Renowned chef Sarah Stegner, co-owner of Prairie Grass Café in Northbrook, gives new meaning to the term down-to-earth.
No matter how many accomplishments and accolades she racks up—two James Beard awards, running a thriving restaurant in a recession and even opening a new one, for starters—this mom and Evanston native just keeps quietly doing what she does best: Cooking great food and sharing it with as many people as possible.
“Keep learning. Never stop making your restaurant, or whatever, the best it can be. Don’t be satisfied,” she says of achieving success.
February marked the opening of her second restaurant, Prairie Fire, in the West Loop. It’s an extension of the strong culinary following she built in the past few years at Prairie Grass Café in Northbrook, and before that, as a chef at the Ritz-Carlton.
With her partner George Bumbaris, Stegner has created an addicting brand of affordable, seasonal comfort food with Mediterranean influences—all made with fine, local ingredients—including a killer burger.
And her passion for local food extends far beyond her own kitchen. In 1999, Stegner was one of the founders of Chicago’s Green City Market, a nationally known foodie Mecca that connects chefs and others to top-quality ingredients from local, sustainable farmers. She continues to volunteer her time as co-president of Green City’s board.
Bumbaris, her colleague of 26 years, is a big part of her success. “A lot of it is surrounding yourself with good people,” she says. “You can’t do it alone. Be a team builder. Listen. Try it somebody else’s way.”
Her other key partner is her husband, Rohit Nambiar, who handles the wine and runs the front of house at Prairie Grass, in addition to running a tight family schedule to raise their 5-year-old daughter.
And, of course, Stegner takes her work home with her. Her 2009 project was creating a small vegetable garden. Stegner recorded her progress with a web cam, posting updates to the Prairie Grass website to inspire others, she says: “If I can do it, you can do it, too.”
