RALEIGH - The Tar Heel state is trying harder to get what it grows and makes on store shelves and restaurant plates.

North Carolina's Flavors of Carolina show allows burgeoning and specialty food vendors to show off their ingredients. Tim Parrish, Food Service Marketing Specialist with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, told SFNToday.com last week's food show offered a unique opportunity.

"This is one of those opportunities that allows companies that are based here in North Carolina to, under one roof, see all the buyers, purchasing managers, chefs, food distributors, anybody who has a decision-making capacity to purchase products," Parrish says.

Parrish says the food market has shown support for this local food movement.

"I've already seen 10 chefs and we just opened the show about 45 minutes ago," Parrish says. "I'm looking around at a lot of chefs' jackets. I am pleased that they are supporting us."

Not only did is the Department of Agriculture promoting local food through Flavors of Carolina, but Parrish also unveiled the latest "Dig Into Local" week.

"It's an opportunity for a restaurant that is supporting local that has a menu that does offer local options to submit their menu and be a part of a 'best menu North Carolina' competition," he says.

With all of these incentives and what Parrish says he sees as support from the community, he says this is all part of the growing trend in eating local food.

"This is a movement," he says. "This is not a 'Flavor of the Day' deal."

For more information on the competition between restaurants who serve local food, you can go to GotToBeNC.com/digintolocal.