Award-Winning Chef Starts Series Highlighting Laudable Vendors
Read Where Prairie Grass Cafe's Sarah Stegner Gets Cheese and Mushrooms
I have long admired Chef Sarah Stegner, a two-time James Beard Award winner who since 2004 has been chef/owner of the highly regarded Prairie Grass Cafe in the north Chicago suburb of Northbrook.
In recent years I have been heavily engaged with her work as a co-founder of Chicago Chefs Cook — a philanthropic organization that parlays the extraordinary generosity of the region's culinary community — and as an advocate for Chef Sebastian White's The Evolved Network NFP food education non-profit.
Sarah has always credited the farmers and other vendors whose ingredients have helped secure her stature as a chef. Now she has taken a step further by highlighting individual partners in a "Relationship Driven Food" Spotlight Series.
This Local Food Forum article shares the first entry in the series, with links to subscribe to Prairie Grass Cafe's newsletter and to learn more about the restaurant.
Farm Aid Fights Back Against Unfair Cuts to Federal Programs
Insights from a Massachusetts Rally, With a Call to Action
With so many constituencies across the nation adversely affected by abrupt, unfair, poorly considered changes to valuable federal programs, it might be possible for the damage being done to small farmers to get lost in the chaos.
But advocates for small farms — prominently including the Farm Aid non-profit organization — are not going to let that happen.
Farm Aid is urging those of us who care to contact lawmakers and officials in Washington, D.C., to demand that the government meet its obligation to reimburse farmers for expenses they laid out under contracts with the federal government.
This administration, since shortly after it took over control, has refused to meet these obligations, putting hard-working, well-meaning farmers and their communities at risk of devastating financial losses.
This Local Food Forum article includes Farm Aid's call to action, and a reprint of an article on their website about a Massachusetts rally featuring farmers who detailed the impact of the wrong-minded cuts and freezes.
Saturday in the Park?
To everybody, have a great weekend and look for more Local Food Forum content.
And… if you happen to be at Green City Market around 9 a.m. or so, look for the spunky old guy with a camera and a colorful rolling backpack. I’d love to say hi and introduce you to some farmer friends.