No Such Thing As Too Many Cooks at Now We're Cookin'

By Victoria Scott

Mary McMahon, left, is in charge of chef/owner classes at Now We're Cookin' - but Nell Funk also intends to spend time at the range. "I love to cook." she says.

There is almost no telling who is in the kitchen with Nell Funk these days.

Even the guy strummin' on the old banjo might find a reason to hang around Now We're Cookin', Ms. Funk's shiny new kitchen service center at 1601 Payne St.

Ms. Funk solicited the help of a local architect and contractor and advice from professional chefs in converting a former dairy to the state-of-the-art, rentable commercial kitchens and demonstration/event studio that make up Now We're Cookin'. Work began in January and finished in May.

Though a worn barn door hanging on the wall hints at its humble former life, the space, in its new guise, exudes sophistication.

There is "no lack of ideas" for the facility's use, says Ms. Funk. A trained chef herself, she has assembled her own "kitchen cabinet" to run the business. Mary McMahon, formerly pastry chef at the much-acclaimed Trio, and Anita Brown, another chef who also brings her skills in business development, are her sous-chefs.

They see small local caterers, specialty bakers and personal chefs as potential clients for the professional kitchens, says Ms. Funk. Corporate trainers, event planners, food photographers, equipment reps and home cooks, she adds, are among those who would be at home in the demonstration kitchen.

On July 7 the center held its first public event, the launch of a summer cooking series called "Meet the Grower." Catching the wave of interest in local food, Ms. Funk lured organic farmer Henry Brockman from his stall at the Evanston Farmers' Market to share his expertise on farming and fresh vegetables. ("I never met a vegetable I didn't like," he said of the 550 types he grows from seed each year on his productive 10 acres.)

During the class Mr. Brockman revealed The Secret: Good-tasting vegetables come from healthy, living soil that nourishes plants, not from exhausted soil that requires plants to be force-fed with chemicals.

Chef McMahon showed the audience how to incorporate Mr. Brockman's heirloom zucchini into a main-course frittata, a zucchini carpaccio salad with basil oil and pistachios and – more surprising – into a crumble, a dessert usually associated with apples or pears.

The menu highlights the healthy cooking and eating Ms. Funk, Ms. McMahon and Ms. Brown believe in. Ms. McMahon commented while preparing the crumble, "My philosophy on sugar is, ‘How much can I take out?' I like the feature of the dish to be the fruit or vegetable."

But her intent was never to skimp on dessert. When she joined Peter Klein in the kitchen for the July 14 Meet the Grower session, she made his sweet and sour cherries the stars of several treats. Her recipes for cherry sodas (homemade ice cream, soda water and cherry syrup), cherry soup and cherry clafoutis showed that "nutritious" does not have to mean "dull."

Now We're Cookin' has already attracted an audience to its event space. The Cradle, an Evanston adoption agency, held a private dinner for 30 there recently. Steve McDonagh and Dan Smith (Hearty Boys Catering, Inc.), whose Food Network cooking show premiered the same year they adopted son Nate from the Cradle, showed attendees some techniques for preparing specialties such as Caribbean crab cakes with lime aioli; plum-grilled flank steak; fresh arugula salad with figs; and peppered rack of lamb with herbed porridge.

Then the group, seated at round tables set with long cloths and fresh flowers, dined on these delicacies. As light from the skylight dimmed with the setting sun, the soft lights of the studio came on.

The space was "fabulous … perfect for our evening," said Cradle development coordinator Sue Petersen.

The commercial kitchen has been a bit slower to take off, but Ms. Funk is certain there is a market for it. A graduate of the Culinary School of Kendall College, she experienced firsthand the dilemma of where to prepare food for a catering business.

She spent a year investigating the idea of starting a shared-use kitchen. The only one in Chicago is full, she says; it is illegal for caterers to prepare food in their homes. Finally, she decided she "had to do it or not." (She says, "The Health Department is happy to have us here.")

She envisions the three bays of the professional kitchen buzzing with activity – and her staff, along with a board of advisors, serving as resources to help small businesses get off the ground. She expects her careers in banking and corporate consulting to be useful, and she hopes chefs will help each other. "There are synergies, too, between the shared-use kitchens and the demonstration kitchen," she says, noting the possibilities for chefs to teach classes.

She sees Now We're Cookin' "functioning as an incubator," she says, "surrounding [tenants] with support to [help them] create viable businesses."

Evanston, says Ms. Funk, is a "foodie neighborhood" of the sort to sustain an endeavor like hers. She cites the number of restaurants in town, the strong support for Kendall when it was here and the gap left by its exit, the City's central location, and Evanston's interest in what she calls "eating with consciousness."

The website www.nwcookin.com will post class offerings and events as well as a calendar for kitchen rental. "We tried to create a comfortable, functional space," says Nell Funk. "We really want people to share our enthusiasm for food."

Harris Opens New Branch in Evanston.

Harris Bank has opened a full-service branch at 2821 Central St., offering a full suite of personal, business and wealth services. The 3,800-square-foot location will feature two drive-through banking lanes, one of which includes an ATM. It also offers a night deposit box, an ATM in the vestibule and accessible parking.

"Harris has served the Evanston community with a location downtown on Maple Avenue," said Harris Regional President Roy Picciuca. "We're pleased to continue providing superior service to our customers, while expanding our presence in

Evanston to make it easier for our customers to do business with us."

Phone-Bill Clinic Addresses Painful Costs

The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) will hold a free "phone-bill clinic" to show consumers how they can cut their calling costs and take advantage of savings connected to an AT&T legal settlement. The clinic will be held at 1 p.m.on July 26 at the Rogers Park Community Council, 1530 W. Morse Ave., in Chicago.

The nonprofit consumer group this year launched an education campaign to spread word that an AT&T legal settlement has led to the development of three low-cost "Consumer's Choice" local calling plans.

Typical "fixed-rate" calling plans, charging a monthly fee for a certain amount of calls and phone features, can prove to be bad deals. However, most customers are likely to save money if they sign up for one of the three Consumer's Choice plans. The prices on those plans are frozen for the next four years.

At the clinic, consumers will get a folder full of free money-saving CUB publications, and those who bring their bills can sit down with a CUB expert and get a one-on-one analysis with specific tips on how to save money.

Consumers who cannot attend the clinic may call CUB's Phone Savings Hotline at 866-688-4282 for a free phone-bill analysis. Consumers also can fax a phone bill to 312-263-4329, or mail it to "The Phone Savings Hotline," 208 S. LaSalle St., Suite 1760, Chicago, IL 60604.

‘Super Summer Sale Times Two' Includes Downtown Evanston And Chicago/Dempster

For the first time, Evanston's late July "Super Summer Sale" will combine the downtown Evanston and Chicago/Dempster areas.

More than 200 Evanston merchants will offer three full days of bargains on summer inventory and one-of a-kind items in the 50-city-block area bordered by Dempster, Ridge, Hinman and Emerson from Friday, July 27 through Sunday, July 29.

Shoppers will be able to find everything from new clothing and home furnishings stores to gift boutiques and galleries. Musicians,jugglers and stilt walkers will perform, and there will be face painting and other fun for the kids.