Atwater’s in Geneva.
Shaw Media photo
Each plate that’s created at Atwater’s Restaurant in Herrington & Spa in Geneva is done so with great care beginning with where the ingredients are sourced.
Executive Chef Kevin Gillespie and his team offer farm-to-table American cuisine that not only tastes great but is better for those who call Earth home.
“For all of us, it is about sustainability and our planet,” said Lisa Van Bortel, director of sales and marketing for Atwater’s Restaurant in The Herrington & Spa. “Freshness comes from being local. We make all of our items from scratch.”
Whether referred to as farm-to-table or farm-to-fork, some of these local restaurants are a part of the social moment that is driving them to get their ingredients from nearby farms and similar sources. Rather than getting such necessities for their respective menus from other parts of the country and even around the world, they have truly taken on a local approach.
“When you look at agriculture, farmers are the backbone of the agriculture industry,” said Christine White, chief program officer at National FFA Organization. “When we look at how we are feeding our country and the growing population, how we do that healthily and with an abundant food supply that’s sustainable and taking care of the environment?”
There’s peace of mind that comes with every fork and spoonful of farm-to-table dishes.
“There’s a movement around food in general about knowing where it comes from and the face of the farmers and it’s a comfort level,” White said. “Having that farm-to-table experience and being able to get to know food in general makes for more of a social event. Knowing the origin of what you’re eating has become trendy with people and having that level of security of a trusted source goes a long way with the food you are eating.”
Atwater’s Restaurant in The Herrington Inn & Spa offers such an experience in its intimate dining room with a winter menu that includes braised black pepper pork belly, roasted butternut squash, craft mustard rubbed duroc pork tenderloin, lobster Thermidor and much more.
At Hardware, produce is grown year-round, fruits and nuts are grown in a micro-orchard and gardens throughout the North Aurora property. Hardware also had a 250-foot well in an underground aquifer that supplies all of its water for production in its brewery and for irrigation purposes.
Downtown Geneva is where you’ll find Niche and its constantly evolving menu of American contemporary cuisine that incorporates locally grown produce, artisan cheese and meats as well as fresh daily seafood.
Geneva’s Niche has been name “One of the Nicest Restaurants in America Hiding in Small-Town Illinois” by the website onlyinyourstate.com.
Niche in downtown Geneva.
Courtesy of Geneva Chamber of Commerce
In West Dundee, Bleuroot’s menu features locally sourced farm-to-table dishes that always are fresh. Sweet basil pesto, butternut squash and chickpea curry and eggplant Parmesan are just a few of Bleuroot’s savory items sourced with organic ingredients.
• Atwater’s Restaurant, Herrington Inn & Spa, 15 S. River Lane, Geneva, (630) 208-8920, herringtoninn.com.
• Bleuroot, 98 W. Main St., #2015, West Dundee, (847) 844-0047, bleuroot.com.
• Hardware, 2000 W. Orchard Road, North Aurora, (630) 299-3977, eathardware.com.
• Niche, 13 S. 3rd St., #2201, Geneva, (630) 262-1000, nichegeneva.com.