For years, diners in the know have looked for a Vermont Fresh Network sign or window sticker to assure them that a restaurant is making a commitment to serving Vermont-grown food.

But VFN executive director Meghan Sheradin realized there were some restaurants that were really raising the bar.

"All Vermont Fresh Network chefs have to know their farmers and serve products from Vermont, but there are some chefs whose commitment to Vermont-grown products is exceptional," she says.

Now, the VFN is introducing a designation to recognize the best of the best.

To qualify as a Gold Barn honoree, restaurants must acheive some pretty lofty locavore standards. Each is required to source ingredients from 15 or more VFN farms. Thirty percent of food purchases must be made from Vermont producers, unless the restaurant spends more than $175,000 on Vermont-grown food annually.

The Gold Barn signs will be made to hang from existing VFN signs. The logo above will make its official debut at the Vermont Fresh Network Annual Forum this Sunday. After that, look for the signs at the following businesses:

3 Squares Cafe

A Vermont Table-Catering by Terri Ziter

American Flatbread at Lareau Farm

Antidote

Ariel's Restaurant

Basin Harbor Club

Cafe Provence

City Market / Onion River Coop

Cloud 9 Caterers

Common Man Restaurant

Craftsbury Outdoor Center

Dish Catering

Downtown Grocery

El Cortijo Taqueria Y Cantina

Essex Resort and Spa

Farmhouse Tap & Grill

Fletcher Allen Health Care Nutrition Services

Guild & Company

Healthy Living Market and Cafe

Hen of the Wood

Inn at Shelburne Farms

Inn at the Round Barn Farm/Cooking from the Heart

Inn at Weathersfield

JDC's Just Delicious Catering

The Kitchen at The Store

Kitchen Table Bistro

Let's Pretend Catering

Leunig's Bistro

Magnolia Breakfast & Lunch Bistro

Michael's on the Hill

Middlebury College Dining Service

Natural Provisions Market & Deli

Pistou

Readmore Bed & Breakfast

The Reluctant Panther Inn & Restaurant

Skinny Pancake

SoLo Farm and Table

Stowe Mountain Lodge-Solstice Restaurant

Trapp Family Lodge

University of Vermont-Sodexo Campus Services

Windham Hill Inn

Woodstock Farmers' Market