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Award-Winning Chef Starts Series Highlighting Laudable Vendors
- Bob Benenson
- Apr 10
- 3 min read
Read Where Prairie Grass Cafe's Sarah Stegner Gets Cheese and Mushrooms
I have long admired Chef Sarah Stegner, a two-time James Beard Award winner who since 2004 has been chef/owner of the highly regarded Prairie Grass Cafe in the north Chicago suburb of Northbrook.
In recent years I have been heavily engaged with her work as a co-founder of Chicago Chefs Cook — a philanthropic organization that parlays the extraordinary generosity of the region's culinary community — and as an advocate for Chef Sebastian White's The Evolved Network food education non-profit.
Sarah has always credited the farmers and other vendors whose ingredients have helped secure her stature as a chef. Now she has taken a step further by highlighting individual partners in a "Relationship Driven Food" Spotlight Series.
The following is the release that Prairie Grass Cafe shared with Local Food Forum, in which you'll learn about producers who sell cheese and mushrooms to the restaurant.
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Prairie Grass Cafe , (601 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook, 847-205-4433), a mainstay in Chicago’s North Shore dining scene, is launching the “The Spotlight Series” that shares the chef’s philosophy of “Relationship Driven Food.” The project showcases chef Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris's deep-rooted connections with the farmers, artisans, and purveyors. These relationships have helped create the experience for the guests at Prairie Grass Cafe.
“It’s about knowing where our food comes from—and who it comes from,” says Stegner, a James Beard Award-winning chef and co-founder of the Green City Market. “These are relationships built over years, and they make every dish more meaningful and delicious,” she said.
🧀 First up: Goat cheese from an Indiana legend
The series opens with a spotlight on Judith Schad, the pioneering cheesemaker behind Capriole Goat Cheese, whose award-winning cheeses have graced Prairie Grass Cafe’s Marinated Beet Salad for nearly 20 years.
Schad was one of the first vendors at Green City Market when it opened in 1999. Her connection with Chef Sarah began years earlier, when Sarah was sourcing cheese for The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton.
“Working with Judith for 30 plus years, we have become friends who know each other's history and stories. At the root of the relationship is mutual respect and gratitude for her work - the delicious goat cheese,” said Stegner.
🍄 Coming up next: Earth Day with mushrooms
On Earth Day (April 22), the restaurant will feature Farmer Eric Rose. Eric is one of Green City Market's original farmers. Mushrooms from River Valley Ranch are a staple ingredient in Prairie Grass’s beloved mushroom soup. For every bowl sold, Prairie Grass Cafe will donate a pint to the community fridge outside Soul & Smoke, supporting food access locally
The upcoming features in the series will include stories about Dennis Kramer, the Owner of Seafood Merchants, Prairie Grass Cafe's fish purveyor. This long-time partner reflects the restaurant’s values of transparency and sustainability.
🥗 Why it matters
Prairie Grass Cafe is pushing the conversation of Relationship-Driven Food forward with friendship and shared purpose. Stegner and Bumbaris hope the series invites diners into their world and inspires them to think about their own food relationships.
The release also includes the following pair of delicious-sounding recipes.
Capriole Goat Cheese Cakes with Marinated Beets & Pistachio-Citrus Pesto
By Chef Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Cafe
Pistachio-Bread Crumb Crusted Capriole Goat Cheese Cake
Ingredients:
¼ cup raw shelled finely chopped pistachios
¼ cup panko flakes
1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 oz fresh Capriole goat cheese
¼ cup flour
2 eggs
2-4 tbsp olive oil
Method:
Split the goat cheese into two flat, round discs (about a half inch thick). Combine the pistachios, panko and parmesan together. Completely coat the cheese cakes in flour then egg then the bread crumb mixture.
In a small sauté pan over medium heat, add a generous amount of olive oil (2-4 tablespoons) and cook the goat cheese cakes until golden brown on both sides (about 2 minutes per side).
Marinated Beets
Ingredients:
½ lb mixed color baby beets
½ cup orange juice
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup honey
1 sprig fresh thyme
Pinch sea salt
Pinch of grain mustard
Method:
Remove the beet tops (reserve for other uses or discard). Boil the beets in salted water until tender. Allow to cool slightly and rub the skin off of the beets. Tip: I often use an old dish towel to help. If they are cooked correctly the skin should come right off.
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