Chicago Bites

Attendees sampled greens at the Family Farmed EXPO trade show.

Saturday was the third and final day of the Family Farmed EXPO, and we went for the whole hog with top Chicago restaurateurs Paul Kahan (Blackbird, Avec, Publican) and Rob Levitt (Mado) who joined Ehran Ostrreicher from E & P Meats and Greg Gunthorp of Gunthorp Farms on a panel about the importance of eating and/or using an entire animal.

Paul Kahan talks about the importance of using the whole animal and how he does that in his restaurants.

Then we enjoyed a series of community focused sessions and cooking demos throughout the day that drew a crowd. Presentations included information about urban gardening, raising chickens in the city, eating organic on a dime, eating from farm to table, and more.

Have a look at our full photo set, and watch for more information about eating well as we sort through our tweets, notes, and thoughts on the subject. Until then, as always, happy dining!

Organic herb goodness at the trade show.

The Trade Show at the Expo featured tasty organic goods.

Kermit had it right. It’s not easy being green.  And that’s not a reference to navigating the St. Paddy’s Day Parade madness about to ensue in Chicago today. Rather, it’s a good recap of yesterday’s discussions at day two of the Family Farmed EXPO.

We learned all about bringing the organic green to the restaurant scene. A worthy effort? Absolutely. A healthy necessity? We think so. But not easy to do. We heard about what it means to be a green restaurant, met some rock star farmers, sampled organic goodies, and watched the documentary Fresh. Check out our latest photos, and tune in on Twitter for a play-by-play of day three now in progress.

Signature Room Chef David Schuminsky serves up caviar, but later admits he'd rather eat steak.

There wasn't a Cherry Lime Rickey in sight, but Bill Kurtis still had plenty to say about food yesterday, as he discussed Tallgrass Beef.

Do know a local farmer? Or a restaurant Entrepreneur? We got to know some a bit better yesterday at the Family Farmed EXPO, where we attended a series of panel discussions and speakers touching on everything from ways to access fresh food and finance sustainable food businesses, to how to scale a local food business.

Follow our continued live coverage of the expo today and tomorrow via Twitter, check out our list of other tweeters involved in the event, and take a look at pictures from yesterday’s panels. Then stay tuned for more discussion about food policy on Chicago Bites as we continue our crash course in learning about what we eat.