Photos by Jessica Tampas

To Market, To Market... But first to dinner to celebrate and benefit the launch of Green City Market's second season. By Nancy Ross Ryan Chicago's Green City Market, the first and only farmer's market in the city devoted to organically grown and sustainably raised food, kicked off its second season on Wednesday, June 28, at its new location: The Chicago Historical Society's new north parking lot (one block north of the Historical Society building off Stockton Drive). The market will be held there every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and unlike other farmer's markets, in addition to fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers, there will be breads, meats, eggs, cheeses, and more. And you will see a lot of Chicago's best-known chefs hanging out, some of them cooking. Which is what they were doing at The Ritz-Carlton on Monday, June 12, at the $175 a plate dinner to benefit Green City Market. (All proceeds from the dinner cover administrative costs for the all-volunteer, non-profit organization, which, unlike other farmer's markets, does not charge its farmers a fee of any kind to participate.) Before dinner at the Ritz a very passionate panel, moderated by New York restaurant consultant Clark Wolf, expressed their market support. Panelists included Connie Buscemi (from the Mayor's Office of Consumer Services, City of Chicago), Rick Bayless (Chef-proprietor, Frontera Grill/Topolobampo); Mark Baker (Executive Chef, Four Seasons, Chicago), Eberhard Mueller (Executive Chef, Lutece, New York) and his wife Paulette Satur (who manages their 18-acre organic farm), Sarah Stegner (chef, The Dining Room, Ritz-Carlton and Market Executive Committee) and Abby Mandel (food writer and Green City Market Director); Paul Maki (Blue Skies Farm) and George Rasmussen (Swan Creek Farm). Some bon mots: Rick Bayless:"I'm proud that 90% of what we use at our restaurants is from local small farms, almost exclusively organic." Mark Baker:"Our biggest challenge in cooking with true seasonality is to make the connection between farmers and chefs--farmer's markets help create those relationships." Eberhard Mueller:"Who benefits from wonderful organic farm produce--such as the 60 varieties of heirloom tomatoes we produce? The customers." Sarah Stegner:"We need to cultivate the same deep respect for the produce as they have developed in France. It happens only when everyone in the kitchen gets involved with markets and farms." Abby Mandel:"Farmer's markets help the home cook to cook seasonally, and organic farmer's markets, such as Green City, help us all recognize that eating is an agricultural act." The four-course dinner was prepared by Mark Baker, Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris, Executive Chef, Ritz-Carlton, Chicago; Eberhard Mueller, and the dessert by En-Ming Hsu, Pastry Chef, Ritz-Carlton, Chicago. And yes! you can taste the difference between the organic Green City Market food products used exclusively in this dinner and run-of-the-mill supermarket food. The food presentations in general and some of the preparations were clearly haute cuisine. But some of the preparations were straightforward and depended--as did all the dishes--on the fabulous flavor of the ingredients. It was like eating in stereo, and the exuberant, vibrant flavors are a compelling reason to shop for ingredients like these for cooking at home.

	THE MENU Mark Baker Braised brook trout with sweet onion confit, baby leeks and "semi-wild" salette Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris White and green asparagus with fine herb hollandaise Braised veal shank ravioli over creamed spinach and sweet peas Eberhard Mueller Roasted Cornish hen and braised leg with wild mushrooms and baby turnips En-Ming Hsu Frozen lemon parfait with strawberry rhubarb compote

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