How To: Test Germinate Your Seeds After a Seed Swap
February 29 2012 - 2:58 PM
Today's unbelievably warm temperatures make it easier to imagine actually planting the seeds you'll pick up at pre-spring seed swaps, including the March 4 swap hosted by The Peterson Garden Project, or the upcoming Chicago Foodies Seed Swap at the Good Food Festival.
Seeds are like promises. Inside each tiny capsule is the possibility of an entire season's worth of good eating. But not every seed sprouts, which can be disappointing if you were really hoping for a new vegetable or a garden full of bright flowers.
After a seed swap, test germinate your seeds before planting to make sure that they're not past their prime. After just a week or two, you'll have an idea of whether the plants have potential to grow in your garden, and if not, you will have saved yourself all the work of planting and watering the seeds.
Jim's the driving force behind the Good Food Festival. Here he explains quite a few things going on over the course of the event, from financing to fermenting! Check it out for yourself – March 15th-17th at the UIC, http://goodfoodfestivals.com/chicago/.
Restaurants
Eat a "Last Meal" with Piranha Club
February 28 2012 - 9:30 AM
Last September, the singular state of Texas, which executes more prisoners than any other, discontinued the practice of serving death row inmates a final meal. The move came after Lawrence Russel Brewer—the man convicted in the death of James Byrd Jr., a case that spawned national hate crimes legislations—requested an elaborate final meal that some in state government found excessive.
Sarah Jenkins Debates the Merits of "Authentic" Cooking
February 27 2012 - 11:34 AM
Sarah Jenkins, the woman largely responsible for introducing New York City and the rest of the nation to the crispy, porcine wonder of porchetta, knows her Italian food. In a recent essay for The Atlantic, Jenkins proves her Italian cred (not that she needs to) by name-dropping carciofi alla giudea and rattling off the three types of acqua cotta. So yes, she knows what she's talking about.
But despite her encylopedic knowledge of Italian cooking, she's come to a startling conclusion: Maybe authenticity isn't so important. Authenticity is a weighty topic, imbued with cultural, social, and sometimes religious implications whose subleties can be lost on foreigners and those whose closest experience of Italy is drinking their way through some Negronis. In an age of global food supply chains and increasing knowledge of foreign ingredients, Jenkins questions whether authenticity is even something to strive for anymore.
For the Love of Chocolate – Chocolate Decadence This Saturday!
February 24 2012 - 11:19 AM
This Saturday, Februaruy 25th from 7-11pm at the Merchandise Mart is the 2012 For the Love of Chocolate Gala. I love the simple math they supply in determining what one night of decadence is actually worth:
1 Night = 18 Open Bars 75 Participating Chefs Providing Both Savory and Sweet 30 Edible designs in Cocoa Carnival's Fashion Show starting at 8 pm. 4 Musical Performers (2 DJs, DJ Anacron & DJ Shon Roka) 2 dance floors 6 Themed Rooms: Cocoa Candyland, Cocoa Carnival, Sweet as Sin, Confectiatory, Cocoa Sutra, and Chocolate Spa…
FamilyFarmed Software Aids Local Produce Distribution
February 24 2012 - 10:49 AM
At a panel discussion about local food at Kendall College a few months ago, many farmers and butchers stressed that the biggest obstacle toward creating a large-scale local food movement was the distribution system. While Cisco or Aramark might feel pressure from consumers and businesses to supply them with locally-raised produce and meat, an inadequare infrastructure and lots of bureaucratic red tape made it difficult to scale up from the farmer's market level to a state or regional level. Now, FamilyFarmed has taken on one piece of that equation: simplifying the paperwork required for small farmers to sell to large companies. The Chicagoist reports that new software from FamilyFarmed streamlines the process, and helps local farmers compete with industrial farms.
Sixteen's New Chef Thomas Lents Recommits Trump to Fine Dining
February 23 2012 - 8:18 AM
When your restaurant is located in Trump Tower, it seems a given that it would ooze fine dining. Or would it? A recent spate of "re-concepting" to more casual ventures from The Peninsula's Avenues, The Four Seasons' Allium (née Seasons), and The Park Hyatt's NoMI Kitchen (née NoMI), makes one wonder whether Sixteen's new chef, Thomas Lents, wasn't also headed in that direction. The answer, it turns out, it a resounding "no." Here, Lents explains why not.
Chicago Foodies: Why stay fine dining? Lents: I think fine dining is always going to be relevant. Like any trend, the farm-to-table trend has reached its apex. Some people want space between tables, don't want to have to shout over people, and want to enjoy the companionship of fine dining. That market is here, and the talent level of other chefs in Chicago is certainly here. You have a fine setting in Sixteen, and a beautiful room, and it demands fine dining. I think there's room for not just maintaining the status quo in fine dining, but coming up with a new level for it.
CF: What does that mean to you? Lents: You need to give choice to people and make it approachable and comfortable, and you can take some of the techniques and ingredient-driven ideas that have come through, and put them in a fine dining setting. If you look at my menu, you'll see ox tail and bone marrow, and I am a big belivever in nose-to-tail cooking. I've been doing farm-to-table for 20 years, but my tables and my farms are just a bit more spread out.
Spring is coming, we promise. As evidence of the fact, The Peterson Garden Project will host a seed swap on March 4 from 2 to 5 PM. It's a chance to exchange some of your favorite fruits, vegetables, and herbs for next season's "wish list." Trade your fantastic tomatoes for new cucumbers, or swap kale for carrots.
In addition to swapping seeds, attendees can also chat with representatives from the Peterson Garden Project about the three new community gardens planned for 2012, and will receive information on edible seeds, planting, and heirloom varieties. There is no cost to attend the seed swap, which will take place at Swedish Covenant Hospital’s Galter Pavilion, Second Floor, 5140 N. California.
Sign-ups for community plots for spring and summer of 2012 will be available beginning in mid-March, so stay connected with the Peterson Garden Project via Facebook for the latest.
–Kate Bernot
Restaurants
Highlights of Restaurant Week 2012
February 22 2012 - 10:39 AM
Chicago Restaurant Week can be one of the most glorious – and indulgent – weeks of the year. If it's done right, you can get some incredible deals on lunches or dinners at restaurants you might not be able to afford otherwise.
I truly studied these menus to find the best of the best deals. You're better off first considering checking out new restaurants with menus that are really worth the cost. Here are a few highlights:
Slew of Chicago Chefs up for National, Great Lakes James Beard Awards
February 21 2012 - 4:25 PM
Chicago is no stranger to James Beard Award-winning chefs (it's not like we're Ann Arbor! Oh wait…). But in an era when seemingly every blog, magazine, and website has to throw its own awards show, the James Beard Awards are still one of the most prestigious, and probably one of the best indications of career-long success.
Today, the James Beard Foundation announced the 2012 semifinalist, and Chicago is well-represented. Here's hoping they all make it through as Award winners. Ahead, the Chicago chefs nominated by category.
