The term “sustainability” has been getting a lot of mileage in the past year, but Megan Munitz and Dennis Ryan are finding a new way to put the trend to work.
“Locally grown food is really just simple, delicious, healthy food,” said Munitz, co-owner of Fraiche Kitchen, a company that promotes sustainability through its in-home cooking classes and dinner parties. “When I worked at NoMI, [the] chef would call to our attention the latest delivery of fresh produce from a local farmer and say, ‘Taste this,’ and it would be incredible. I thought everyone needed to know about these kinds of foods.”
The duo, both graduates of Kendall College’s accelerated culinary arts program, launched Fraiche Kitchen in November. From intimate get-togethers and birthday parties to bachelorette parties and showers, each three-hour package incorporates sustainable, organic and locally grown foods.
Events include a pre-event kitchen walk-through, menu consultation, interactive cooking lesson, three-course dinner and educational materials about sustainability and local foods.
“You roll up your sleeves, do some good work, and then sit down, relax and enjoy a delicious meal,” Munitz said. “When you leave, we give you packets on how to talk to your grocer, your farmer and even the server at your neighborhood restaurant about how to get locally grown, natural food.
“We try to make learning, cooking, tasting and buying fresh, sustainable produce as easy and fun as possible.”
Common bonds
Friends throughout school, Munitz and Ryan pursued culinary careers after graduation.
Ryan interned at Spiaggia before taking a job as farmer forager and market manager for Green City Market. Munitz worked at both Spiaggia and NoMI. They kept in touch, finding that their passion for sustainable food led to a personal epiphany for each.
Traveling to Argentina and other parts of the world, Munitz was wowed by the simple elegance of foods abroad. “The food was so natural, and I thought to myself, ‘Why isn’t food like this in America?’,” she said. “Organic foods have been around for thousands of years, but in the U.S. it’s like an anomaly.”
Ryan had a similar epiphany as market forager for Green City Market. “I took the job, and then sort of took it to the next level,” he said.
A board member of The Land Connection, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Midwestern farmers, Ryan aggressively sought out new farmers for the market, traveled the Midwest, worked with other sustainable food organizations, and taught many of the market’s educational seminars.
Fraiche Kitchen, Ryan said, represents a perfect blend of his and Munitz’s talents. “I have the farmer knowledge and know-how and Megan has a restaurant background,” he said. “Together we try to build relationships and bring people together to complete the sustainable circle. When you know your farmer, it’s much more personal.”
Branching out
Fraiche Kitchen’s latest endeavor has been donating a portion of their proceeds to area schools, where they conduct demonstrations using sustainable foods.
“We want the kids to know what a fresh asparagus tastes like, what handcrafted goat cheese tastes [like],” Ryan said. “If they know what fresh, natural foods taste like, they will be more likely to eat those healthy and wholesome foods.”
Munitz said that she and Ryan have been researching other sustainable initiatives as well, working with local restaurants, farmers and other food organizations.
“We have been able to get a lot of people excited about sustainability, but there’s still so much more we can do,” she said.
Winter squash soup with roasted pumpkin seeds
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
This healthful, yet rich, soup is adapted from a recipe by Megan Munitz and Dennis Ryan, co-founders of Fraiche Kitchen. If you wish, you can serve the soup without the pumpkin seeds. Also, to save time, you can substitute jarred roasted red peppers.
3 assorted winter squash, such as butternut, buttercup and acorn, trimmed, peeled, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 each, cut into 2-inch chunks: carrot, parsnip
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 red peppers, roasted, see note
2 containers (32 ounces each) low-sodium chicken broth
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 sprig rosemary
Pumpkin seeds:
1/2 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place squash, sweet potatoes, carrot and parsnip on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the oil; toss to coat. Spread the vegetables out in 1 layer. Roast until fork tender and beginning to brown, about 45 minutes.
2. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add onions. Cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low; cook until onions are lightly browned and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and roasted red peppers; cook 3 minutes.
3. Add the roasted vegetables to Dutch oven; add 1 1/2 quarts of the broth, thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Heat to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Cook 30 minutes. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Use immersion blender to puree soup until smooth, thinning with more broth if needed. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste. Add rosemary sprig; let steep 5 minutes. Discard sprig.
4. Meanwhile, for pumpkin seeds, heat oven to 375 degrees. Toss seeds in olive oil and salt in a bowl to evenly coat. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until just lightly browned and crunchy, 10 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls; top each with pumpkin seeds.
Note: To roast peppers, heat oven to 450 degrees. Place peppers directly on oven rack. Roast until skins are dark brown, about 15 minutes. Remove peppers from oven. Place in plastic bag, about 20 minutes. Remove from bag; peel and seed.
Nutrition information per serving: 353 calories, 29% of calories from fat, 13 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 57 g carbohydrates, 11 g protein, 541 mg sodium, 14 g fiber
Beet crisps with goat cheese
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 1/2 hours
Yield: 8 servings
This hors d’oeuvre is adapted from a recipe by Megan Munitz and Dennis Ryan, co-founders of Fraiche Kitchen.
Beet crisps:
2 large beets, root ends trimmed, very thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
Goat cheese topping:
3 ounces mild fresh cheese
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon truffle oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon thin strips of arugula
1/8 teaspoon sea salt, optional
1. Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Season the beet slices with salt and pepper to taste. Place in a large bowl; toss with olive oil. Transfer to a wire rack lined with parchment paper; place the wire rack on a baking sheet. Top beets with another sheet of parchment paper. Weigh down with an empty baking sheet. Bake, checking occasionally, until beets are crisp, 1 1/2-2 hours.
2. Meanwhile, for goat cheese topping, whisk together the goat cheese, 1 tablespoon of the milk, truffle oil, salt and pepper to taste. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of the milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, as needed until the mixture is smooth and spreadable.
3. Spoon or pipe a dollop of cheese onto each warm beet crisp; top with arugula strips. Garnish with a few grains of sea salt.
Nutrition information per serving: 84 calories, 76% of calories from fat, 7 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 9 mg cholesterol, 2 g carbohydrates, 3 g protein, 362 mg sodium, 1 g fiber
– – –
Cooking with Fraiche Kitchen
A three-course, three-hour lesson and dinner provided by Fraiche Kitchen costs $148 per person. Parties can accommodate 8 to 15 people. Call 312-618-8500 for more information, or visit fraichekitchen.com.
———-
ctc-goodeating@tribune.com
