Ferris Booth tables “is picked up this afternoon and here at Columbia tomorrow morning.”

Prete extols the freshness and taste of the Long Island and other local meat and produce, though he points out that this is just one of the advantages of eating locally. Helping the local economy, reducing pollution generated by corporate farms and long-distance transportation, and reducing the need for artificial food preservatives are equally important byproducts that contribute to Columbia University’s efforts at environmental stewardship.

Prete, who came to John Jay in January, describes himself as “just really starting” to incorporate more and more local meat, dairy and produce into his planning. “Mac and cheese, using New York State sharp cheddar,” he muses, “or maybe applejack brandy from Finger Lakes wineries for the pork loin.” More local, seasonal fish – flounder, striped bass, for example – is also a possibility.

Now, however, he and Hall check J. Kings’ on-line listings each day. There they find not only what’s available in the quantities they need, but which items are from Long Island farms – or the West Coast – as well as prices. On a recent day that meant choices of chives, mesclun, green squash, red scallions, string beans, Eastern potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, white potatoes and red grape tomatoes – all Long Island grown.

Come winter, local produce selections will be pretty much limited to onions, potatoes and garlic.

Hall and Prete say they’re also gearing menus to more and more organic foods. They’re convinced that attention to organics is essential. Hall points out that organic pasta and marinara sauce have been menu staples for several years. “At J. Kings, it’s the way of the future,” Fernandez says.

In fact, Prete says the main reason he came back to Columbia after a couple of years away was the opportunity to “work with local foods and various diets, and be kind of on the forefront of this initiative. As people are becoming more educated about food, our job becomes more demanding but more fun.”

Hall, who’s been at John Jay since 2000 and does all the buying, has been part of Columbia’s growing effort to use local produce from the start. It got off the ground about  three years ago, and last year moved ahead with daily milk supplies from local Beyer Farms, apple and apple cider deliveries from Red Jacket Orchards in the Finger Lakes and more local vegetables. This year, the emphasis is on spotlighting local menu items and educating about their advantages.

Yes, sometimes “choosing local” can cost a little more. “But making those choices once in a while doesn’t kill the budget,” Hill says. “If we can get the food, it will be here.”