Barber's new flavor-packed veggies hit Chicago
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Sweet Garleek and Badger Flame beets. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios
Blue Hill chef Dan Barber wants Chicagoans to love their vegetables — even their beets.
Why it matters: Even in Chicago's top veggie-eating neighborhoods — North Center and McKinley Park — most folks aren't getting their five daily servings.
- Barber, however, hopes to change that with some new snazzy, flavor-packed produce.
Driving the news: The New York chef zoomed around Chicago this week to evangelize about Badger Flame beets, Sweet Garleek, Sweet Prince tomatoes and Koginut squash as they roll out at local Whole Foods this summer and fall.
- He also met with dozens of chefs from Floriole, Maxwell's Trading, Cellar Door Provisions, Del Sur, Bang Bang Pies, Lula Cafe, Publican and more for tastings and talks as the chefs add the produce to their menus.
Back story: In 2018, Barber founded Row 7 Seed Company to source crop varieties with strong yields and pest resistance but also exceptional flavor and, incidentally, high nutrition.
What they're saying: "When you're selecting for flavor, you're selecting for things like flavonoids, vitamins and minerality that both give food its deliciousness, but also its depth of nutrition," Barber told Axios as he drove through Logan Square in his veggie delivery truck Saturday.
Reality check: With food prices already rising, not everyone can afford Barber's leeks and tomatoes currently on offer at Whole Foods and fancy restaurants.
- But the chef says his goal is to democratize this special produce to the point "that you can buy it at Walmart."
Dig in: I tasted three of the new items and here's what I thought:
- Sweet Garleek ($4.99 a bunch) bursts with an almost caramelized onion sweetness and bears greens tender enough to chop into an omelet or eat sautéed on their own.
- Sweet Prince tomatoes ($6.99 a pound) rival my best homegrown cherry tomatoes with a delightful fruitiness that makes them perfect for Labor Day tomato tarts.
- Badger Flame beets deliver an intense sweetness free of those earthy, beety tones that some people hate. They also look sensational.
What's next: Row 7 reps say their Badger Flame beets, buttery Upstate Abundance potatoes and Koginut squash will be joining their leeks and tomatoes at local Whole Foods in coming weeks.
Another helping: Fans of unusual produce can stop by Prairie Grass Cafe tonight to try chef Sarah Stegner's special of locally grown Sicilian serpent squash (aka cucuzza or goo-gootz).
- The special came together after customer Vito Brancato rhapsodized to Stegner about the veg of his youth and they worked together to have it locally grown.