Good Company in Farm to Table Article
"Better" article features top chefs, plus a dinner invite and the market short list
Moon Shine
Apple boasts about the low light capability of its iPhone 13. Based on this first photo of a full moon over the lake I took from our apartment on Saturday, I think they’re on to something.
Check out that moonglade (the moon light reflected on the lake’s surface). It has been almost 11 years since we first saw a full moon rise from this viewpoint, and it is way up near the top of my list of things that never get old.
Happy to Share Space With These Chefs
I recently was pleased to share quotes about the farmers market and farm-to-table scenes with friends Julie Chernoff of Better Chicago. I did not realize at the time that the quote would be part of an article highlighting six Chicago-region chefs who are leaders in sourcing from local farmers.
Check out the farm-to-table thoughts (and delectable menu items) by Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Cafe, Rick Bayless of the Frontera Restaurant Group, Jonathon Sawyer of Adorn, Debbie Gold of Found Kitchen & Social House, Joe Frillman of Daisies, and John Shields and Karen Urie Shields of Smyth + The Loyalist.
It’s exciting to hang out with this august group, if only in print.
Saturday: Peace and Local Food at Woodstock
The first big wave of regional farmers market openings will hit starting the end of next week. This week, just add Woodstock Farmers Market’s Saturday market to the short list of early outdoor markets.
The market runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Vendors include Broadview Farm and Garden (Marengo, Illinois), the subject of a CSA-focused article I wrote in February for Buy Fresh Buy Local Illinois and re-published in Local Food Forum, and River Valley Ranch (Burlington, Wisconsin), our region’s legendary mushroom producer.
The Woodstock market takes place downtown in Historic Woodstock Square. If you’re a big movie fan, you might have a sense of déjà vu when you arrive: Woodstock stood in for Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania as the setting for Bill Murray’s classic 1993 movie Groundhog Day.
Also, a friend sent a reminder that the weekly South Loop winter farmers market hosted by L&A Healing Studio remains open through the end of May. Visit on Sundays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 2018 S. Michigan Ave. in Chicago.
We’ll introduce the early May markets in next week’s listing. Then, week by week, the farmers market schedule will take over a chunk of Local Food Forum.
The outdoor market schedule so far:
Open: Green City Market Lincoln Park, Chicago, Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1817 N. Clark
Open: Grayslake Farmers Market, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 201 Center St.
This Week: Woodstock Farmers Market, Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m, Historic Woodstock Square
If you are aware of any market in the Chicago metro area that we’re missing, please let me know at bob@localfoodforum.com.
Next Door Dinners: Good Food Pops Up
I’m always happy to tout cool things done by friends in the local food community. Meet Carly Herron — with whom I briefly overlapped at FamilyFarmed late in my tenure there — who recently launched a series of pop-up events called Next Door Dinners, which sources from local farmers and makers.
The next dinner is scheduled for this coming Monday at 7 p.m. at Second Unitarian Church, 656 W. Barry St. in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood.
I’ll let Carly speak for herself in the details shared below.
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Next Door Dinner details
Next Door Dinners is a monthly community dinner project in Chicago. Make friends, support urban farmers, grow your community, and enjoy a delicious, homemade dinner!
Next Door Dinners’ April reservation has opened - April 25, 7 p.m.
**RESERVE YOUR SPOT HERE: https://linktr.ee/NextDoorDinners
This is community dinner project with a three-course dinner that sells out at 50 people. Last month was our first meal and we sold out a week in advance.
The dinner sources from Chicago urban farmers and makers. Last month we featured Womade, a woman-owned salsa company in Little Village, and Star Farm Chicago, a farm on the southwest side of the city.
This dinner is pay-what-you-can, so all are welcome! The amount that people can give to “break even” for dinner costs per person is about $10. Last month, some gave $5 and some gave $50. All profits are given to a nonprofit called Grow Greater Englewood. Last month we raised $400 for their programming and hope to do the same this month!
Venue address: Second Unitarian Church, 656 W Barry Ave, Chicago, IL 60657. Close to the Belmont stop, and lots of close Pay-to-Park parking on Belmont and Broadway.
Event dates and times: April 25, 7pm-8:30pm
Event prices: Pay-what-you-can, break even cost around $10
Website: I only have instagram, @nextdoordinners and https://linktr.ee/NextDoorDinners
My contact information: carlyherron23@gmail.com, (319) 651-6011
Reservation required here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/next-door-dinners-april-tickets-309027257847
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/NextDoorDinners
This month’s menu:
Starter: Homemade hummus and pita **Pita and chickpeas from Sanabel Bakery
Main: Herb and tomato lentil soup, house pickled vegetables, kale salad with fresh feta and homemade croutons
Dessert: Rose water + raspberry ghraybeh
Drinks: This is a BYOB function, bring wine, beer, or N/A beverages to share.
Bio + Inspo
Carly is the Program Coordinator for the Good Food Accelerator Program. In this role, she helps run accelerator programs for small food and beverage businesses in the Chicago area.
Throughout her career, she has always worked for good food missions. Carly has gotten her hands dirty on farms, worked for food access nonprofits, taught cooking and gardening education at schools, and cooked alongside chefs in professional kitchens. Sustainable and socially just food has been the center of Carly’s career.
While graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees in Human Geography and Environmental Studies, Carly found her love for food and community. During her time in Madison, WI, she interned and then directed Slow Food UW’s Family Dinner Night, a weekly and accessible farmers market dinner for the community. The team worked with different guest chefs every week and fed up to 150 a night. While in Madison, she also worked for a nonprofit called FairShare CSA Coalition, where assisted in event planning and raising money for low-income families’ CSA shares.
After college, Carly spent about 6 months working/backpacking around Europe and Asia. During this time, she worked at places such as a food waste café in Haifa, Israel, and a vegan living co-op in Prague, Czech Republic. She loved seeing the way people eat and gather all around the world (and ate a lot of good food herself!) After, Carly was located in Denver, CO where she worked as the Volunteer Coordinator for Slow Food Nations, a huge, international food event.
While still currently working at the Good Food Accelerator, Carly decided to start and run Next Door Dinners in her free time. This program was inspired by the Slow Food dinners she directed in Madison. Missing that regular cooking and community practice, Carly started her own dinner project in Chicago, Next Door Dinners. She hopes to help people make friends, share a slow-cooked dinner, and support organizations in Chicago while doing so!