Longtime Chicago chefs cook up the perfect summer meal
George Bumbaris had always worked with his hands. He knew he could be an architect, or fix cars, or build houses — he could choose any number of careers. But George liked to eat and thought about how the combination of his Greek heritage and Czech upbringing had led him to love food.
Sarah Stegner was a talented classical guitarist. One day as she was practicing, she thought to herself: Do I want to spend my life practicing 12 hours a day, every day before my concerts? Or would I rather spend 12 hours a day, maybe more, every day, making yummy food?
Opening their own restaurant
Luckily for those of us who have been to Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, both of them chose food. As it happened, Sarah and George each also chose the same cooking school on the North Shore, though George attended a year before Sarah. Both of them were hired by the Ritz- Carlton Chicago Hotel. Both thought they would be at the Ritz for a few years, but their stays turned into decades as they brought fame and awards to the Ritz- Carlton dining room.
As they worked together and learned to trust each other’s taste and creativity, the idea of opening their own restaurant began to germinate. It grew and eventually turned into the Prairie Grass Cafe. Their decades of experience at the Ritz had reinforced lessons each learned from their own families.
George went to Greece in the summers to visit relatives. There, he saw that plentiful, freshly caught seafood dominated the menus. Sarah’s mother and grandmother were both great cooks and they taught her to use vegetables that were in season, preferably grown locally so they would be as fresh as possible. It was time to take that major leap, save money, raise support, design a restaurant, and hire their own staff. Prairie Grass Cafe was born.
A spectacular summer dish
Sarah and George taught me how to make a dinner that’s true to their best collaboration: wild striped bass and seasonal root vegetables. Sarah is so passionate about supporting local farmers that she helped put together the group of chefs who started Chicago’s Green City Market.
George shows us the very fast, perfect way to cook fish, while Sarah whips up roasted carrots, celery root, beets and parsnips. I’ve never cooked parsnips so I asked Sarah what to do when you’re faced with a vegetable you’ve never cooked or tasted before. You can find out what she and George taught me at suntimes.com