for immediate release

Garden Chef Series Grows Fresh Ideas

Chicago Botanic Garden, May 21 – Oct. 2

Media Only:
Melissa Schuler
(847) 835-6829, direct
mschuler@chicagobotanic.org

GLENCOE, Ill. (May 5, 2011) — Forty of Chicago's top chefs share their culinary expertise, preparing a signature dish with garden-fresh ingredients during the Chicago Botanic Garden's Garden Chef Series. Thousands of Garden visitors enjoy watching the chefs work their magic in the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden Demonstration Kitchen from the open-air amphitheatre each year. The free demonstrations take place at 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays from May 21 through Oct. 2.

The Fruit & Vegetable Garden is the Midwest's headquarters for fruit and vegetable gardening information, exhibiting the best edible plants to grow in the Chicago area. Also, the garden is dotted with helpful brown, hand-lettered signs alerting visitors to the behind-the-scenes organic gardening techniques.

Summer plant giveaways are an added bonus from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Volunteers share information about the featured plant, which changes monthly, and encourage visitors to plant seeds or seedlings (while supplies last) to take home to their own gardens. A flyer with care information and a recipe is available. In May, the featured plant is Honey Bear winter squash; in June, Lemon Drop heirloom tomato; in July, Pencil Pod Heirloom wax bean; in August, garlic chives, and in September, Bronze Arrowhead heirloom tomato.

Visitors can learn all about growing and using heirloom tomatoes — from Green Zebra to Yellow Brandywine — at the Heirloom Tomato Weekend on Saturday, August 27 and Sunday, August 28 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden. Tomato tours and seed-saving demonstrations, shopping for tomato products from select vendors, and specially themed family activities are all part of the fun. For information about Garden programs and events, call (847) 835-5440 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org/chef/tomato.

The 2011 Garden Chef Series schedule (subject to change) includes the following:

Saturday, May 21 Michael Kingsley of the Garden Café at the Chicago Botanic Garden

Sunday, May 22 Dave Esau of Dave's Specialty Foods in Mt. Prospect

Saturday, May 28 Susan Maddox of Le Titi De Paris in Arlington Heights

Sunday, May 29 Karianne Soulsby of Diva Chocolates and Confections Inc. in Skokie

Saturday, June 4 Cleetus Friedman of City Provisions in Chicago

Sunday, June 5 Dawn Dlugosz of A NEW DAWN cooking school in Chicago

Saturday, June 11 Victor DeLeon of O'Donovan's Pub & Restaurant in Chicago

Sunday, June 12 Roger Waysok of South Water Kitchen in Chicago

Saturday, June 18 Frank Brunacci of Sixteen in Chicago

Sunday, June 19 Brandon Paige of Bank Lane Bistro in Lake Forest

Saturday, June 25 Andy Novak of Tapas Gitana in Northfield

Sunday, June 26 Danny Ovanin of Glen Prairie in Glen Ellyn

Saturday, July 2 Meg Colleran Sahs of Terzo Piano at the Art Institute of Chicago

Sunday, July 3 Anthony Schmidt of Pierrot Gourmet at The Peninsula Chicago

Saturday, July 9 Sarah Kosikowski of Sixteen in Chicago

Sunday, July 10 Terry & Dirk Fucik of Dirk's Fish and Gourmet Shop in Chicago

Saturday, July 16 Juan Carlos Media Vazquez of Café Central in Highland Park

Sunday, July 17 Joe Wojciechowski of Pensiero Ristorante in Evanston

Saturday, July 23 Jon Steinberg of Egg Harbor Café in Glenview

Sunday, July 24 Mary McMahon of Now We're Cookin' in Evanston

Saturday, July 30 Ramiro Velasquez of Carlos' in Highland Park

Sunday, July 31 Mindy Segal of Hot Chocolate in Chicago

Saturday, August 6 Barilla Italian Cooking Weekend

Sunday, August 7 Barilla Italian Cooking Weekend

Saturday, August 13 Ivan Yuen of Shanghai Terrace at The Peninsula Chicago

Sunday, August 14 Gale Gand of Tru in Chicago

Saturday, August 20 Warren Jones of Bluegrass in Highland Park

Sunday, August 21 Alvaro Chavez of Masa Azul in Chicago

Saturday, August 27 Paul Fehribach of big jones in Chicago

Sunday, August 28 Dan Jacobs of Uncommon Ground in Chicago

Saturday, Sept. 3 Luca Corazzina of 312 in Chicago

Sunday, Sept. 4 Andy Motto of Quince in Evanston

Saturday, Sept. 10 Marc Bernard of Big Bowl in Chicago

Sunday, Sept. 11 Steve Nakon of Whole Journey/Northwest Yoga in Mt. Prospect

Saturday, Sept. 17 Michael Kingsley of Culinary Landscape at the Chicago Botanic Garden

Sunday, Sept. 18 Heather Terhune of Sable Kitchen & Bar in Chicago

Saturday, Sept. 24 Shelley Young of The Chopping Block in Chicago

Sunday, Sept. 25 Michael Paulsen of Abigail's American Bistro in Highland Park

Saturday, Oct. 1 Michael McDonald of one sixtyblue in Chicago

Sunday, Oct. 2 Christopher Tong of My Private Chef in Chicago

The Garden Chef Series is made possible by the generous support of Barilla. Additional support is provided by Food Network magazine. Admission to the Chicago Botanic Garden and the Garden Chef Series is free. Parking is $20 per car; free for Garden members. For more information, call (847) 835-5440, or visit www.chicagobotanic.org/chef.

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Editors, please note: The Chicago Botanic Garden's newsroom is online at www.chicagobotanic.org/pr. For digital images, contact Julie McCaffrey at (847) 835-8213 or at jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org.

Admission to the Chicago Botanic Garden is free. Select event fees apply. Parking is $20 per car; free for Garden members. For information about Garden programs and events, call (847) 835-5440, or visit www.chicagobotanic.org.

Interact with the Garden for this and other Garden events and programs:

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The Chicago Botanic Garden, one of the treasures of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 24 distinct display gardens and four natural areas. With events, programs and activities for all ages, the Garden is open every day of the year. Admission is free; select event fees apply. Parking is $20 per car; free for Garden members. Located at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Ill., the Garden is smoke free. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org, or call (847) 835-5440 for seasonal hours, images of the Garden, and commuter transportation information.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society. It opened to the public in 1972 and is home to the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden, offering a broad array of adult classes in plant science, landscape design and gardening arts. Through the Division of Plant Science and Conservation, Garden scientists work on plant conservation, research and environmental initiatives that have global impact. The Center for Teaching and Learning brings the wonder of nature and plants to children, teens and teachers. The Garden's Horticultural Therapy and Community Gardening programs provide nationally recognized community outreach and service programs. A program of the Chicago Botanic Garden, Windy City Harvest is an organic vegetable and plant production enterprise that provides instruction in sustainable horticulture and urban agriculture to residents of Chicago’s North Lawndale and West Side neighborhoods.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is a member of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). The Chicago Botanic Garden is also host to Botanic Gardens Conservation International-U.S., and a member of the Center for Plant Conservation. In 2006, the Chicago Botanic Garden received the Award for Garden Excellence, given yearly by the APGA and Horticulture magazine to a public garden that exemplifies the highest standards of horticultural practices and has shown a commitment to supporting and demonstrating best gardening practices.