Chef/Owners Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris of Prairie Grass Cafe
(601 Skokie Blvd.; Northbrook, IL; 847-205-4433) have introduced a
delicious way of keeping a beloved Midwestern food tradition alive while
doing something noteworthy for sustainability. Their just launched
Prairie Grass Fish Fry lunch and dinner on Thursdays and Fridays will be
a throwback to the weekly Fish Fry tradition, but with a sustainable
and artisanal chef's touch.
Currently the Prairie Grass Fish Fry, priced at $28, will feature Batter Fried Wild Alaskan Black Cod with
Potato
Wedges, served with Peach and Corn Slaw. The menu will change weekly
depending on fish availability and seasonality of ingredients, giving
guests a good reason to return frequently. The black cod is pot caught
in Petersburg, Alaska which is on the "green list" from Monterey Seafood
Watch.
"George and I want to express our commitment to sustainable fishing
while giving our lunch and dinner guests a special treat twice every
week," said Stegner. "We know how much people on the North Shore love
their Fish Fry, complete with potatoes and other goodies, so we're
serving it on Thursdays and Fridays. The best news is that it's
delicious. The second best news is that at Prairie Grass Cafe we're
using only sustainable fish and fresh locally farmed ingredients when
possible. It's a winner on several levels."
Why Raise Awareness about Sustainable Fishing?
"Our Fish Fry program can help raise awareness about sustainable
fishing, and so it is something we're going to aggressively promote,"
said Stegner.
According to Oceana, the not-for-profit advocacy and research
organization (usa.oceana.org), the primary trend to reverse is global
overfishing, which is destroying the environment at a much higher rate
than we once anticipated, and it is unsustainable. Overfishing occurs
when the number of fish removed from their habitats is greater than
their reproduction rate. This causes entire species of fish to die off,
leading to drastic deterioration of our marine and, ultimately, our
terrestrial ecosystems. Ocean acidification, caused by a range of
industrial processes, is another major issue facing our marine habitats.
According to National Geographic, commercial fishing removes more
than 170 billion pounds of wildlife from the sea each year. This rapid
removal has caused 80% of the world's natural fisheries to be in a state
of collapse. The three main fish used in fish fries are cod, haddock,
and flounder. But overfishing of these mainstream commercial species
during the past decade has resulted in a 95 percent drop in these
populations.
"That's why Prairie Grass Cafe is using Wild Alaskan
Black Cod," said Bumbaris. "It is one species that is not being
overfished. We will continue to use sustainably fished species as our
Fish Fry program continues."
Stegner and Bumbaris are active supporters of the Right Bite, the
Shedd Aquarium's conservation program. The program's goal is to promote
the consumption of responsibly and sustainably sourced fish so that our
marine ecosystems, including the Great Lakes, remain sound. Many people,
roughly 36 million in the U.S. and Canada, depend on the Great Lakes
for food, home, livelihood, and clean drinking water.
The world's global marine ecosystems are also at major risk. The
United States is the world's second largest seafood market and more than
90 percent of the seafood consumed in the United States is caught or
processed overseas. Scientists have determined that if we continue to
overfish our oceans and fresh water sources, there will be no seafood
left by the year 2048. We need to choose sustainable seafood options to
promote healthier ecosystems and protect marine life.
Share:
Green City
Market board member Elizabeth Richter will share the inspiring story and
mission of the Green City Market this Sunday, Sept. 27 at 2 p.m. at The
Stevenson Center on Democracy (25200 N. St. Mary’s Rd. Lake Forest, IL 60045). 
