Evolving Through Cooking Demos
Getting hands-on to learn more about The Evolved Network
Combining Passion for Food and Mental Health
On October 1, Green City Market in Lincoln Park held a tour of its Saturday market that had two major purposes.
One was to highlight the numerous facets of the good work the market does. The other was to introduce Sebastian White, founder and president of The Evolved Network, a year-old nonprofit with a bold plan to provide services to Chicago’s underprivileged youths through farm-to-table restaurant training and gardening; clinical counseling and therapeutic services; and financial literacy education.
The concept combines Sebastian’s passion for food with his experience as a clinical psychologist who previously worked as a gang intervention therapist. His work has gained him prominent supporters including Chef Sarah Stegner of Northbrook’s Prairie Grass Cafe, a founding Board member of Green City Market and a member of the organizing committee for the Chicago Chefs Cook events this year that have raised more than $850,000 in humanitarian relief for Ukraine, Tigray and Puerto Rico.
I immediately became an enthusiast for Sebastian’s work. As a strong believer in the power of food to restore jobs, hope and opportunity to our under-resourced communities, I see the great potential in the holistic program Sebastian is working to bring to reality, centered on a restaurant that he plans to name Gwen’s Garden after his late aunt who was a master gardener.
There is a lot of work ahead to raise necessary funds and bring the plan to fruition. In the meantime, Sebastian conducts hands-on cooking classes for young people associated with three schools: St. Sabina Academy in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood and the Montessori School of Englewood, both on the South Side, and Pulaski International School in the North Side neighborhood of Bucktown.
He is also elevating The Evolved Network’s visibility through events aimed at adult customers. Last Saturday (October 8), Sebastian conducted a culinary demo in partnership with the Gardeneers school gardening nonprofit, which was held at Hangout Lighting, a lovely new events space in a quiet part of the West Town neighborhood. This coming Saturday (October 15), at 10:30 a.m., he’ll be doing a chef demo at Green City Market in Lincoln Park.
And then, on Monday, October 24 at 6 p.m., Sebastian will be preparing a five-course meal at Uvae Kitchen and Wine Bar in the Andersonville neighborhood with Uvae owner/sommelier Lindsay Anderson providing the wine pairings.
I participated in the October 8 demo, and got my hands into it, shredding roasted duck legs for the sliders that made up half of the prep work (alas, other participants did the produce prep, so I didn’t have a chance to show off my awesome knife skills).
Sebastian’s recipes aim to open the eyes of class participants, younger or older, to unusual ingredients and new flavors. The duck sliders were prepared with red cabbage and kumquat slaw, chile hoisin and blueberry jam. A flatbread was topped with morel mushrooms (reconstituted from dried), smoked & herbed ricotta, arugula, and peach jam. Both jams were artisan products made by Chef Aaron Gougis of CookinHungry.
More photos follow. If you would like to learn more about The Evolved Network, buy tickets for the October 24 dinner, and/or make a tax-deductible donation to support this important work, click the button below.
