BLT Market executive chef Johan Svensson says he laughs a little whenever he hears people talk about farm-to-table dining as a trend.

“I think it’s hilarious. From medieval times, people have gone to small markets or to their backyards for food.”

Corporate farming that arose only in the last century completely changed our relationship with food, such that many children have never eaten a fruit or vegetable fresh from a tree or vine, much less plucked out of the ground.

Svensson said he, too, had forgotten the sweetness and texture of a freshly harvested baby carrot, until he visited Mari’s Gardens in Mililani.

“It hasn’t been until 2013 or so that we’ve gone back to re-creating these markets. People say it’s a trend, but I don’t think it’s a trend anymore. I think it’s the way to go.”

There’s been some confusion among food vendors since Svensson made the move from BLT Steak in the Trump International Hotel up the street to the Ritz-Carlton Residences, where BLT Market opened Tuesday. Deliveries have been going to his old digs instead of his new one, where the chef has been training staff and testing equipment and recipes.

Where BLT Steak’s focus is on steak and a raw bar, BLT Market’s focus is on local farm-to-table dining.

“What people will need to understand is that it’s not like a regular BLT Steak menu, where you can get exactly the same thing, prepared the same way, anytime. Here it’ll be a menu that’s very much alive and completely changing, depending on what I can get my hands on,” Svensson said. “It’s taking me to a new level because I want to be challenged all the time. I never want to be bored.”

Svensson, who was born and raised on Torso (Thor’s Island), off Sweden’s western coast, said he grew up with Europe’s backyard and market traditions. Moving to New York in 1997 was an eye-opening experience regarding the acceptance of factory farm and global networks necessary to feed American appetites for food on demand.

“I worked 13 years in New York City with a lot of chefs who told me I could get anything, anywhere, at all times, and I just thought, this doesn’t make sense. I don’t get this, when you can’t find this fruit or vegetable anywhere on this continent. It’s not a natural thing.”

Running his own kitchens, he is able to act on his passion and beliefs, he said. “All chefs create their own environment.”

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BLT Market is in the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach, 383 Kalaimoku St.