Since she was a little girl, Bette Fraser has had a passion for food — in particular, farm-fresh local food.

“I remember as a young teenager my parents taking us to Norway to see my relatives and having milk fresh from the cow. What an eye opener that was,” she said. “My cousin milked the cow, and then he poured some from the pail into glasses for us. The milk was still warm.”

Today she’s trying to give Bend tourists and residents similar experiences through her business, The Well Traveled Fork, taking them to Central Oregon farms, ranches and food vendors.“I realized we had lost a whole generation of young people to fast food,” she said. “I wanted to teach people about the small American farm and teach people the importance of where our food comes from.”

After catering in Southern California for 22 years, Fraser moved to Bend and started her business in 2009 with the Farm and Ranch Tour. Since then, she’s added four more tours, including the most recent, Follow the Fork Fermentation Tour, which launched June 10. It’s for those who want to learn about local brews and other fermented foods.

When she first took guests out on culinary tours, she said, some of them didn’t know what to do with farm-fresh produce and grass-fed meat. So, she started offering cooking classes out of her Bend home as well. And about a month ago, she started a personal chef service.

“A lot of people are just too busy to cook for themselves, so we take care of that for them,” she said. “We come to their homes and prepare fresh meals for them … put it in their refrigerators, and they heat it up for themselves.”

Using fresh ingredients to transform traditional recipes into new creations is her specialty, she said, noting that she partners with local businesses including Primal Cuts Meat Market, Volcano Vineyards and Rainshadow Organics for her supplies.

“Not only as a personal customer, but as a professional customer, I know exactly where my food comes from — which is the purpose of The Well Traveled Fork,” she said. “Know where your food comes from, and you will eat better.”

Q: Do you think the local-food movement is growing in Central Oregon?

A: I think it’s not only blossomed in Central Oregon, but around the country. Whenever I go to a culinary conference, that’s what the chefs, cookbook writers and farmers are talking about: trying to take back our food from the big (agricultural) businesses. … It’s important for not only us in the food business, but the average American family to eat healthy.

Q: Where do you hope The Well Traveled Fork will be in the next five years?

A: I would like to take it into other states. I would like to spread the work of The Well Traveled Fork because then we could promote other small family farms. The idea is to get people back to the table. A lot of people in this country don’t know how to cook for themselves or their family. But if we can rebuild the structure of the small family farm, then we as a country will be much better off.

What: The Well Traveled Fork LLC

What it does: Culinary tours, cooking classes, catering and personal chef services

Pictured: Bette Fraser, founder

Where: Bend

Employees: Four

Phone: 541-312-0097

Website: www.well traveledfork.com