A Little Local Love

Locally Preserved is on a mission to preserve what is grown locally — and take it national.

September 9th, 2015 by: Misty Miloto

If you’re looking for some delicious syrups, jams, jellies and preserves, look no further than  Locally Preserved. This New Orleans company was started by Emily Marquis Vanlandingham, who has a true passion for all things local. Although she grew up in southern Maryland (where she spent many years picking and preserving seasonal fruits and veggies with her grandmother), Vanlandingham made her way to New Orleans in 2007. At that time, it was to work at Chef Scott Boswell’s Stella! Over the years, she worked with an incredible group of chefs, including Jose Andres, John Folse, Ming Tsai and Lidia Bastianich. Then, in April 2010, she took an entrepreneurial step by starting Feed Me Eat Pretty. It was while running this small catering business that she retraced her roots to making small-batch seasonal syrups, jams, jellies and preserves. In 2013, she rebranded her products under the Locally Preserved label, and she won the first annual New Orleans Food Challenge. That, in turn, secured her spot in The Big Idea 2014 — an Idea Village startup competition held during New Orleans Entrepreneur Week. 

What’s on the future horizon for this spunky chef? Vanlandingham is now on a mission to grow the company by working with local farmers across the nation to produce region-specific syrups, jams and jellies (think Maine blueberries, Michigan cherries and Washington apples). locallypreserved.com