Locavore Dinner and film screening at Kitchen Chicago

I'm excited to announce that Kitchen Chicago will host the 1st Anniversary Local Food Wisdom Locavore Dinner. I launched the event series in May 2010 and what better place to celebrate our local foodshed than at Chicago's largest shared-use kitchen for culinary entrepreneurs and food artisans? This fête will feature both food and film, as I'll present a screening of the new documentary Ingredients during our meal in Kitchen Chicago's lofted event space. Our 4-course feast of local foods has been designed by Chef Derrick Wcislak (pronounced "Wis-lak") of Pure Kitchen Catering, a company devoted to making a local impact and fostering a sense of community with every meal. Derrick previously worked at Vie and North Pond, so he knows a bit about sourcing and preparing local, seasonal ingredients. =)

Here are the event details and menu:

When: Sunday, 22 May, beginning at 6:30 PM
Where: 324 N Leavitt St | Map | CTA Bus: 65 Grand
Parking: Free, on Leavitt St or Carroll Ave
Cost: $65/$75 per person (all-inclusive)*
Reservations: Purchase from Brown Paper Tickets

* All tickets purchased before 5/18 are $65; $75 thereafter

One: Chicken ballotine, fried chicken skin, marinated favas and carrots, dill (plated)

Two: Baby lettuce, sweet peas, shaved radish, goat cheddar, buttermilk dressing, wood-grilled pizza crust (family-style)

Three: Roasted leg of lamb, tarragon rub, jus with butter-poached new potatoes, arugula, pickled red onion, black pepper crème fraîche, wood-grilled asparagus, crispy spring onion, parmesan (family-style)

Four: Chocolate churros, macerated strawberries, bourbon-mint sabayon (plated)

Featured producers include:

• Bron's Bee Company | La Fox, IL
• Genesis Growers | St. Anne, IL
• Kilgus Farmstead | Fairbury, IL
• Meadow Haven Farm | Sheffield, IL
• Mint Creek Farm | Stelle, IL
• Nordic Creamery | Westby, WI

Dinner will be served during the screening (~70 min). Ingredients documents several examples of farmer-chef collaborations, presented in four seasonal segments: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Each course of our meal will be introduced and served during a brief transition between the segments. Following the film, we'll present an informal Q&A with our guest farmers and chefs (to be announced), who will share their perspectives on producing, sourcing and preparing local foods. Attendees will have an opportunity to purchase a copy of the Ingredients DVD, which was commercially released on March 29th. To learn more about the film, read this Huffington Post interview with producer and cinematographer Brian Kimmel.


Reviews: Examiner.com | The Oklahoman | Sustainable Greenville


About Locavore Dinners
Launched in Chicago in 2010 by food scientist Jim Javenkoski, this monthly series of culinary events represents the convergence of locally-grown food and ol' school social learning. The dinners offer opportunities for consumers, chefs and farmers to gather and share delicious meals over casual yet informative conversations about the provenance and production of our food. Ideally, that dialog will reveal to each participant how we can collectively strengthen our local food system to provide economic, environmental, safety, wellness and justice benefits for all of us. The enduring goal of the Locavore Dinners is to enhance our food literacy and cultivate our "local food wisdom", one meal at a time.