In this series you'll meet some of the people, businesses, traditions, and values that are at the core of who we are as a restaurant.

In the restaurant industry, it's easy to highlight our big successes, awards and fundraisers, but we want to take a moment to showcase an important piece of who we are. We are excited to share this with you, and for you to get to know us a little bit better!

Eric Rose's father, Bill Rose, started River Valley Ranch in 1976 as a direct result of not being able to find high-quality, locally grown mushrooms for his French restaurant in Elk Grove. He decided to be the solution to the problem and sold his restaurant to start River Valley Ranch. Bill and Eric took a huge leap of faith together and gave this new operation everything they had. After the unexpected passing of his father, Eric was left to fulfill their dream on his own. He turned a two-man operation into a business of more than 40 employees, expanding the varieties of mushrooms they grew and the products they offered. In 2013 Eric's son Jordan joined the family business and helped it to grow to the business it is today.

You can buy his organic mushrooms at Green City Market, co-founded by Chef Sarah.

Mushrooms have been a staple on Prairie Grass' menu since we opened in 2004. We love them for their versatility, earthy-umami flavor, and their many health benefits. Best of all, is that we can get them fresh year round from River Valley Ranch! Chefs Sarah and George worked with Eric's product when they were at the Ritz Carlton and have continued the partnership at Prairie Grass Cafe.

Fun Fact: Prairie Grass Cafe Manager Faith worked for Eric at the Evanston Farmers Market as a teenager! Her favorite food in the world is his Spicy Pickled Mushrooms.

Mushrooms are the perfect ingredient to highlight this Earth Day!

We will be serving our mushroom soup on Earth Day, April 22nd! For every soup purchased on Earth Day, we will donate one soup to the Community "Soul Fridge" (located outside of Soul & Smoke). Help us make a difference in our community while enjoying a delicious meal at Prairie Grass Cafe featuring nutritious local ingredients. That's what we call a Win-Win-Win!

Call the team at (847) 205-4433 to make a reservation or place an order.