Entries associated with the tag "Sarah Stegner":

Chefs were crawling all over the Green City Market this morning, hauling away flats of purple asparagus, young garlic, and spring greens, which dominate the produce selection this early in the season. Always nice to see that happening outside the context of a photo op.

The usual non-veg vendors supplemented the offerings; beautiful stuff at the Bleeding Heart and (newcomer) Delightful Pastries tables. I got some spring lamb tongues from Mint Creek Farm and some 15-month-old bandaged cheddar from Wisconsin's Brunkow Cheese. Over at the demo table Sarah Stegner was plating it with dandelion greens, and Bruce Sherman put together some radish, asparagus and Prairie Pure Cheese crostini. All in all a typically shiny, happy start to the season, with strangers peeking into each others bags, swapping recipe ideas, etc. Check out the attached pix.

This Saturday Rick Bayless is leading a sustainable ag pep rally at the market. Rah spring!

As we pulled into the parking lot of Prairie Grass Cafe Wednesday, an hour late for the first of Alice Waters's many public appearances this week, the excursion was looking like a pointless boondoggle (thanks Edens construction!). Luckily (for us) Waters was snarled in traffic herself. The founder of Chez Panisse swept into the restaurant about ten minutes after we did to a loud round of applause.

She spoke briskly and passionately for about, oh, seven minutes, running through all the key talking points about the importance of connecting food with seasonal cycles, etc etc. My ears perked up, though, when she mentioned that one of the first things she'd done upon hitting town was to meet with Mayor Daley about bringing the Edible Schoolyard project to Chicago--because getting 'em while they're young and teaching kids to look at food as "something precious" and "connected to nature and culture" is a critical for effecting changes in both public health and environmental stewardship in the future.

I asked Prairie Grass chef Sarah Stegner about about this later, as Waters signed copies of her new book, The Art of Simple Food. Stegner, another passionate supporter of local farmers and a two-time Beard award winner, is one of the founders of the Green City Market, and had tagged along with Waters to meet the Mayor. She said the meeting was surprisingly concrete, with Daley asking lots of technical questions about curriculum and distribution and committing to form an exploratory committee to look into it. "There's a movement in Chicago and you can just feel it at the Green City Market," she said, "We're at the tipping point with this stuff, and if it's not today it'll be tomorrow."

If you want to hear what Waters has to say yourself, she'll be signing books at tomorrow at the GCM from 9 to 11 AM, and giving a talk at 2:30 at Thorne Auditorium.

Unfortunately, the two most interesting food events going down this week are sold out. ChicaGourmets set up a meal with Batali's mad genius mentor Marco Pierre White--in town to promote his memoir, The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness and the Making of a Great Chef, Saturday at Ambria, AND brings Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso together again for the 25th Anniversary update of the Silver Palate Cookbook, Tuesday at May St. Market. Oh well. That MFK Fisher talk looks good.

Tonight at 5, Quebec's Unibroue presents a tasting of all its beers at Warehouse Liquors, 634 S. Wabash. It's free.

At 6 PM tonight Fox & Obel, 401 E. Illinois, hosts "Quicker than 30 Minute Meals" with Linda Champagne of Stonewall Kitchen. It's $45. Call 312-410-7301.

Also at 6 there's a free rose tasting at Provenance Food and Wine, 2528 N. California.

The Kilbourn Park organic plant sale begins at 4 PM Friday and continues Saturday morning at 10 at 3501 N. Kilbourn. Great heirloom tomato seedlings at this event. Call 773-685-3359.

Also at 4 PM Friday, Williams-Sonoma, 900 N. Michigan hosts David Joachim and Andrew Schloss, authors of Mastering the Grill. It's free.

Jimmy Bannos of Heaven on Seven, 111 N. Wabash, leads a cocktail party cooking class with recipes from his new book Big Easy Cocktails, Friday at 7. It's $75. Call 312-224-8858.

Plenty of Mother's Day deals on Sunday, among them a seasonal prix fixe menu for $55 at Vie, 4471 Lawn Avenue in Western Springs, that includes a free jar of house made aigre doux for each mom. Call 708-246-2082--and see our roundup of city farmers' markets in the paper (not online yet) for some more recipes from Vie chef Paul Virant.

Tuesday at 6:30 PM Jonathan Goldsmith of Spacca Napoli leads a pizza demo at Fox & Obel with Chicago Magazine’s Deputy Dining Editor Jeff Ruby. $45 admission gets you a free copy of Ruby and Penny Pollack's Everybody Loves Pizza.

Quince, 1625 Hinman in Evanston is hosting Italian winemaker Giovanni Puiatti for a five-course menu with pairings Tuesday at 7. It's $65. Call 847-570-8400.

NoMi's Cellar Notes tasting series continues continues Tuesday at 5:30 at 800 N. Michigan with sparkling wines and champagne.

Back at Provenance, there's a "Chicago Farmer's Market Class," Tuesday at 6:30 that promises to teach students how to pick, store, and cook the season's bounty. It's $30.

And speaking of farmers markets, the crown jewel, the Green City Market, returns to Lincoln Park at 7 AM Wednesday. Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris of Prairie Grass Cafe give the first cooking demo of the season at 10:30. 

Wednesday at 6 PM Fiddlehead Cafe, 4600 N. Lincoln, hosts "An Introduction to Wine and Wine Tasting." It's $30. Call 773-751-1500.

Celebrating two years hawking bon bons to the masses, Ethel's Chocolate Lounges are giving away 10,000 free four-piece boxes of chocolate Thursday, May 17, at area stores.