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It's time, once again, for the annual Green City Market Locavore Challenge, a weeks-long initiative designed to encourage chefs and diners to promote locally grown and produced foods. The challenge invites participants to pledge to eat locally as much as possible for two weeks, starting September 8 and running through September 22. Throughout the Locavore Challenge, Green City Market will host a few events to further encourage local eating.
On Saturday, September 11, the Locavore Fair will feature workshops and demonstrations from local dining advocates like Slow Food Chicago, Purple Asparagus and the Shedd Aquarium Right Bite Program.
A Locavore Culinary Cook-off takes place September 18 at the market, featuring culinary students from Kendall College, Le Cordon Bleu and Washburne Culinary Institute. Students will be dealt a mystery basket of market ingredients and will have 45 minutes to prepare and cook a two-course menu. A panel of local celebrity chef judges will decide the winner of a $500 scholarship.
On September 22, a Locavore Dinner will take place at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Locavores will partake in a local family-style feast for $25. Tickets can be purchased at Green City Market or by calling (773) 880-1266.
Common Threads is set to hold its second annual World Cookout on Thursday, September 23 at Fulton's on the River (315 N. LaSalle St.). From 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m., guests will indulge in a festive seasonal feast prepared by several of Chicago's top chefs, all in the name of charity.
Participating chefs include Jason McLeod (Balsan and Ria), Chris Pandel (The Bristol), Nicole Pederson (C-House), Jared Van Camp (Old Town Social), Ryan Poli (Perennial), and Bill Kim (Urban Belly and Belly Shack).
Common Threads' mission is to educate children on the importance of nutrition and physical well-being, and to foster an appreciation of cultural diversity through cooking.
General admission is $75 per person, while VIP tickets cost $150, which includes a special reception at 5:30 p.m. and an after-party reception at 9:30 p.m. at Sable Kitchen & Bar. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit http://events.commonthreads.org/eventList.aspx.
School lunches. Those two words carry some new gravitas. We've seen Michelle Obama team up with Sam Kass, shout Let's Move, and stand with some of the nation's best chefs on the White House lawn, all in the name of the school lunch. There's not a week that passes without a segment on NPR or Internet headline on the topic.
It's a bad thing when kids are excited it's Friday just because it's Domino's Day and they get to have their fill of the highly unhealthy personal pies. This is really happening.
Obviously, there's been a call for school lunch reform. Chicago based uji films is touring their documentary on school lunches, justly called "Lunch Line," and we already have groups like Common Threads working hard to educate kids about food and health, all of which we hope creates an interest and excitement amongst the kids to eat better. But like John des Rosiers points out, we won't see change without a shift in funding from the government. There was a recent episode of "Top Chef" in which the contestants had to cook a school lunch meal on the budget of something like two dollars and change per kid—because that's the budget the schools have to work with for their lunch programs. It's horrifying when you stop and think about that.
We've turned to the team and asked what they'd do to improve what kids are eating in school—and we came across a story or two in the process of what the chefs remember from their school days. Let's only hope the chefs are called upon in the future to help better these under-funded programs.
I remember the lunch ladies very well from my childhood. I grew up in the '80s when our president declared ketchup a vegetable, which gave parents and schools license to put ketchup in everything (we now know this is not all that healthy). My favorite ketchup-loaded school lunch was by far Sloppy Joes. I was never sick on that day! One thing I hated was fish day. Growing up in Iowa we didn’t eat a lot of fish so no one knew how to cook it. One of the things I have found out after visiting a Chicago Public School is that they don’t actually cook anything. The food is made in a central location and shipped to the schools. They simply re-heat and serve. I know it must be challenging on a budget, but one improvement they could make is to actually cook some of their meals. Green veggies are difficult because they turn brown and that is not appetizing. Casseroles with crunchy toppings would be a good way to incorporate vegetables and make it enjoyable. One good idea would be turkey Sloppy Joes with sweet potato fries.
- Troy Graves (Executive Chef), Eve
First you have to change funding for the food; what is given to feed kids from the budget is basically nothing. You cannot feed anyone even remotely well on what they have to work with. Then use local ingredients as much as possible, combined with at the very least an increase in fresh ingredients, from vegetables to meat and even seafood. Then contract with local chefs to work on menus and come up with new food, then teach the new food to the workers so they can properly execute it. All of these things over time will teach kids the value of fresh ingredients, along with increasing their palate knowledge, leading to a healthier population.
- John des Rosiers (Executive Chef/Owner), inovasi
I would serve seasonal and fresh vegetables in addition to the ususal comfort foods. I would avoid pre-made items and try to make everything from scratch.
- Michael Fiorello (Chef de Cuisine), Mercat a la Planxa
When I went to school my mother packed my lunch: sandwich, chips and a couple pieces of fruit and some cut up veggies. The cafeteria food I remember was pizza or something fried. I think it's now trendy even for school children to eat more healthy.
- Michael McDonald (Executive Chef), one sixtyblue
I think the bottom line in schools is the kids need to be exposed to different fruits and vegetables. Once they have a taste for these items the demand will be there and maybe they will start passing up on the processed stuff and start going for the natural. I love the idea of a salad bar in the schools, it seems like an easy home run. Girls will love the fact they can make a quick salad, and if the girls are doing it the boys will follow!
- Ryan Poli (Executive Chef), Perennial
I think it's important to remember if you don't offer any healthy choices the kids will never have an opportunity to try them. I would eliminate any fried foods, soda (they should drink milk and water), food dyes, vending machines that don't have good choices... stick to the basics and offer healthy choices. Make sure the food tastes good!
- Sarah Stegner (Executive Chef/Owner), Prairie Fire and Prairie Grass Cafe
When I was in high school I ate a honey bun a day. Today I would get rid of canned foods, more fresh ingredients.
- Brian Huston (Chef de Cuisine), The Publican
When summer tarts to fade, most of us panic and rush to get in those last backyard cookouts, ice cream cones, and days at the beach. But in the kitchen, the end of summer brings on a different rush from our chefs.
They preserve. The fruit of the season is literally preserved for use months later, allowing flavors of summer after the temperatures plunge.
So we checked in to see what we might expect in a few months. And with this crew, you know you're gonna have something good. Heck, one of them uses a twitter handle called @jarstarvie! Hope you enjoy.
I love this time of year. I always make some preserves and jams. Peter from Seedling Orchard had a fire sale on peaches and blueberries last week. So I just finished up preserved blueberries with bay, a peach salsa, blueberry jam, and peach-bacon jam.
- Troy Graves (Executive Chef), Eve
I don't really make preserves, I dehydrate fruits and tomatoes. They are delicious.
- Jill Barron (Executive Chef/Owner), MANA food bar
Plums and stone fruits make incredible jams and preserves to use later in the year. I also use the last of the berries to make purees for sorbets and ice creams.
- Hillary Blanchard (Pastry Chef), one sixtyblue
We are preparing some tomato jam that will be used as an ingredient in some dishes down the road to add flavor and natural sweetness. We are also preserving some summer fruits for the same reasons and plan on using those on cheese plates and in some desserts later on. There is something great about having peach preserve in January made from amazing peaches from Seedling Orchard.
- Randy Zweiban (Executive Chef/Owner), Province
We do preserves, aigre-doux, and mostardas with every Midwestern fruit!
- Paul Virant (Executive Chef/Owner), Vie
Tomato preserve... I like to preserve with spices like clove, saffron and black pepper for sweet-savory application or with preserved lemons for savory. They work for ice creams, gelati and grilled meats to get rid of the winter blues.
- Kristine Subido (Executive Chef), Wave
Inspired by the annual NYC Food Film Festival, Chicago's getting in on the cinematic buffet with its upcoming Chicago Food Film Festival to be held September 24 and September 25 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Warehouse (1747 W. Hubbard St.). The unique event gives new meaning to the term "dinner and a movie," as attendees get to view short films and taste what they see on screen.
The itinerary on opening night includes films like "Eat Your Fill," a documentary about one man's mission to eat his way through the Wisconsin State Fair; "Mr. Okra," about a man who sells produce from his farmstand in New Orleans; and the thriller, "Celeriac," about a knife-wielding stalk of celery. Films on September 24 will be paired with foods like fried cheese curds, oysters and exotic sodas.
The theme of day two is "The Chicago Burger 'n' Beer Experience," curated by Chef Michael Kornick and his restaurant, DMK Burger Bar. Featured films are "Beer Wars," "The Best of Hamburger America," and "Cud." Burgers will be provided by DMK Burger Bar and beers come courtesy of Two Brothers and Stone Brewing.
Cost for one-day attendance is $25 per person. The cost for the VIP pass, which includes VIP seating and early entry on both days, is $75 per person. To purchase tickets or learn more about the Chicago Food Film Festival, visit http://www.chicagofoodfilmfestival.com/index.html.
"Eat, Pray, Love." The book was big, and now with Julia Roberts and the new movie, the whole thing is even bigger. But what in the world does self-discovery have to do with restaurants? Well, a heck of a lot actually.
In the story, Julia Roberts' character travels to Italy for that very self-discovery thing, and pasta making is one way she finds this. Which by no means takes any stretch of the imagination to envision. Think about when you cook at home—Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners aside. It's definitely therapeutic, isn't it?
When cooks travel the world, there's an enormous amount of learning that happens. It's as though they literally absorb what they're seeing and tasting. Heck, think about the places Anthony Bourdain has been on "No Reservations." Are you telling me that just watching that show doesn't start a little fire inside of you? A yearning to get out and experience those things firsthand? To taste this food that's so different from anything we have here? And that's a TV show!
Which is why we're having some fun with "Eat, Pray, Love." We asked the team, simply, if they were to star in a movie called "Eat, Eat, Eat," where would they go? What would they do? And obviously, what would they eat?
Asia, particularly Korea and Vietnam, but I'd also like to see Hong Kong and Malaysia. I love the food of these countries. What America calls "surf and turf" is almost completely different there. A simple spring roll of pork and shrimp, melded together in a farce, is to me, so much better than a lobster tail and a filet mignon. I crave Banh Xeo, pretty much on a daily basis. I'd like to go to Japan as well, but I sometimes feel they care more about the appearence than the taste; not to say that i don't admire their dedication, style, and discipline.
- Corey Fuller (Sous Chef), Big Jones
San Sebastian, Spain. No doubt. You can talk about elBulli and Roca all you want, but for soul-finding food the Basque region in Spain is where it is at. The food epicenter of the world. Plus a fun wine region close to great wine areas.
- David Devaney (Beverage DIrector), Big Jones
I have been to both Tanzania and the Middle East. I have always been fascinated with the spice trail. I think that it would be great to follow some of the trail. I would start in China, then go to Thailand and Vietnam, the land of lemongrass. Then I would go to India where they use so many spices in the curries. After India I would go to Zanzibar and Madigascar off the coast of Africa. That is where you will find the wonderful aromas of vanilla and cinnamon. I spent enough time in the Arabian desert so I would avoid the Middle East, however I would make one final stop in Morocco before heading home.
- Troy Graves (Executive Chef), Eve
We've only scratched the surface of Mediterranean cuisine and we continue to seek out travel opportunities that will bring us there. We've eaten all over Greece (the islands, the cities, Southeast and Northwest regions) as well as traveling and teaching cooking in Tuscany and Florence. The most exciting aspect of food from that part of the world for us is the ease of eating well; honest, non-processed(!), simple, flavorful, fresh foods that always make us vow to completely change how we eat back in the U.S. It's disappointing how difficult it is to stay true to that promise. We'd like to travel into Northern Italy for their different versions of pizza and also south into Turkey for spreads and mezzes and flatbreads. We've met Mario Batali but don't know him well enough to get him involved in our fantasy trip of having him tour us around Italy.
- Steve McDonagh (Owner), Hearty
No doubt, Spain! Would have to start in some of the great tapas bars in Madrid, then venture off to the Costa Brava for some Catalan cuisine like fideo noodles with seafood and sofrito. Then finish up in San Sebastian. That would be a good start.
- Ryan Poli (Executive Chef), Perennial
I would travel through farmlands starting in the Midwest. I would eat with the farmers. One meal I will never forget was on a trip up to Dave Cleverdon's Kinnikinnick Farm. He served us cooked beets from his garden, a local hunk of cheese, great bread that I think his wife had baked, salad from his garden... and a bean dip/spread. It was an amazing food experience to eat in the kitchen of the farm that feeds us.
- Sarah Stegner (Executive Chef/Owner), Prairie Fire and Prairie Grass Cafe
I would start in Southeast Asia from Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore and then work my way to Korea, Japan, China. That would take years I think... a definite sequel or two. I would start off enjoying the street food of all the countries, go to all the markets that inspire their dishes, then experience their imperial dinner fit for a queen. A nice contrast from everyday life.
- Kristine Subido (Executive Chef), Wave
Chicago TomatoFest is set to celebrate locally grown heirloom tomatoes with its second annual BLT Bonanza. Some of the city's most notable chefs will promote local farmers by reinterpreting this American classic and serving unique sandwiches on their menus from August 23 until September 19. Participating restaurants promise to use local heirlooms and to promote the farmers from whom they sourced their ingredients.
Each sandwich purchased will ensure a $.50 donation to PreSERVE, a partnership project between Slow Food Chicago, the North Lawndale Greening Committee, the Chicago Honey Co-Op and Neighborspace. The goal of PreSERVE is to create and nurture a community garden in North Lawndale, which is considered one of Chicago's "food deserts," and is greatly in need of a wholesome, nutritious food source.
During BLT Bonanza, diners need only look for the key words, "Buy a sandwich, build a garden," on participating menus, which will include restaurants like Uncommon Ground, Green Grocer Chicago, Osteria Via Stato and Custom House Tavern, with more to follow.
A friend of mine is getting married next summer, and he and his fiance are trying to put together a farm dinner for the reception. So when people ask what kind of food they'll be serving, one of the key things they hit on is summer salads. Summer salads—two loaded words that are open to broad interpretation.
I'd imagine some people hear those two words and think okay, yeah, nice lettuce tossed with vegetables, but what else? That's it? While others embrace the words a bit more literally and think tomatoes and beets and berries and, you know, the foods of the summer. Which, thankfully, is the route my friend is taking.
But then there are the "other" salads. The salads we don't think of as salads. The egg salads. The tuna salads. The chicken salads. Those childhood, backyard cookout staples that were always so easy to make, and so easily overlooked, too. But always, those darn salads were refreshing and tasty. Which we think explains why some of the chefs have these throwback salads on their menus—sure, they have summer salads, too, but today we're giddy for the "other" salads.
From The Hearty Boys' classic chicken salad to the crocks at Kith & Kin to the truffle in Dirk's egg salad at The Gage, these guys are doing a whole lot more than your classic Hellman's, celery, salt and pepper. And for that, like so many things, we are thankful.
At The Gage we run a truffled egg salad on French flute with red onion, celery, romaine and garlic, lots of aïoli and a bit of Dijon. Oh yeah, shaved truffle and a little truffle oil.
- Dirk Flanigan (Executive Chef), The Gage
One of our summer staples in the catering end of the business has long been a grilled chicken salad with avocado, bacon and a lemon aïoli. It's a recipe I came up with a few years back for a summer picnic that we catered and we've since started serving it on a Belgian endive spear as a summery passed hors d'oeuvre.
- Dan Smith (Executive Chef/Owner), Hearty
I see Dan mentioned our grilled chicken salad but he negelected to say that we also have a wonderful curried tuna salad that we've been serving for years to our summer BBQ clients and corporate lunches.
- Steve McDonagh (Owner), Hearty
They go into our crocks perfectly. Currently doing smoked whitefish salad in the style of tuna fish. Mayo, shallots, herbs, celery and garnished with a pepper sauce. Egg salad with chopped olives. Make a nice fluffy mixture with the hard boiled yolks, mayo, buttermilk. Fold in chopped whites and garnish with olives.
- David Carrier (Executive Chef/Owner), Kith & Kin
What I do with this is make a tuna aïoli: Spanish tuna canned in olive oil, mayonnaise, crème fraîche, capers, lemon juice and clam juice. Then, I spread it on our house flatbread, top it with Manchego cheese and bake it. It is then topped with a baby heirloom tomato and currant salad and crispy shaved tuna belly (mojama). It's my take on a tuna melt, and it's awesome.
- Michael Fiorello (Chef de Cuisine), Mercat a la Planxa
NAHA private dining offers these traditional salads as passed hors d'oeuvres for events: smoked chicken salad with crimson raisins and caramelized onions on wood-grilled bread, and citrus cured arctic char with quail egg salad on brioche with golden caviar. Event planners (who must please a wide range of palates) are drawn to these as they are sophisticated bites that retain a hint of homestyle comfort.
- Daniela Ortiz (Private Events Director), NAHA
We serve egg salad sandwiches and tuna salad sandwiches at lunch on our menu. We use really good honey wheat or multigrain bread. We toss watercress in balsamic vinaigrette and put it on the sandwich. The salads themselves are straightforward.
- Sarah Stegner (Executive Chef/Owner), Prairie Fire and Prairie Grass Cafe
Anthony Bourdain may rip on vegetarians as though they're responsible for the coming of Armageddon, but here at RIA, today's post is all about veggie love.
Different times of year produce different harvest bounties, thus vegetables always provide a changing landscape in the kitchen. But more times than not, those vegetables are an afterthought to a hunk of steak or pork or whatever kind of protein you've hankering for.
Which is why we love to see chefs present intriguing vegetarian dishes on their menus—especially at this point of the summer. It's a real challenge for a chef to not only conceptualize a meatless dish that you or I will order over that steak or pan-seared fish, let alone create a dish that'll blow that protein plate away. But, it does happen.
And some of our chefs are up to just this very thing right now. From grilled veggies to cannelloni and lasagna and every kind of technique you can imagine, the boys and girls are having some fun with the bounty of August, whether Bourdain likes it or not.
Sorry to be so predictable, but I just really like to grill everything from eggplant and zucchini to tomatoes, broccoli, and onions. Where it can get interesting is in the use of different heirloom vegetables, and the accompaniments. From the very traditional aïolis and chimichurries to the more unusual emulsions and gels of the modern kitchen, there are a host of ways to dress them. I do like to use ancient grains such as farro and quinoa to add protein and round out the earthy flavors, and all manner of pickles and relishes for garnish.
- Paul Fehribach (Executive Chef/Owner), Big Jones
We have a roasted zucchini dish with woodland mushrooms and red wine-poached barley. The dish is hopped up with a few roasted chiles and small summer squash.
- Dirk Flanigan (Executive Chef), The Gage
We have just added a new dish using six to eight different veggies from a new organic farm we have been using. I even pick them myself. Two to three types of squashes, confit and grilled haricots verts, amaranth, Tuscan kale, lemon basil, Japanese eggplant, Bull's Blood beets. All done with different cooking techniques and served with handmade goat cheese and Anson Mills polenta.
- John des Rosiers (Executive Chef/Owner), inovasi
Grilled eggplant and peppers lasagna.
- Jill Barron (Executive Chef/Owner), MANA food bar
At Province we have a Spanish Calasparra rice that we serve with market vegetables which vary week to week. This week it's corn, tomatoes, squash, green beans, onions, roasted garlic, and we add in some cream and Manchego cheese. We also have a cannelloni dish as an appetizer that some people order for an entree: an ancho pasta dough stuffed with eggplant, goat cheese, squashes and summer peppers that are roasted. It is sprinkled with Manchego cheese and we make a béchamel sauce from rice, without dairy, and piquillo peppers.
- Randy Zweiban (Executive Chef/Owner), Province
Eggplant parm tops my list for a late summer masterpiece of what's in season in August. Also love vegetable tarts and ratatouille!
- Paul Virant (Executive Chef/Owner), Vie
Sometimes we take for granted the little things about a restaurant. We overlook the cleanliness of a restaurant—though we might openly appreciate a clean place and say so to our companions, how often do we actually consider the work and diligence of a staff to keep a place, with people in it more hours of the day than not, so flippin' clean? We don't.
We also take for granted a good value-driven wine list. It's one thing to throw together a wine list when a restaurant has an unlimited budget and can put whatever vintage of Château Pétrus they want on there, and it's another for a restaurant to never meet with their distributors and just buy wine based on what's cheapest. But value? To put together a wine list that the guest benefits from via both price and quality? That takes some work, and yeah, I think it's often overlooked.
And then there's those little ramekins filled with goodness that hit our tables. They come with bread and they come with hors d'oeuvres. They come on big plates and sometimes in baskets and often they come on their own small plates, next to the big plates. But always, I think we neglect the fact that those little ramekins reflect a chef willing to kick some serious butt and not cut corners anywhere in his or her kitchen. Because those ramekins? They're filled with housemade versions of stuff their vendors could sell to them at ridiculous costs, which would then reduce labor costs, which then makes the restaurant more money. But no. The chef is sticking to his or her guns, putting out the best product possible, from condiments in ramekins to the salt on your steak—and any and everything in between.
It's the little things, and we tip our caps to the chefs who take that extra step. With tomato season at its peak, we checked in on the team to find out what they've got in the works for those little ramekins.
It is certainly worth the time to make your own condiments. We have always made our own ketchup. First we gently roast the tomato and then puree it through a food mill. Then, they are cooked down and seasoned with a multitude of spices from cinnamon to allspice and brown sugar.
- Chris Pandel (Executive Chef), The Bristol
We are whipping up tomato-onion jam for our Italian sausage naan-wiches. It pairs well with Padrón peppers that have a small kick to them and rounds out the 'wich with the sausage and fresh mozz.
- Matt Maroni (Executive Chef/Owner), gaztro-wagon
First off, it's totally worth the time and effort taken. The end result is ALWAYS better. That said, we're currently doing a grilled watermelon salsa that we pair with our Rice Krispie shrimp tacos...and I was doing a mushroom and bitter chocolate ketchup as a pairing on a cheese flight back in the spring...because ketchup isn't just all about tomatoes!
- Dan Smith (Executive Chef/Owner), Hearty
I make tons of condiments with fresh tomatoes, like ketchup, chutneys and jams. It is not really hard to make, and always worth the effort flavorwise.
- Jill Barron (Executive Chef/Owner), MANA food bar
I really like to make our own salsas. I think it makes a huge difference when you are cooking at home, too. We like to roast the tomatoes with local onions and spicy peppers. Then blend. Plenty of salt, and add some cilantro! Simple, but great tasting.
- Sarah Stegner (Executive Chef/Owner), Prairie Fire and Prairie Grass Cafe
We have been making our own ketchup since we opened Province, and this time of year some of our farmers are able to sell us cases of tomatoes that are bruised or over-ripe, which work great for the ketchup. We also do a salsa that is a garnish for our skirt steak with tomatoes, market onions, olive oil, chopped herbs, market serranos and a little sherry vinegar.
- Randy Zweiban (Executive Chef/Owner), Province
Making your own is worth it. We make a smoked ketchup that you could never find in a bottle. Canning is worth the effort in order to preserve tomatoes at their peak.
- Michael McDonald (Executive Chef), one sixtyblue
