After visiting European sustainable farmer’s markets in 1998, Abby Mandel, chef, author and entrepreneur, returned to Chicago determined to create a similar market in her own city. Green City Market was her brainchild and began as a small startup with nine local farmers in the crosswalk next to the Chicago Theatre with a handful of farmers and only a few more shoppers. The Market quickly outgrew the location and moved to the south end of Lincoln Park, where it currently operates May-October, drawing thousands of visitors and featuring locally grown food and many of Chicago’s most renowned chefs. Four years ago, the Market continued to remain open November-December, first in Lincoln Park Zoo, and later moving to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.
Learning Tour: Testa Produce
Testa Produce, Inc. is a 100-year-old family owned and operated produce distributor for foodservice entities around the Midwest including restaurants, hotels, schools, country clubs, sporting arenas and hospitals.
Testa’s new LEED* Platinum Refrigerated Foodservice facility (2011) designed by Epstein is the first of its kind in the United States. The warehouse features sustainable technologies including a 750kW wind turbine producing 30% of the building’s energy needs, a huge solar grid for heating potable water, an extensive water management system which recovers rain and graywater for non-potable purposes, LED lighting, skylighting, electric/compressed natural gas delivery trucks and a vegetated roof. Continue reading
The Art and Soul of French Pastry
Program summary:
· The philosophy of French baking
· How to approach a pastry recipe
· The Do’s and Don’ts of baking
After a lifetime in pastry, internationally acclaimed pastry chef Jacquy Pfeiffer has a wealth of knowledge, advice, and tricks of the trade to help students of pastry learn to master these recipes. Chef Pfeiffer recently recorded many of these in his multi-award-winning book, The Art of French Pastry, co-authored with Martha Rose Shulman. Listen to stories from his life and career that he relates through witty anecdotes and find out more about the philosophy of baking that is the foundation of French pastry. He will offer several do’s and don’ts for baking to help anyone succeed in the kitchen. Continue reading
A Learning Tour: Civil War Camp Cooking Tour
Hear the crack of gunfire and the boom of cannons at the Lake County Forest Preserves’ 23rd annual Civil War Days. Visitors of all ages are invited to explore the military and civilian camps to learn about life in the 1860s. Visitors can meet historical figures including Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, General Grant and more. Kids will enjoy special period crafts and games, and complete a scavenger hunt around the site. Visitors can also experience a recreation of the 1863 Agricultural Fair, which features public amusements and horticultural and domestic arts exhibitions including a camp cooking competition. Continue reading
Breaking the Fast at a Ramadan Iftar at Khan BBQ
We will gather one hour before sunset to learn about Iftar, the meal that breaks the fast during Ramadan nights and before observant Muslims depart for evening prayers. Many of the people present will not have consumed even a morsel of food or drink since daybreak that day at 4:01 am. To replicate the experience, we suggest not drinking or eating from once we meet at the restaurant until sunset at 8:29 pm. Certainly you may eat before you arrive.
Khan BBQ offers a nightly Iftar buffet during Ramadan. The composition of the meal is fixed, though what is offered changes nightly. The Iftar buffet will have dates (consumed at the initial breaking of the fast), naan (Indian bread), a featured BBQ, a rice dish, pakora (savory appetizer), rosewater milk and ice water. Continue reading