Do you remember the crayons and placemats filled with games and things to color offered at restaurants?
Now, they’re making a comeback.
“I was looking for something that we could do in Chicagoland restaurants, something for kids, something that we could connect with other chefs so I reached out to Sebastian, ” recalls Chef Sarah Stegner, Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook.
Sebastian White, founder of The Evolution Network, is a chef and clinical psychologist. He uses food as a medium for initiatives like this and offers culinary and horticultural classes at schools across the city, particularly on the South and West Sides.
“In December, Sarah reached out to me. She wanted to do some type of worksheet that we can put in restaurants,” he recalled. “I thought to myself: How can I embrace our mission and put together an idea that feeds into the things I do in my classrooms and this is what we came up with.” he smiled.
That’s how Placemats with a Purpose was born.
“They are worksheets, placemats that we pass out at restaurants. They are for kids and they feature seasonable produce placed on a plate, there’s a space that you can write or draw a recipe, include ingredients and build your own dish, how you would make it.” said White.
Stegner says the placemat is more than just a way to keep kids busy.
“It has the fruits and vegetables around it that are in season with a recipe on it. I think it’s really important to get kids to think about foods in season and to think about where their food comes from.
The placemats feature drawings of seasonal produce and encouragers kids to think about how to make their own recipes.
“When you look at this placemat where the kids are going to create a recipe, it takes it to a whole other level and it becomes interactive.” she said.
The new placemats that hang inside the dining room at Soul & Smoke, Evanston
Lisa Fielding/WBBM Newsradio
At Soul & Smoke with locations in Evanston and Chicago, the placemats have been offered to customers since late last year.
“I love having these menus here. We love them. We have them hanging in our dining room right now, the completed ones. I love seeing kids fill in the colors of the fruits and vegetables. It’s cool seeing the kids interacting with their parents, even suggesting the family should cook the recipes at home,” said Heather Bublick, Owner, CEO, Soul & Smoke.
White is the founder of The Evolved Network, a nonprofit that teaches about food and gardening to support youth in Chicago, especially from disinvested communities. He says his mission is about connecting children and families to farm-to-table concepts. which in the end changes their view of the world and themselves.
“Food access is complicated. Not everyone has access to fresh food. You have to look at cultural aspects in terms of what food are you giving people You need to tell them what to do with it. We are doing ingredients that are seasonal and we’re showing them in a unique way. It offers children a way to eat with dignity and it teaches them about good food, what healthy food is, where it comes from and how they can create recipes themselves. Some kids are put in a food box, they don’t think to try things and they don’t think they deserve experiences like this.” said White.
“This is good for Chicago. When you think about that extending out into our communities how impactful that can be, the more restaurants can do this, the more we heal. The goal in the end is a better quality of life for all of us.”
The placemats are offered at more than 20 restaurants around Chicagoland. For a complete and to learn more about the program, click here.
Placemats with a Purpose available at 21 restaurants including Soul & Smoke in Evanson
Lisa Fielding/WBBM Newsradio
