Body, Mind and Soul at Evolved Network Dinner
Sebastian White teamed with Paul Kahan and team at Dove's Luncheonette
Much More Than a Food Feast
The Evolved Network is a non-profit with ambitious goals to help underprivileged youths through a holistic healing and therapeutic program centering on the seed-to-table experience.
The organization was created in early 2021 by Sebastian White (photo above), a clinical psychologist and largely self-taught chef. He started holding public fundraising events last fall that have exhibited the powerful pull of his vision on our area’s large community of mission-driven chefs.
Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Cafe signed on early as Sebastian’s strongest advocate (and culinary mentor), and she has hosted two of The Evolved Network’s dinners at her restaurant in suburban Northbrook.
Then last Thursday (February 23), Chef Paul Kahan — another early supporter — hosted a dinner at Dove’s Luncheonette, a casual, Mexican-focused eatery (part of the One Off Hospitality Group Paul co-founded) in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood.
Next up (see article below), Sebastian will team with Chef Devon Quinn on a March 14 dinner at Eden restaurant in the Avondale neighborhood, which opened last year and has achieved acclaim for its focus on local and sustainably produced ingredients.
And… Sebastian will, for the first time, be joining the culinary lineup for a Chicago Chefs Cook fundraising dinner, this one on March 20 to raise money to support Chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen and its efforts to feed people displaced by the disastrous earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. (Sarah Stegner spearheaded Chicago Chefs Cook, which held three fundraising events in 2022, along with Chef Tony Priolo of Piccolo Sogno in Chicago’s West Town and Good Food advocates Eda Davidman and Darren Gest.)
Most of the program at the Dove’s dinner focused on the sumptuous (and very filling) food that was served. But Paul and Sebastian stepped out of the kitchen to provide some insights about why The Evolved Network is worthy of the attendees’ ongoing support.
Paul prefaced his remarks by noting, “There's a large sector in the chef community in Chicago, I’m not trying to pat us on the back, but when called into action to do just about anything, we love to use our talents, we love to help out in any way that we can.” He cited the Chicago Chefs Cook for Ukraine event held at Navy Pier last March, and the Pilot Light food education program that he co-founded a dozen years ago with other leading Chicago chefs.
Then he related that “my friend Sarah” had reached out to him a while back and said, “‘You know, I am part of a call that's going to happen, do you want to get on the call? It's like-minded people from all over the city, a very diverse group… It was a group from all over the city, north, west, south. And the conversation was spearheaded by this gentleman, Sebastian White.
“The topic was how can we unite? And how can we institute change in our city, and around the world, helping make our city a better place to live in? How can we change the lives of children in our city? And that's the mission… If we can use our strengths to actually make better people, I think we can actually change our city and change the world.”
Sebastian then spoke, first sharing his background. He was working as a gang intervention therapist in Waukegan when he lost two of the most important people in his life: his father, who Sebastian describes as his best friend and life mentor, and an aunt, a master gardener, who he describes as a second mother.
As he processed his grief, he became determined to find a way to make a bigger impact on the lives of underprivileged kids, ultimately arriving on The Evolved Network’s concept. While Sebastian is currently conducting cooking classes in five Chicago schools, his ultimate goal is to build a restaurant and urban farm that will provide youths in need with culinary and business skills while providing therapeutical counseling when needed.
In his remarks, Sebastian said, “We're creating a holistic healing and therapeutic space for kids, by the way of the seed to table process… I think that entire process is inherently therapeutic.
“I want kids to explore through food. I think it's therapeutic in many ways. What’s really important to me is to think about decisions that we make every day. What I'm trying to do is use food as an analogy to expand the choices that our kids can have or what they know that they have access to.
“Food creates an amazing analogy and opportunity for that type of experience. I think then when you understand how many choices you have, you're truly free. And I think that's a deep understanding that can be created through food.
“We can make a difference to what we're trying to do collectively. And I want to make that happen. Not just to honor my father, but because our kids are our future. You’ve got to give them the best shot at success. And so we want to make that happen in our work.”
Then it was time to eat. And eat. And eat.
The dinner kicked off with a rhubarb sour cocktail. I’m going to keep this in mind to make a version at home in a few weeks when rhubarb becomes of the first crops to hit the local market.
1st course: Crab wonton taco, tempura avocado, black garlic aioli, salsa verde. All of the recipes except for the 3rd course were created by Sebastian.
2nd course: Blue corn taco, tuna, fried green tomato, habanero crema, black garlic chili oil, salmon roe.
3rd course: Shrimp and pork albondigas, chorizo verde, tomato-serrano broth, oregano oil. This dish was conceived by Paul Kahan and Dove’s Executive Sous Chef Sam O’Keefe. The broth was more of a sauce and man, do I like sauces. I cleaned my plate as much as I could but I might have licked the bowl if I wasn’t in public. (Table manners when I’m eating at home, which I do about 95 percent of the time, are loosely enforced.)
That’s Sam O’Keefe on the left working on plating with Sebastian.
4th course: Herbed biscuit, tempura cauliflower, lobster gravy. I could have eaten a bowl of the lobster gravy (see sauce discussion above).
5th course: Drunken French toast, fried chicken thigh, bacon/vanilla pear and blueberry compote, glazed bacon, basil. Seriously could have made a meal out of this course alone.
Next Up: 3/14 Evolved Network Dinner at Eden
The next dinner fundraiser for The Evolved Network will be held at Eden restaurant, 2734 W. Roscoe St., on Tuesday, March 14 from 6 to 9 p.m. Titled “Sprouts of Change,” it will again be a five-course dinner (come hungry!) with dishes prepared by Sebastian White, Chef Devon Quinn, or in collaboration between the two of them.
Here is the planned menu and a link to get tickets for the event.
SNOW PEA LEAVES & WHITE ASPARAGUS
white chocolate, macadamia, hyssop
by Chef Devon Quinn
GRILLED SPANISH BABY OCTOPUS
yukon gold potato, fennel, spring alliums, white wine
by Sebastian White
PAN-BASTED DIVER SCALLOP
sunflower, browned butter, parmesan, truffle honey
by Chef Devon Quinn
CATALPA GROVE RACK OF LAMB
nichols farm carrots, chickpeas, yogurt
by Sebastian White
COCONUT CAKE
caramelized white chocolate, citrus, fermented lime
by Chef Devon Quinn & Sebastian White
Don’t Miss Chicago Chefs Cook Event on March 20
Finally, as mentioned above, Sebastian White will make his debut in the all-star Chicago Chefs Cook lineup on Monday, March 20, with all proceeds from the event going to World Central Kitchen’s humanitarian work to feed those displaced by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
The fundraiser will be held at Avli on the Park restaurant, 180 N. Field Blvd. in downtown Chicago’s Lakeshore East neighborhood (near Millennium Park). I’ll share the roster of participating chefs when it becomes available.