Radishes for Real as Daley Plaza Market Opens
Local Food Forum's podcast is up, and a recap of another fab Evolved Network dinner
Rad as in Radish
If you read Sunday’s Local Food Forum, you may remember my misadventure when I mistook a bunch of baby chioggia beets for the radishes I was looking for. Well, today (May 11), I attended the season opener for the Daley Plaza City Market in the Loop, and Nichols Farm and Orchard (Marengo, Illinois) indeed had clearly identified, unmistakeable radishes. Lots and lots of radishes. I eagerly bought a bunch of the French breakfast radishes on the right.
More from the Chicago City Market’s flagship venue, but first…
It’s Alive!
Yesterday’s Local Food Forum teased the imminent arrival of the Local Food Rules podcast. It launched early this morning. All subscribers should have received it in their inbox. If you aren’t a subscriber but are interested, or if the eblast somehow missed you, click the button below to access.
It is definitely beta, it's minimalist (me talking with some musical bridges from a song shared by friend of many decades Gary Calamar), and yes, I'll work on a smoother delivery. And I'd love your feedback (be gentle, please) on the form and content.
The Age of Asparagus Dawns Again
So once again, and into October, the giant, enigmatic metal sculpture by Pablo Picasso that attracts tourists to Daley Plaza in the Loop will preside over the Daley Plaza City Market from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Thursday.
For more than 40 years, starting long before farmers markets were a major element in Chicago’s food culture, the Daley Plaza market has been the flagship of the Chicago City Markets, administered by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).
Besides the major radish influx mentioned above, there wasn’t any major first of the season produce debut that I noticed, but Nichols had a nice big supply of their heirloom hothouse tomatoes that have made a big impression over the past couple of years.
And almost every produce stand had asparagus, which arrives in profusion (mostly from Michigan) around this time every year and marks the start of the region’s outdoor market season. Now about the headline above: There’s an old showbiz saying that you have to give the people what they want. Last year, I labeled an early-season story as “The Dawning of the Age of Asparagus.” Well, recently, I ran into a friend (and subscriber) who told me it was her favorite pun ever.
So this one’s for you, Eileen. I’ll try to work it in every May for as long as I do Local Food Forum.
Here’s my Daley Plaza Market haul, this time starting from the right with four bunches of asparagus from D&S Farms in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Except for the spearmint on the lower left from Smits Farms (Chicago Heights, Illinois), the rest is from Nichols: carrots, lettuce, some of those hothouse tomatoes, and yes, the French breakfast radishes.
Evolved Network’s Southern Spectacle at Luella’s
Local Food Forum has published numerous stories about The Evolved Network, a visionary Chicago non-profit whose mission I strongly support. The organization — launched in 2021 by Sebastian White, a clinical psychologist turned chef — works to help underprivileged youths through food education and training.
Sebastian is currently providing food and cooking lessons in several Chicago schools while he raises money to achieve The Evolved Network’s ultimate goals: to build out a restaurant and urban food garden to provide students with restaurant, farming and business training, while providing therapeutic services for those who need them.
One of his main fundraising tools is a series of unfailingly delicious dinners hosted in restaurants owned by chefs who rank among our region’s best. The latest was held Wednesday (May 10) at Luella’s Southern Kitchen, the Lincoln Square restaurant that has earned chef-owner Darnell Reed a reputation as one of our city’s brightest culinary lights.
Since we’ve written about The Evolved Network’s mission in some detail, I’ll just urge you here to click the button below to learn more about the organization and consider making a donation or volunteering. Now let’s talk about the delights on Wednesday’s menu.
The first course, shown in the photo above, was prawn on Texas toast with Swiss chard, green onion and bacon soubise, a dish designed by Sebastian.
Sebastian also created the second course, Dirty Rice Arancini (a breaded and fried rice ball) with crawfish, mushroom and piri piri sauce.
Next up was Darnell with one of the most spectacular presentations of fried chicken ever, served with a very large dumpling, smoked gravy and garlic spinach.
Sebastian and Darnell collaborated on this dish, grits topped with lobster and andouille albondigas (meatballs) with coconut salsa verde and red sorrel.
The evening meal concluded with this lovely indulgence, Darnell’s strawberry shortcake with buttermilk biscuit, strawberry compote, Chantilly cream and house-made vanilla ice cream.
I overheard there is another Evolved Network dinner being planned for June. You should try to catch at least one of these feasts, as The Evolved Network dinner series is evolving into one of the epic events in Chicago’s culinary community.