By discovering new ways to use less-than-perfect produce, chefs are bringing veggie-focused cooking into the spotlight
Stemming from the practice of nose-to-tail butchery, root-to-stem cooking has emerged as an opportunity to reduce food-waste by using the entire vegetable—peels, seeds, and all—when cooking. This food trend has become more than just a way to use up vegetables but has encouraged a whole generation of chefs and their customers to learn more about sustainability in food and to discover ways of incorporating it into their daily lives.
At Next of Kin {625 Davis Street, Evanston; 847.563.8242} in Evanston, Chef Marco Bahena believes sustainable cooking begins with sourcing produce from as close to home as possible.
“When shopping small and local, produce enters our kitchen at its peak freshness, allowing us to use every inch of the plant as opposed to sourcing something that’s shipped from across the world,” he says.
Chef Bahena’s produce-forward standards are reflected in the seasonally-rotating menu, including dishes like Asparagus Salad, featuring locally grown asparagus from Lake Breeze Farm, using the entire vegetable including the stems—abolishing the myth that asparagus stems can taste woody. When treated properly and sourced thoughtfully, any vegetable can transform into something amazing.
The team at Bad Hunter {2308, 802 West Randolph Street, Chicago; 312.265.1745} also believes that sourcing from local farmers is the key to green cooking, though this practice comes with a higher price tag. “Market vegetables are not cheap, nor should they be,” says chef Dan Snowden, “so I try to get the most bang for my buck.” One way to do this is by letting no ounce of produce go to waste, like using turnip greens—something commonly thrown out—to create an entirely new dish on the menu. Despite the expense, Snowden says, “Sourcing from farmers who use good environmental practices and limiting the carbon footprint are the biggest impacts we can make as chefs.”
Speaking of sourcing locally, it doesn’t get any closer to home than at Homestead On The Roof {1924 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago; 773.332.2354} Situated above West Town Bakery, this charming patio restaurant and popular event venue — a proud product of The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group — also boasts a 3,000-square-foot garden. Here, the journey from farm to table is a short one. Crisp veggies, flavorful herbs, and plump fruits are fresh for the picking just feet away from the restaurant’s patrons. A customized planting schedule kicks off every year in April, allowing time for at least four harvests before fall and resulting in a rotating, truly seasonal menu influenced entirely by the garden’s bountiful offerings. And if this healthful approach to consumption alone wasn’t enough, the team at Homestead takes it a step further with their commitment to whole product utilization. Vegetable tops and trimmings are often ground into powder for concentrated flavor. Other produce scraps find their way into stocks or sauces, and any overflow veggies can easily be pickled for the winter.
Root-to-stem cooking also requires a great deal of creativity from chefs. By-product from one dish on the menu may become an essential component of another, or perhaps a vegetable is treated many different ways in the same dish. Take Althea {700 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago; 312.525.3400} for example, their Tomato Zucchini Lasagna dehydrates the scraps from sliced tomatoes and blends them into a sun-dried tomato sauce on the same dish. Chef de Cuisine Kelsey Knowles loves when new guests come in who are unaware that Althea is plant-based. “It gives us a chance to reach out to those who may think that this type of food is boring or unsatisfying and show them that it can be delicious and fulfilling,” she says.
Chef Ellison Park at Income Tax {5959 North Broadway, Chicago; 773.897.9165} agrees that lack of understanding plays a role in the food-waste crisis, but also believes there is an economical cause, as well.
“The American ideal of ‘the sky’s the limit’ is our greatest asset, but could be our demise if we don’t support small businesses or let them have a chance to even play the game,” says Chef Park, “Food at restaurants is going to have to be more expensive and diners are going to have to accept that, unfortunately, it costs a lot of money to serve honest food.”
Thankfully, the dishes at Income Tax are sustainable and approachable, like the Grilled Jarrahdale Squash with Chermoulah, which uses the entire squash— pulp and seeds included—to create a flavorful, naturally sweet squash demi-glace.
Then, at Clever Rabbit {2015 West Division Street, Chicago; 773.697.8711}, you won’t catch anyone peeling vegetables inside this kitchen! “I feel as a young chef you are told to peel every vegetable,” says Chef Spencer Blake, “in most situations, the skin of a vegetable enhances the texture and flavor, and I find washing the product intently is far more effective than peeling.” Aside from peels, Chef Blake has also discovered the flavor power of root vegetable leaves, which he uses to make a vinaigrette, pesto, chimichurri, or a simple broth made only from salt, water, and blanched leaves.
If the opinions of these chefs are any indication, root-to-stem sustainable cooking is on its way up in the culinary world. Like Chef Blake says, “Mother Nature always reclaims, we are just getting back to the way it always was and should be.”
CITY MARKET
For 20 years, Green City Market has been Chicago’s favorite place for locally sourced, sustainable food. After visiting similar markets in Europe, Founder Abby Mandel decided to bring the concept to Chicago, quickly growing in popularity and becoming the first farmers’ market in the country to require all farmers to be recognized by a certified third-party agency. The market is now in three locations: Lincoln Park, the West Loop, and a winter spot at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Besides a plethora of local vendors, Green City Market also offers a variety of programs, like local compost drop-off, chef demos, and edible education initiatives that aim to teach children about where food comes from and why it matters. Green City Market works with its farmers to promote their products to the chef community, reaching over 100 Chicago chefs and restaurants.
Green City Market’s outdoor markets operate every Wednesday and Saturday from 7AM-1PM in Lincoln Park, and every Saturday from 8AM-1PM in the West Loop. The outdoor season runs May through October, and the indoor season November through April. The full schedule of events and more information is available on their website.
By Audrey Rompon | Contributor
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