Cleveland chefs are at the forefront of the farm-to-table movement, a culinary approach that puts ingredient quality above all else. So when Chris Hodgson of Dim and Den Sum wanted some pork, he put in an order for a pig and waited – and waited -- until it was ready for "harvest."

In this captivating photo essay, Fresh Water photographer Bob Perkoski documents that pig's tale. It begins in April, when a 50-pound Berkshire piglet was delivered to Dan Morgan's Stay Farm in Ashland. Living on a diet of all-organic feed, including apples, acorns and molasses, the pig swelled in weight to over 250 pounds in six months, at which time it was sent to a local butcher for processing.

Upon delivery, Chris Hodgson and Brian Goodman, chef of Greenhouse Tavern, split the hog and reduced it to usable bits -- roughly 180 pounds in all. Hodgson and Dim and Den Sum chef Scott Hess braised some pork butt with coriander, paprika and Korean chili until it was tender. They served it -- and many like it -- in a bun with smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, and Sriracha to scores of hungry, happy food fans.

Photos: Bob Perkoski
Music: Kevin McLeod