Chicago Chapter Archived Projects

 As an urban chapter partnering for Food Day with Heritage Prairie Farm and FamilyFarm.org gives our membership an opportunity to connect with local farmers.

WHAT: Join us at FamilyFarmed.org’s annual fundraiser, the Autumn Harvest Supper, as we celebrate the farmers that grow our food and the chefs that transform it!

Top Chef alum Sarah Grueneberg and chef Chris Marchino of Spiaggia will create dishes that highlight the season’s bounty.

Eat honey fresh from the comb, dance to bluegrass tunes, drink local libations, and eat world class dishes at an afternoon you’re sure to remember.

Participating Farms:
Becker Lane Organic Farm, Mint Creek Farm, Seedling Orchard, and more. Special thanks to Heritage Prairie Farm, whose constant support has made this event possible.

Leave the driving to us: Chartered buses leave from Glencoe Train Station and Lincoln Park at 1:30 pm and return by 7:30 pm. Joined by mixologists serving craft cocktails and beer, the party starts on the way to the farm!

Become a sponsor: Buy 6 or more tickets and you’ll be recognized as a Host of the event. Your name will be listed here and in the print program and announced during the event. Additionally, we’ll save seats for you and your party at the family style supper table. Buy your tickets, here.

WHERE: Heritage Prairie Farm (about an hour west of Chicago)
2N308 Brundige Road
Elburn, Illinois 60119

WHEN: Sunday, October 21, 2012
3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

COST:
VIP Package – $225
Enjoy a pre-reception with the chefs that includes a premium bar, exclusive appetizer, raffle tickets, a VIP bus from the Chicago area, and all the amenities included below.
General Admission – $175

Enjoy round trip transportation from Chicago via chartered bus, a family style dinner, tours of the farm, open bar, appetizers, and music.

To reserve by credit card, follow link to registration site.

2012 Autumn Harvest Supper

As an urban chapter partnering for Food Day with Heritage Prairie Farm and FamilyFarm.org gives our membership an opportunity to connect with local farmers.

Date: October 21, 2012

October 21st was a picture perfect fall Chicago day to celebrate Food Day hosted by Dame Browyn Weaver of Heritage Prairie Farm in Elburn, IL and to celebrate the season’s bounty and FamilyFarmed.org. Buses were arranged from various locations to the farm with a mixologist from Koval Distillery, an artisan distiller.


Dames and guests were greeted by the hosts and offered a plethora of beautiful Hors d’oeuvres that showcased local produce and farmers. A tour of the farm revealed the unique crop rotation system. There was a silent auction, live music provided by Sunnyside Up, several artisan vendors with their wares and an opportunity to shop in the Heritage Prairie farm store to buy Bron’s honey and other specialty food items.


The spectacular Spiaggia farm-to-table meal was created by Top Chef Alum & Executive Chef Sarah Grueneberg and Executive Sous-Chef Chris Marchino who partnered with Harvest Moon Farms, Otter Creek Organic Farms, Goodness Greeness, Mint Creek, Angelic Organics, Becker Lane Organic and the host farm. Together, they created a 5 course family-style meal that rivaled any fine dining establishment. A particular favorite was the 3rd course Becker Lane Pork Sausage Stuffed Cabbage with Brown Butter and Crispy Shallots/Marinated Becker Lane Pork Loin with Pear Mostarda/ Slow Roasted Becker Lane Pork Belly with Aleppo Pepper and Spigarello.


The beautiful white tent was simply decorated. The tables were adorned with different varieties of local squash (which were sent home with guests in the goody bags) and some simple fall flowers. After an idyllic day spent at the farm, the fully-sated crowd boarded the buses back to city life.
 

 THE PROJECT’S MISSION -- To educate and inspire the large and diverse group of children who are members of the Robert R. McCormick Boys & Girls Club of Chicago.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM -- The Green Tables Initiative is a Les Dames d’Escoffier sponsored program, which turns our attention to sustainability and a wholesome diet for our citizens and especially for our children. The Chicago Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier has developed a program for the McCormick Boys & Girls Club in Chicago to promote good healthy food by classes, seminars, gardening, and cooking demonstrations. Members volunteer their expertise to this ambitious program that began spring 2007 with earth boxes and has expanded each year. The current program includes planting, weeding and harvesting the garden, as well as cooking classes and field trips.
 

The program includes the following elements:
 A curriculum of classes, workshops and guest lectures. Tastings, tours and simple cooking classes taught or led by Les Dames members with some hands-on classes at Chicago culinary schools as budget permits.
 Field trips provide experiential learning as the students visit organic farms and gardens, local farmers markets and orchards.
 Indoor demonstrations and tastings during the winter months; outreach into the community to understand food, local farms and community supported agriculture programs during the growing season.
 Programming that reaches parents and engages them in the same topics that their children are learning.
 Children-nurtured gardens in the raised garden beds and earth boxes on-site at the McCormick Club made possible with Les Dames funding.
 

WHY IT WORKS -- Les Dames and the Boys & Girls Club share common goals: One of the main educational focuses for the club is health, so this program fits their mission as well as Les Dames’.
 

There is a full time staff and dedicated Executive Director and Program Director. The staff and Board of McCormick are extremely excited about this project. Food literacy and nutrition education are not currently funded or supported by volunteers except for occasional classes in the Smart Girls program. The kids are very interested – anything with food draws a crowd. They want to work on their gardens. They are hungry to learn.

Several Les Dames members act as a liaison with the club and our members enthusiastically volunteer to teach classes, lead tours or help with tastings.
 

HOW IT WORKS -- Several Les Dames members provided individual donations to get the program started and a special fund has been set up at the club to accept donations specifically related to this program.
 

Mary Abbott Hess and Sharon Olson worked on developing the program, coordinating with the club and documenting its progress. Karen Levin was the first program chair of this project followed by Donna Pierce and Jean True. The chair schedules Les Dames members to volunteer. And members volunteer their time, expertise and a lot of sweat equity into making the garden grow and the harvest a success.

Some technical expertise is needed that goes beyond the expertise of Les Dames members. We have funded a contract with The Organic Gardener, professional garden educators, to develop a curriculum of bi-weekly lessons during the growing season.
 

Les Dames funding provided equipment and supplies to support demonstrations on-site by Les Dames members and guest chefs to teach participatory cooking classes throughout the year.
 

ABOUT THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB -- Their mission is “to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.” They serve boys and girls from pre-school through college age. 95% of children are 6 to 18 years old, a time when they are establishing habits that will often last a lifetime.

The McCormick Club has over 2,200 children as members with average daily attendance of over 300 kids. It is the largest Boys & Girls Club in Chicago. This Club, in Uptown, is convenient to many Les Dames Chicago members.
 

WHY IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE -- 75% of the children who participate in the Boys & Girls Clubs come from single parent households; 48% from families with household income below $28,000. The McCormick Club is well established and has many programs in place to offer these kids a safe and nurturing environment. There are activities that include literacy, physical education, art, ceramics, photography, computer labs for homework assistance and even a recording studio. Yet, when it comes to nutrition, the executive director told us many of these kids think a bag of Cheetos® is a good lunch. Many have little or no connection with food, nutrition or the quality it can add to their lives. We knew we were making a difference when we heard from one of the kids who had never tasted a sugar snap pea before that they were “sweet, crunchy and better than potato chips.”

 

THE PROJECT’S MISSION -- To educate and inspire the large and diverse group of children who are members of the Robert R. McCormick Boys & Girls Club of Chicago.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM -- The Green Tables Initiative is a Les Dames d’Escoffier sponsored program, which turns our attention to sustainability and a wholesome diet for our citizens and especially for our children. The Chicago Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier has developed a program for the McCormick Boys & Girls Club in Chicago to promote good healthy food by classes, seminars, gardening, and cooking demonstrations. Members volunteer their expertise to this ambitious program that began spring 2007 with earth boxes and has expanded each year. The current program includes planting, weeding and harvesting the garden, as well as cooking classes and field trips.

The program includes the following elements:
„X A curriculum of classes, workshops and guest lectures. Tastings, tours and simple cooking taught or led by Les Dames members with some hands-on classes at Chicago culinary schools as budget permits.
„X Field trips provide experiential learning as the students visit organic farms and gardens, local farmers markets and orchards.
„X Indoor demonstrations and tastings during the winter months; outreach into the community to understand food, local farms and community supported agriculture programs during the growing season.
„X Programming that reaches parents and engages them in the same topics that their children are learning.
„X Children-nurtured gardens in the raised garden beds and earth boxes on-site at the McCormick Club made possible with Les Dames funding.

WHY IT WORKS -- Les Dames and the Boys & Girls Club share common goals: One of the main educational focuses for the club is health, so this program fits their mission as well as Les Dames’.

There is a full time staff and dedicated Executive Director and Program Director. The staff and Board of McCormick are extremely excited about this project. Food literacy and nutrition education are not currently funded or supported by volunteers except for occasional classes in the Smart Girls program. The kids are very interested – anything with food draws a crowd. They want to work on their gardens. They are hungry to learn.

Several Les Dames members act as a liaison with the club and our members enthusiastically volunteer to teach classes, lead tours or help with tastings.

HOW IT WORKS -- Several Les Dames members provided individual donations to get the program started and a special fund has been set up at the club to accept donations specifically related to this program.

Mary Abbott Hess and Sharon Olson work on developing the curriculum for the program, coordinating with the club and documenting its progress. Karen Levin schedules Les Dames members to volunteer. And members volunteer their time, expertise and a lot of sweat equity into making the garden grow and the harvest a success.

Some technical expertise is needed that goes beyond the expertise of Les Dames members. We initiated contacts with both University of Illinois Cooperative Extension and The Organic Gardener to provide materials and instruction related to this program. We have a contract with professional garden educators to develop a curriculum of bi-weekly lessons during the growing season.

In 2010, there will be a mobile demonstration kitchen on-site for Les Dames members and guest chefs to teach participatory cooking classes throughout the year.

ABOUT THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB -- Their mission is “to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.” They serve boys and girls from pre-school through college age. 95% of children are 6 to 18 years old, a time when they are establishing habits that will often last a lifetime.

The McCormick Club has over 2,200 children as members with average daily attendance of over 300 kids. It is the largest Boys & Girls Club in Chicago. This Club, in Uptown, is convenient to many Les Dames Chicago members.

WHY IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE -- 75% of the children who participate in the Boys & Girls Clubs come from single parent households; 48% from families with household income below $28,000. The McCormick Club is well established and has many programs in place to offer these kids a safe and nurturing environment. There are activities that include literacy, physical education, art, ceramics, photography, computer labs for homework assistance and even a recording studio. Yet, when it comes to nutrition, the executive director told us many of these kids think a bag of Cheetos® is a good lunch. Many have little or no connection with food, nutrition or the quality it can add to their lives. We knew we were making a difference when we heard from one of the kids who had never tasted a sugar snap pea before that they were “sweet, crunchy and better than potato chips.”

Curriculum

Questionnaire

Instructor Guide

The Chicago Chapter has adopted a food literacy program that will include both cooking and gardening components to educate and inspire the large and diverse group of children who are members of the Robert R. McCormick Boys & Girls Club of Chicago.

Every other Wednesday, through November, Dames will hold simple demonstrations, tastings and occasionally incorporate field trips/tours to involve 8 to 12 year-olds in the food and cooking part of the program. And hopefully, with more funding, the program will expand into hands on-cooking classes and more field trips.

Alternating Wednesdays are reserved for gardening, and Dames will help at the gardening classes and assist with field trips to other gardens and farms. The Dames have also contracted with The Organic Gardener, who will come to the Club to provide expertise and guidance. Part of the program will be at least 5 trips to the Green City Market and the Edible Garden at Farm in the Zoo.

Dame Karen Levin is responsible for this Green Tables Initiative community service project and will coordinate member participation. Dame Mary Abbott Hess and Dame Sharon Olson are the project coordinators and will plan the curriculum. This Chicago Les Dames supported program will be a prominent feature of the McCormick Boys & Girls Club website. 

Dames Hess and Olson report, “It is our hope that every chapter member will participate in the Green Tables Initiative in some way: teach or help teach a food or cooking class, plan a lesson or tasting, host or help chaperone a tour or field trip, work with the kids in the garden, or donate funds to support the program. Community service is a vital part of Les Dames’ mission, and contributing to the Boys & Girls Club will be an excellent opportunity to do that with panache.”

 

The Chicago chapter hosted a field trip for culinary students to the Chicago International Produce Market. Dames shared with students insights into selecting produce, using seasonal foods and uses of unfamiliar produce. The field trip was part of the chapter’s newest community service project, sponsoring a culinary seminar at the Walter Payton College Prep (WPCP). The chapter is working with the staff of the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago (CHIC) to present the program. Walter Payton is a Chicago public school. Culinary education is one of the most popular electives in the high school’s half-day seminar programs. In addition to learning about healthy cooking, students have gone on several food-related field trips. The Chicago chapter is exploring ways to partner with civic groups like the “Healthy Schools Campaign” to offer their services as cooking teachers in the schools, and participants in the state-wide effort to integrate cooking and healthy eating into school programs. This effort is headed by Dame Lois Levine who teaches cooking classes in the public school system.