TIFTON — Alongside serving up good quality food, Downtown Tifton’s newest restaurant is looking to connect its patrons with their greater community.

Lunch and brunch bistro The Local Graze celebrated its grand opening the morning of May 7, inviting residents of the Tiftarea to enjoy sandwiches, charcuterie, and more cultivated from local and Georgia-grown farms.

Putting a major focus on locality and linking their patrons with the local environment and regional flavors, The Local Graze’s foodstuffs and ingredients are sourced from farmers around Tifton, Tift County, or the state of Georgia, providing customers a truly homegrown taste.

Owner Karla Hargett asserted this was a vital aspect of her business, even setting up a retail space within the establishment to advertise and market locally made products like honey, jams, and pecans, with plans to expand the space to show off the works of local artists as well in the future.

After conducting a commemorative ribbon cutting in partnership with the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce, the restaurant immediately opened for business, encouraging those in attendance of the opening celebration to sample these local flavors for themselves.

In looking to the future, Hargett expressed an interest in holding classes to share information on the various local brands The Local Graze partnered with, as well as the history behind their respective crafts, and she was open to the idea of branching the restaurant out to other communities after it had really put out its roots in Tifton.

The Local Graze is located at 212 Main Street, and is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, with additional options for brunch Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information, contact (229)-402-9595