Purveyors
INSPIRING VENDORS
Our local farmers and purveyors are important to us - they’re the core to our ethos of building good food.
They supply the best possible ingredients, raised in a way that’s good for you and respectful to the earth. For produce, that means organic, local or sustainable. For chicken and beef, the animals raised on small family farms are never ever given antibiotics or hormones. They also have access to the outdoors - which all amounts to the true meaning of naturally raised. The same goes for our heirloom pork. Seafood is also harvested sustainably, and often in season.
At Big Bowl, we believe in our farmers so much that we invest in them. They care about what they do, and they’re passionate about it. That’s plenty good reason for us.
Take a minute to learn about the farmers who help Big Bowl build good food. When you know your farmer, you know your food, which can only make your relationship with Big Bowl all the more meaningful - and delicious.
Bron’s Bees - Ask Bronwyn Weaver about bees and be ready to be awed. As a second generation beekeeper, she is a natural advocate for bees and understands the critical role they play in the balance of nature. Her bee business on Heritage Prairie Farm, which she runs with her husband, is home to 150 beehives in La Fox, IL. Some belong to Big Bowl, supplying raw organic honey used in a multitude of ways, from sauces to dessert.
Creekstone Farms - the people behind Kansas-based Creekstone Farms can tell us that its cattle is born and bred in this country, that it eats a vegetarian diet, never given hormones or antibiotics, and are raised humanely. The farms can even provide the cattle’s genetic lineage. We think that’s important in ensuring the highest quality product. Learn more here.
Compart Farms - The Compart family in Minnesota has been breeding Duroc pigs for three generations. These hogs are bred, born and raised on small farms under comfortable and sustainable conditions. Family members are involved in their well being, ensuring the best possible pig. Here’s their story.
FreeBird - Want to be chicken smart? Question the claim of “natural” because USDA labeling has nothing to do with what the animal is fed or how it is raised - only how it is slaughtered. That’s not good enough for us or FreeBird. FreeBird chickens are never ever given antibiotics. They’re raised on small family farms, free to wander in barns, spread their wings and eat a diet of corn and soy (that means no animal by products or hormones). See the happy chickens here.
Growing Home - How cool is this: urban organic farming in blighted Chicago neighborhoods while providing on-the-job training for those with multiple barriers to employment, such as homelessness or incarceration. Just click here and you’ll see why Big Bowl is investing in Growing Home for produce this summer.
Heritage Prairie Farm - Our partnership launched in 2011 affords two acres growing produce specifically for the Chicago area restaurants. But staff from our Minnesota and Reston, VA., locations have also worked the farm, which is a part of our collaboration. Executive Marc Bernard chose the heirloom seeds, staff headed to the arm twice a month to weed and harvest the fields, and Big Bowl established sustainable delivery methods.
Kinnikinnick Farm - Just shy of the Wisconsin border, this organic farm in Northern Illinois is beloved by Chicago’s fine dining restaurants and us. Husband and wife team David and Susan Cleverdon realized their dream in 1994 with a half acre garden, which has grown since. The couple’s passion comes through in everything that comes out of the ground, from the hearty greens of winter through the stunningly orange squashes of fall.
Meyers Ranch - Started by owner and founder Robert Meyer, the Natural Angus program has grown to include more than 250 of the finest Angus ranchers and producers in the country. They all believe that the highest quality beef comes from raising cattle slowly on a vegetarian diet, never receiving any hormones or antibiotics. Learn more about its promise here.
Mick Klug Farm - When you see a dessert with the plumpest, reddest strawberries or a sangria with juicy, sweet peaches, chances are they’re from Mick Klug’s farm in Michigan. Mick bought the farm from his parents 30 years ago and has been supplying Chicago restaurants, including Big Bowl, for a long time. And yes, that’s Mick at the Green City Market every Wednesday and Saturday, selling the same fruit and vegetables you’d get here at Big Bowl.
Riverbend Farm - For Greg and Mary Reynolds, this 30 acre farm west of Minneapolis is a labor of love. Known as the Gram’s farm (previous owners from the 1930s) the land became certified organic 18 years ago. The Reynolds call farming “risky business” because of weather’s unpredictability, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. That makes us happy - we love their eco-conscious approach to farming, and their products.
Sweet Beet Farm - We’re excited to add Nick and Amelia Neaton to our list of farmers we love. Located 35 miles west of Minneapolis, Sweet Beet is a fourth-generation family farm, supplying us with 100 percent naturally grown produce. “Our farming methods respect the diversity of our land, water, and wildlife so that the next generation of farmers will, too, enjoy this healthy, thriving land,” says the Neatons.
