Fork This: Garden Chef Series at Chicago Botanic Gardens Enlightens

By Marielle Shaw in Food on Jul 20, 2014 3:00PM

Photo credit : Marielle Shaw

If we assume there are some people in our fair city who are not currently packed into Pitchfork, then there’s some chance on this beautiful day that some of our readers are looking for other things to do. We tend not to get too many mild weather weekends in a row, so it’s a good idea to take full advantage when they come along.

Might we suggest the Chicago Botanic Garden this weekend? Having our eye on them on Twitter has kept us up to date on what’s in bloom, and so we know that very recently the rose garden reached its peak. Butterflies and Blooms is also open now through Sept. 1st, and is a great opportunity to interact and photograph some of the most beautiful bugs that you’ll ever see.

One of this author’s favorite things though, owing to my interest in cooking new and exciting things at home, is the Garden Chef series.

Guest chefs from all around the Chicago area come in to the Regenstein Fruit and Vegetable Garden’s amphitheater on Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 and 2:30 pm and demonstrate dishes using garden fresh ingredients, and the audience gets to both sample and ask any questions that they may have.

Past participants this year have included the likes of Gale Gand and Michael Hiller of the Soundings Café at the Shedd Aquarium. This Sunday, July 20, chef Roger Waysok from the South Water Kitchen will make an appearance for the series.

These demonstrations do fill the the tiny amphitheater and seating is first come first served, but there’s an elegant solution to the problem: Get there early so you can snag tickets for one of the day’s sessions. Tiptoeing through the tulips, wandering by the waterlilies or cantering past the cacti is the least painful of ways to wait, after all. Then, after the chef has whetted your appetite, head to the Garden Café for lunch and a glass of wine on the beautiful patio. It’s an exercise in relaxation that’ll surely have you forgetting those passes you weren’t able to get.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is a short drive north from the city, in Glencoe, IL. Admission is always free, but parking costs $25 per car for non-members. Well worth it, in our book.