Imagine having to appease an insatiable demand for all things local, artisanal, grass-fed, free-range, and sustainably-grown all while maintaining recession-friendly prices and turning a profit. In today’s economy it sounds like a superhuman feat, but here in the Bay Area we have a group of chefs that are proud to pull it off every day.

So what’s their secret? Creativity and dogged determination.  We’ve talked to a few our favorite local chefs and asked them to reveal a couple of their tricks.

Simplify

“We’ve simplified our menu,” says Jordan Grosser of The Alembic, “to appeal to a larger crowd but still keep the quality high. Or we’ll use a less expensive cut of meat but treat it as best we can.”

Diversify

Last month, a handful of San Francisco restaurants and bars introduced extended kitchen hours to entice nocturnal diners – Grosser and co-worker Ted Fleury are now serving up their signature small plates until 1am, as is executive chef Kevin Kroger of Monk’s Kettle.

Do-it-yourself

To cut delivery costs, many chefs frequent local shops and markets to collect product on their own time. “It seems like [distributors’] prices are getting higher by the day,” one chef observed. This was a factor that led Firefly Restaurant’s chef de cuisine Luc Prellwitz, to start rounding up produce at the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market.

While their strategies may differ, there’s a common thread: refusal to compromise.

Merdol Erkal, co-owner of Lolo, sums it up: “If we couldn’t keep working with our farms, we would [have to close]. That’s the whole point of it for us.”