When Valerie Pyle set out to open a Greek restaurant in Champaign, she decided on an unusual centerpiece for the restaurant's menu: locally grown lamb. Central Illinois lamb is one of the state's best-kept secrets and Pyle knew exactly where to get some of the best. 

            Chris and Melinda Schroeder own Thistle Down Farms in El Paso, Illinois, raising Dorset sheep, Berkshire pigs, and Angus cattle. Pyle had bought their lamb for five years and knew that this was the producer she wanted to supply her new restaurant, Papa George.

            I sat down for dinner with the Schroeders last week at Papa George. The local lamb chops I ordered were tender and succulent, with the tangy flavors of Pyle's delicious Greek marinade. I also tasted the souvlaki, skewers of tender local pork. Heritage breeds like Berkshires are not efficient enough to profitably raise on an industrial scale, but still survive because of a few dedicated small farmers and consumers who prize them for their superior taste.

Berkshire kabobs

            Though local food has many benefits, including less fossil fuel dedicated to transportation, taste was one of the first things on Pyle's mind when she decided to offer local meats. Pyle wanted the whole restaurant to offer meat that she could be proud of. Buchanan's animals are alfalfa and grain fed and treated with care. The difference was evident the second I put my fork to my mouth.

However, from the outset both Pyle and the Schroeders knew that supplying an entire restaurant would be a challenge. Thistle Down Farm can't supply meat to most restaurants because most want only the chops, leaving no market for the rest of the cuts. Pyle was willing to use the whole animal. Despite that, when Papa George first opened they had to use standard lamb, trucked in from Colorado, nearly a thousand miles away.

During that time the Schroeders were not only organizing their own farm to supply the restaurant, but involving other local farms as well. They knew their own farm couldn't supply the whole restaurant, so they worked with other local producers they knew well to procure and process meat for the restaurant. They raise many of the animals themselves, but neighbors provide many Berkshire pigs and some lamb. This makes for an ideal situation, as many of these small farms produce too little to be able to process and market on their own.

Lamb rib chops

Since the introduction of the local meats at Papa George, the reaction has been ecstatic. The restaurant is transitioning into making more and more of the menu items local. Thistle Down Farms is working on making a delicious custom Greek sausage called Loukaniko, made with wine, orange peel, cinnamon, and allspice. The sausage was a huge project, requiring dozens of test batches to perfect and getting all the details right with processing and regulations. 

The project has been an all-consuming passion for the Schroeders. Thistle Down Farms not only provides the restaurant with top quality meat, but is working with other local producers to strengthen the market. Soon all of Papa George's eggplant will come from a local farmer who grows it indoors all year round. There are also big plans for growing other vegetables and raising tilapia with the greenhouse water.

Many restaurants in the Champaign-Urbana area take advantage of the delicious food grown and produced by farms in the area. However, few are as dedicated to really working with producers and strengthening the local economy as Papa George. Surprisingly, the food is affordable even for an average college student, proving that, with hard-working suppliers, local food can reach everyone. If you are interested in eating delicious local food in Champaign, be sure to check out Papa George at 505 South Neil Street in Champaign.