locavore

American  

[loh-kuh-vawr, ‑-vohr] / ˈloʊ kəˌvɔr, ‑ˌvoʊr /

noun

1. a person who makes an effort to eat food that is grown, raised, or produced locally, usually within 100 miles of home.

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Etymology

Origin of locavore

loca(l) + -vore, on the model of carnivore, herbivore; coined in 2005 by Jessica Prentice (born 1968), American chef, author, and cofounder of Three Stone Hearth, a community-supported kitchen in Berkeley, California

Explanation

A locavore is someone who tries to limit their diet to food that was grown nearby. Locavores who live in Vermont, the largest producer of maple syrup in the U.S., might use the sweet syrup instead of sugar as a sweetener. A restaurant with a menu that explains exactly where each locally grown item of food came from is a dream for locavores. They do their best to eat fruit, vegetables, dairy, and meat that come from local farms. A locavore who lives near the coast might also include fish, shellfish, seaweed, and sea salt in their diet. The California chef Jessica Prentice is given credit for coining locavore in 2005 from local and the Latin vorare, "devour."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

locavore

This dish, colored with saffron and perfumed with warm spices, was inspired by a meal I recently enjoyed in Rafidi’s luxuriously updated restaurant, and shares his locavore approach.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025

Roman's invasivorism idea took a while to catch on, but eventually it started gaining traction — thanks, in part, to the locavore movement that started to emerge around 2005.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2023

The town is an ideal jumping-off point for a long weekend to wander the trails, beaches, swimming holes and locavore delights along the strait to Port Renfrew.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 24, 2022

“I want to make simple food and use undervalued and underutilized seafood,” said the James Beard Award nominee, who also adheres to a sustainable and locavore ethos.

From Washington Post ● May 15, 2019

And for fans of Kings Co Imperial and its locavore menu, there will be an alternative to the restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, as a branch opens on the Manhattan side of the bridge.

From New York Times ● Aug. 28, 2017