About National Eat Local Day, September 22
National Eat Local Day was founded by Chef Sarah Stegner and Cindy Kurman to encourage the public to prepare a totally locally sourced menu at home as well as restaurateurs and chefs to provide at least one totally locally sourced menu item at their restaurants on September 22.
Our hope is that we can work together to raise awareness of the importance of supporting our local sustainable farms. We hope to increase the flow of local sustainable food to our tables
About Sarah Stegner, Co-Executive Chef/Owner, Prairie Grass Cafe
Two-time James Beard Foundation award winner Sarah Stegner’s culinary talent and commitment to supporting sustainable locally produced ingredients is evident in the passion she brings to the food that is served at Prairie Grass Cafe. She is a founding board member and past president of the nationally renowned Green City Market. The Market now represents more than 50 certified farmers. Sarah has been one of Chicago’s most influential chefs in bringing the organic sustainable food movement into the mainstream. She is co-executive chef and owner of Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, IL along with partners chef George Bumbaris and husband Rohit Nambiar.
After graduating from the Dumas Pere Cooking School, Sarah joined the culinary team of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Chicago. Within a few years, she had ascended to Executive Chef of the famed, four-star Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton. In 1994 she was named Rising Star Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation; in 1995 she earned the Robert Mondavi Culinary Award of Excellence; and she was named Best Chef: Midwest by the James Beard Foundation in 1998.
In 2004, Sarah left the Ritz-Carlton Hotel with her colleague, Chef George Bumbaris to open Prairie Grass Cafe.
Prairie Grass Cafe
601 Skokie Blvd.
Northbrook, IL 60062
(847)205-4433
Facebook.com/prairiegrasscafe
Twitter.com/prairiegrasscaf
Instagram.com/prairiegrasscafe
https://prairiegrasscafe.com
About Cindy Kurman, President, Kurman Communications, Inc.
Cindy Kurman Barrie, president of Chicago-based Kurman Communications, Inc. and co-founder of National Eat Local Day with Chef Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Cafe, is a longtime supporter of sustainability. As a former long-time board member of the Green City Market in Chicago, Cindy was charged with helping to build the Green City Market brand nationally, raising awareness for it and in the process educating people on our country’s need to support local farms and for consumers to understand where their food comes from, helping them to improve their food choices.
Over the years she has represented hundreds of restaurants in all categories, from five-star fine dining to nationwide fast-casual corporations. Her agency’s services include media relations, social media, marketing promotions and industry relations.
Kurman was a longtime Board Member of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, Board Member of the River North Business Association, Board Member of Chicago’s Green City Market, and a member of the Chicago Convention and Visitors Bureau. In 2003, Kurman was named as one of the founding members of Today’s Chicago Woman Hall of Fame.
