Elisa Spungen Bildner and Robert Bildner
Co-authors, The Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook
Sarah Stegner
Co-chef and co-owner, Prairie Grass Cafe
Farm-to-Table: Growers, Chefs, and Home Cooks
BONUS AFTER-HOURS EVENT: Attendees who purchase a copy of The Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook from FAN’s partner bookseller The Book Stall are invited to attend an AFTER-HOURS event hosted by the Bildners and Ms. Stegner that will start immediately after the webinar. Details on the webinar registration page.
Elisa Spungen Bildner is a former lawyer, journalist, and CEO of a perishable food manufacturing company, and is a professionally trained chef. Robert Bildner is a former lawyer who grew up in a food family and went on to found several companies that helped local farmers bring products to market. The Bildners have lived in the Berkshires for 35 years, and, together with chef Brian Alberg, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, they created the 2020 book The Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook. Alberg is the former executive chef and vice-president of culinary development at The Red Lion Inn and now chef at The Break Room, both in the Berkshires.
The rolling hills and treetop mountains of the Berkshire region have long been known as a cultural mecca, but foodies around the world are becoming increasingly interested in its cuisine. The BIldners tell the story of family-run agriculture through the language of food, presenting an irresistible culinary portrait of this scenic paradise. Featuring 125 handpicked recipes, this cookbook transforms universally loved, readily available ingredients—including shiitake mushrooms, zucchini, sugar snap peas, garlic, chicken, pork and many more—into delectable specialties, created or inspired by the Berkshire’s very best farmers, chefs, and restaurant-owners.
What makes this cookbook truly special is its celebration of the farmers, cheesemakers, chefs, and restaurant-owners behind the recipes, as much as the food itself. Although the variety of their produce varies greatly, the farmers themselves have one thing in common: passion for the land they live on, and for the food they grow.
The Bildners will be in conversation with Sarah Stegner, the James Beard Award-winning chef and co-owner of Prairie Grass Café in Northbrook, IL. They’ll discuss why farmers are so critical to the food scene and economic viability, the health and nutritional benefits of local vs. nonlocal food, and what it means to be a sustainable farmer, among other topics.
This event suitable for youth 12+. It will be recorded and available on our website and YouTube channel.
Event Sponsors
- Beacon Academy
- Bennett Day School
- Catherine Cook School
- Chiaravalle Montessori School
- Christ Church Winnetka
- Compass Health Center
- Countryside Day School
- Fusion Academy
- Lake Michigan Association of Independent Schools
- Mindful Psychology Associates PC
- Near North Montessori School
- New Trier Parents’ Association
- North Shore Country Day
- Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy
- Regina Dominican College Preparatory High School
- Roycemore School
- Sacred Heart Schools
- Stevenson High School D125
- The Alliance for Early Childhood
- Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart
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