VEG E-Town is a new weekly event at the Downtown Evanston Farmers Market. It began on August 5 and will run for 9 weeks (with 8 sessions). VEG E-Town is a program that, among its many virtues, has returned live cooking demos to the market. There have only been one or two Chef Demos since the Market pivoted to protect vendors and customers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Evanston native and storied Chef Brian Huston (owner and chef of Evanston’s sorely missed restaurant Boltwood), is the host/instructor/chef for each 15-minute session. There are 4 or 5 sessions each week. Brian explains that, “…we’re going to do…an 8 to 9 week series of different vegetables showing the people how to cook them and how easy they are to make and eat.”
This program has its origin in a USDA initiative called Veg U. Veg U. is intended to “further the awareness of farmers markets’ contributions to healthy food access.” After a pilot effort in the nation’s capital, Veg U. then, “set out to develop and pilot on-campus farmers markets at three 1890 land grant universities and Vegetable Education (VegU) programs at three farmers markets.” Markets in Texas, Illinois, and Kentucky were chosen for the program, and so Chef Brian helms one of only 3 programs in the U.S.
He is no stranger to the Farmers Market. Brian Huston’s generosity in sharing his time and talent for chef demos and fundraising events is legendary, if not unique. Many area chefs contributed their efforts throughout market seasons since around 2010, until pandemic caution put food-sharing of any sort off-limits.
Although Chef Brian is a veteran, he is quickly growing into this particular endeavor. “I think really what people want is to taste things. And if we can draw them in with food to taste and talk to them, I think we will touch and reach more people.”
In his second program, “Veggie Wraps,” there wasn’t a lot of cooking, but there was a lot of assembling, and a whole lot of tasting. “…the theme of today is…things in season that go well together. So really, it’s a matter of taking today’s ingredients and then combining them with a binder. And so I’ve made a couple of binders — some salsas, some Green Goddess dressing. And I got some hummus.”
With the help of volunteers from Evanston Grows, a cavalcade of tasting appeared on the tasting table, quickly swept up by the crowd.
The overall lesson of this particular session was, “Things that grow together go together.” Market farms and vendors are supplying product for the demos, and their bright and beautiful array of fresh wares certainly proved that point.
And one “student” observed that a professional cook like Brian Huston can’t help but teach with every word and action. “I’ve been bringing home stone fruit and mangling it,” the visitor observed. “I watched Brian slicing peaches for a wrap, and it’s a revelation. I can’t wait to get back home and make a fruit salad! And he didn’t have to say a word.”
The Veg E-Town demos run from 9am to 10:30am. There are usually 4 sessions.
In October, Friends will keep the cooking going with a series of weekly demos featuring several local restaurants. We’ll share more information when it’s available.
