After years of suffering from the accursed west coast cringe, it appears that confidence is slowly but surely building among young foodies, growers and producers with an entrepreneurial drive living in the Greater Glasgow conurbation.

Take Glasgow Locavore, a not-for-profit organisation which has been steadily working to get people to think about eating and buying food locally and sustainably and about creating local food economies. Let's face it, that's a tall order for certain dogged areas of this hard-man city, and makes its 26 year old Falkirk-born founder Reuben Chesters all the more worthy of a future food hero nomination. From its original shop in Shawlands on the city's south side it sells fruit, vegetables and herbs from allotments, farmers and gardens, in addition to produce from Chapel Farm organic farm in East Lothian, and has more than 100 clients for its weekly organic veg bag delivery (they also supply low income community groups). It also hosts community cookery and kitchen gardening sessions.

Now Locavore has opened a second shop and cafe in Glasgow city centre, behind Sauchiehall Street at Garnethill. Sadly, not all its organic produce is yet grown in the west but, hey, these are early days and at least the crucial groundwork is being done in terms of building aspiration; the issue of consistency of supply is being addressed with the founding of a 2.5-acre dedicated Locavore market garden in Neilston, East Renfrewshire, currently being planted out. That's just about as local a rural growing area as you can find. This significant move is proof of Chesters' commitment, and justified by a ready and growing customer base: he tells me demand has been growing along with frustration at lack of variety in supermarkets. He's on track to reach his target of 250 customers for his weekly veg bag delivery. "Glasgow has some awful health statistics and issues around food education. There isn't much in the way of local food economies in Glasgow, and, along with other organisations, we're trying to fix that," he says. Could Glasgow become a Sustainable Food City? Watch this space.

On a larger scale is a new partnership between young Renfrewshire farmers James Mackie and Robert Ritchie, who have produced what's believed to be the first commercial harvest of west coast asparagus (trademark Albaragus). It has just come on-stream and is already on the menus of restaurants such as the Ubiquitous Chip and Sarti's in Glasgow, Cardosi's in Paisley and Turnberry Hotel in Ayrshire - as well as L'Escargot Bleu and the Sheraton in Edinburgh.

This is a notable achievement, as asparagus is infamous for being a fussy grower which needs lots of light, well-drained soil, little rain and plenty of sunshine - not exactly what you'd expect on the drizzly west coast, and the reason why it's mostly grown in the north and east coasts.

They were told it would not be possible to grow it, but the boys at Barnhill farm chose an elevated, south-facing field whose soil is light and crumbly, crossed their fingers and hoped for the best. Now they've got a crop that will reach three tonnes by the end of the season on June 21.

Barnhill asparagus can be delivered within less than 24 hours of it being harvested: it's this freshness that can't be matched by any other growing area.

Colin Clydesdale of the Ubiquitous Chip says it can be eaten raw and "tastes like asparagus-flavoured fresh peas. You simply could not have anything as exotic as this grown so close to the restaurant."

They are already planning to expand the growing area next year. The original crowns will produce for up to 15 years, and each season the spears will grow a little more in height, reaching about 18 inches.

It wasn't easy to grow: hand-planting out 30,000 crowns last May was painstaking work, then there is the constant weeding by hand to keep the delicate early ferns free to grow without resorting to pesticides. Asparagus plants take two years to mature and their growing fields aren't the prettiest.

Buoyed by their unexpected success Ritchie, the grower, and Mackie - a distribution expert who owns Fresh Direct, based in the field next to the asparagus - now have their sights on growing more niche products such as chervil root and parsley root, which are normally imported from France, together with purple and yellow carrots, candy beetroot, heritage potatoes and wild foraged herbs such as wild leeks and rock samphire.

Given their short seasons and unpredictable supply, such artisan products will always be suited to the daily changing menus of progressive, independent restaurants rather than the large chains, where buying is done centrally.

And that, surely, is no bad thing. Who knows? Maybe Glasgow's oft-dismissed dietary reputation is set to flourish after all.