In my last blog, I talked about Wildfire's effort to incorporate local produce into our daily specials menu. I wanted to share some of the dishes that we have created with produce from Nichols Farm in Marengo, IL and Seedling Farm in South Haven, MI. For our locations outside of IL, we are running many of the same specials using produce from local farms there.  All of the below specials are well worth a visit - it doesn't get much fresher than this!

Our latest creation is the Farmers' Market Barramundi served with German butterball potatoes, candy onions, roma and dragon flatbeans and chimichurri sauce. For those of you unfamiliar with Barramundi fish, it is primarily a summertime fish that originated in Australia and is farmed here in the U.S. It is high in Omega-3 fatty acids and is flaky with a buttery taste. Barramundi is listed on the Chicago Shedd Aquarium's Rite Bite list of "best choices" for sustainable seafood. The potatoes, onions and flatbeans are delivered to us fresh from Nichols Farm.

Another farm fresh special we are running at select Wildfire locations is the Grilled Seedling Farm Peach Salad. This tasty summer salad consists of mixed greens, crumbled goat cheese, cabbage, sun gold tomatoes, grilled peaches, scallions, spiced pecans, cornbread croutons and a ginger ranch dressing. This tasty treat is a wonderful blend of flavors with the sweet grilled peaches delicately accented by the spiced pecans.

The Roasted Mixed Beet Salad features chiaggo, golden and red beets with tender baby lettuce in a honey mustard vinaigrette topped with toasted hazelnuts and shaved manchego cheese. If you love beets, this salad, which features beets from Nichols Farm, will be a favorite for you.

The Grilled Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon is served with Nichols Farm braised red Swiss chard and roasted Russian blue and banana fingerling potatoes in a lemon vinaigrette. Wild Alaskan Salmon is also listed on the Chicago Shedd Aquarium's Rite Bite list of "best choices" for sustainable seafood.

Our seasonal pie, the Michigan Peach and Blueberry Pie, is also featuring locally harvested peaches and blueberries from Seedling Farm. The pie is served by the slice in the restaurant, or you can pick up a whole pie to go. Just call Wildfire and ask for a manager if you would like to order a whole pie.

Interested in trying one of these specials for yourself? Call your favorite Wildfire location to see which ones they are currently running.  Or, check out Facebook for updates on these special items.  We will continue creating new and flavorful dishes using the bounty from these local farms throughout the summer and early fall for you to enjoy!

Hope everyone has been enjoying their summer as much as I have!

From the wood burning oven~