CFM's Market Harvest ends tomorrow with amazing specials and events!

Spicy Monkey is offering new Pumpkin Spice Soup and a Thanksgiving Grilled Cheese Sandwich; Superior Nut and Candy is offering Dipped Candy and Caramel Apples; Oh Olive! is showcasing Red Apple and Cranberry Pear Balsamic, Autumn Harvest Teas, Pumpkin Patch Teas, and Butternut Squash Sauce, and Fumare Meats and Deli is offering Harvest Kale Soup. What would a Harvest Festival be without fabulous beers? Enjoy Frietkoten's American Craft and German Oktoberfest Beers.

 

Looking for the perfect October gift? Pick up Pumpkin Pie Soap from Abbey Brown Artisan Soap or enjoy Bello Tea's new Gingerbread Tea Latte, Pumpkin Spice Tea Lattes or Pumpkin Spice Bubble Tea. Delightful Pastries will be sampling its various brownies during the Harvest Festival as well as featuring its homemade, gluten-free Butternut Squash Soup and The Thanksgiving sandwich. Other harvest specials include: pumpkin cayenne pepper cheesecake brownie ($3.50 each), the pumpkin bread (8.50/loaf), and pumpkin-shaped all butter sugar cookie ($3.50 each), all perfect for take-home desserts or eating-on-the-run).

 

October is American Cheese Month!  To help us celebrate we'll be joined by four award-winning cheesemakers from across the USA.

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. - Saturday, October 12 - Matthew Scott, Twin Maple Farm

Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine celebrates the Chicago French Market's Market Harvest which coincides with the national celebration of American Cheese Month this year. In honor of these occasions, Pastoral will be hosting Matthew Scott from Twin Maple Farm in upstate New York 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, October 12. This is a great opportunity to meet an original American cheesemaker, and to sample and take home some of his award-winning cheese, Hudson Red. Along with a cold bottle of cider, this rich and decadent cheese is the perfect addition to your fall harvest table. Be sure to come back all month long while we feature the hidden gems of the American cheese scene each week.

 

Saturday October 12 Lunch Hour Music - Robert Cunningham
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Complimentary
 

Enjoy live music by Robert Cunningham. Quickly becoming one of Chicago's most sought after solo performers, Robert Cunningham's eclectic mix of vocal styles ranging from pop, 70's folk rock, Broadway standards and opera make him one of the most versatile acts out there! Robert appeared on Broadway in the role of Paul in the 2007 Tony Award-winning production of Stephen Sondheim's Company. Most recently he is performing with the Chicago Lyric Opera and the CSO. Catch him from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 12 at the Chicago French Market.

Ecuador's Minister of International Trade: Chicago and Illinois Businesses are Key to Ecuador's Economic Growth; Praises Their Growing Relationships

CHICAGO  – Ecuador’s Minister of International Trade, Francisco Rivadeneira, visited Chicago Wednesday for meetings with key government and business leaders from Chicago and Illinois. In meetings with Deputy Mayor Steven Koch; Daniel Goff, Director of the Illinois Office of Trade and Investment; Cortez Carter, Managing Deputy Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation, and leaders from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Rivadeneira outlined a number of business initiatives that are being finalized between Ecuador and Chicago and the State of Illinois, including a sister city relationship between Quito and Chicago and a “sister airport” relationship between Chicago O’Hare and Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito.

Francisco Rivadeneira, Minister of

 International Trade, Ecuador 

Mr. Rivadeneira underscored that Chicago business and governmental leaders should view Ecuador as an increasingly attractive country with which to develop strategic business partnerships. “We believe that Chicago and Illinois are going to be very instrumental in Ecuador’s economic growth. The region is a gateway to the Midwestern and Canadian marketplaces and a central hub for international transport of goods to faraway global markets,” he said. The sister airport agreement, for example, would facilitate direct passenger and cargo flights between the two cities and create opportunities for the respective countries to promote tourism and business development.

Of central importance is the new Chicago Perishable Center at O’Hare airport, a private entity which is now in its operational planning stages and will open in 2014. The Center will enable direct flights of perishable goods to and from O’Hare; goods will arrive fresher and more accessible to Midwestern and Canadian markets. “We are working to solidify agreements with passenger and cargo airlines so they will fly directly between Quito and Chicago O’Hare,” said Rivadeneira. “We also are going to urge TAME, the national airline of Ecuador, to begin passenger flights to and from O’Hare. These flights will increase tourism and commercial activity between the two countries. We are in discussion with American carriers as well.”

Ecuador's International Trade Minister Francisco Rivadeneira

holds meetings with Chicago political and business 

leaders October 9.

At the meeting with the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Rivadeneira stated, “the Chicago area is home to many companies related to transportation, manufacturing, mining, eco-environment and technology with which we are now doing business in Ecuador. We want to do even more business with Illinois companies.”

“We are a resource-rich country and we’re just now beginning to develop them in a sustainable way,” he said. “We’re using American equipment to do the job, and we will need much more of it.” For American companies and startups, several advantages to setting up shop in Quito were noted: a skilled technical labor force, the low cost of living, same time zone and currency, tax incentives, etc.

Bill Moller interviews Francisco Rivadeneira on First Business

Rivadeneira also emphasized Ecuador’s strong initiatives in technology and education. Among them, a government sponsored program that sends Ecuador’s best students to top US universities. “We’re going to expand the program; Illinois has several top schools with whom we hope to develop partnerships,” he said.

Another key initiative is the “City of Knowledge” near Quito, a large national program to bring together technologists, engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs to be used as a cluster for business development from a wide variety of disciplines, and for innovative approaches to such efforts as the transition to alternative, sustainable energy sources and the building of new national infrastructure. “The City of Knowledge is Ecuador’s nucleus of new ideas and technological breakthroughs that will create Ecuador’s sustainable, knowledge-based economy of the future,” said Rivadeneira. “We hope to develop partnerships with Chicago’s technology incubator programs. We want technology firms in Illinois to know we are definitely a forward-thinking country.”

To see more photos, visit Flickr here.

Photos by Cindy Kurman, Kurman Communications, Inc.

Prairie Grass Cafe Receives Areas First Serving of Chatham Island Blue Cod October 21

Stop by Prairie Grass Cafe (601 Skokie Blvd. Northbrook, IL 847-205-4433) Monday,
October 21 to enjoy the areas first shipment of Chatham Island Blue Cod. Chefs Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris are preparing it baked in olive oil with lemon, toasted bread crumbs, roasted cherry tomatoes and served with sautéed potatoes ($40).

Blue Cod are found throughout New Zealand, but are most common south of the Cook Strait and around the Chatham Islands. They are found at depths to 200 m in sandy areas and feed on shellfish, crustaceans, scalps and small fish.

Situated in the South Pacific Ocean, about 800km east of Christchurch, the Chatham Islands are New Zealand’s most easterly region. An archipelago of 11 islands, only Pitt and Chatham are inhabited, by about 600 people.

These bright blue fish are an island favorite but hard to find in the states. Unique to the New Zealand region, the cold clean waters make the Chatham Island Blue Cod’s flesh firm yet delicate with an intense ocean fresh flavor. Check out the Chatham Island Blue Cod video ABC.net/au. and Chatham Island on Facebook.

October 11 is World Egg Day. Enjoy Egg Sandwiches, Quiche and Fritatta at Delightful Pastries

Did you know that eggs contain the highest quality protein you can buy? Or that Egg yolks are one of the few foods that are a naturally good source of Vitamin D? There's a good reason why the world celebrates World Egg Day on the second Friday of October every year.

 

Eggs have a vital role to play in feeding people around the world, in both developed and developing countries. They are an excellent, affordable source of high quality protein, with the potential to feed the world. World Egg Day has been celebrated the world over from Vietnam to Mozambique, from Switzerland to Argentina, and throughout the U.S.

Delightful Pastries incorporates eggs into many of its dishes. Their quiches are worth dreaming about. The menu features three selections, all made with eggs:Ham & Gruyere Quiche with Polish ham and gruyere cheese $5.50/slice; Vegetable Quiche with spinach, leek, mushroom and Swiss cheese $5.50/slice andSpinach Lamb Pie with spinach, minced local lamb, Béchamel sauce and Swiss cheese, served with homemade Tzatziki sauce, $7/slice. The light and fluffy Frittata with zucchini, red pepper, onion, potato and eggs is gluten free and a delicious egg option.  Whole Quiche is available at all three Delightful Pastries for $40, each serving 8-10 people.

 

Delightful Pastries takes the concept of the Breakfast Sandwich to a new level. The B.E.L.T. Sandwich ($8.50) uses peppered bacon, egg salad, baby lettuces, tomato, made-from-scratch butter croissant, while the Lightest Touch Breakfast Sandwich ($8.55), is made from two eggs cooked to order, with tomato, cucumber, spinach, and Swiss cheese on homemade sourdough bread. Both are available at the Wells St. and the Chicago French Market locations.