The Evolved Network NFP

“These placemat worksheet focus on seasonality but seasonality isn’t just better tasting and more nutritious food. Seasonality is an appreciation for what you have, seeing the beauty in what you have, seeing the infinite possibilities in what you have. Thats what we’re trying to do at TEN… help young people experience this not just with food but how they view themselves”

We’re truly grateful for the beautiful food presented yesterday by incredible chefs and even better people as we launch our summer placements in partnership with the distinguished chef Sarah Stegner .stegner . Thank you to our sponsors Lurie’s Children’s hospital and Boelter.

You can find the placemats in select restaurants across the city this summer.
https://theevolvednetwork.org/young_chef_journal

Our next farmers market takes place at William H. Ray Elementary School, bringing farmers, chefs, and students back into shared space through food, participation, and community.

Students will once again work alongside The Evolved Network helping organize, prepare, and serve food while engaging directly with the people growing and cooking it.

Grateful to the chefs, farms, educators, and partners continuing to help build this with us.




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Today at National Teacher’s Academy, we’re bringing a farmers market into the school day.

Not as a one-off event, but as a living extension of how young people come to understand food—where it comes from, who grows it, and what it means to engage with it directly. Farmers, chefs, students, and families sharing the same space, in real time.

It’s a simple shift, but an important one. Moving food from something abstract to something experienced—touched, tasted, asked about, and understood.

Grateful to the farmers, partners, and educators who make this possible, and to the students who continue to show us what curiosity looks like when given the space to grow.

How did you celebrate Earth Day? At TEN, we made bird feeders with our third graders.

At Ray Elementary, we used cardboard, peanut butter or coconut oil, and bird seed. The kids enjoyed mixing the food and building the feeders by hand before hanging them throughout the garden.

There isn’t always enough food for birds to find, even in green spaces. So we made some.

On this day, we honor Sebastian’s aunt, Gwen Barjon. We lost her on Earth Day, and her way of caring for the world lives on through moments like this.

Grateful to Veronica Beard for opening their space, and to Heidrick & Struggles for bringing this together.

Join us at Veronica Beard (11 E Walton) on April 22, 5–7PM.
Shop the Spring collection—15% of proceeds support The Evolved Network and the young people we walk alongside across Chicago.

Can’t attend? Call (312) 809-2778 to place a phone order and be part of it.

RSVP: [email protected]

Join us for the first gathering in the reimagined Eat & Evolve series.

Set inside the BSH Experience & Design Center at The MART, this intimate evening brings five chefs together, each presenting a course with wine pairings throughout the night.

Each chef brings more than skill. They bring perspective, intention, and a way of engaging with food that reaches beyond the plate.

Featuring:
✨Sarah Stegner — Prairie Grass Cafe | 2× James Beard Award Winner
✨Javauneeka Steen — Frontera | Banchet Awards Rising Star ‘26
✨Carrie Nahabedian — Brindille | James Beard Award Winner
✨Maya-Camille Broussard — Justice of the Pies | James Beard Award Finalist
✨Sebastian White — Evolved Kitchen & Garden | named one of the 6 Best Private Chefs in Chicago (Modern Luxury, Chicago Magazine); InsideHook “Chefs to Watch 2024” .kitchen

📅 May 28 | 6–8:30PM

Your presence supports The Evolved Network’s work with young people across Chicago.

Tickets: theevolvednetwork.org/vault_dinner

3rd grade at Ray Elementary with our lead horticultural instructor Vale Espinoza

Mushroom compost going into the beds—breaking it down, mixing it in, getting the soil ready—part of tending and beginning to understand what it means to care for something over time.

Inside, time with pitcher plants and Venus fly traps—something they’ve been learning about, now right in front of them.

I can’t begin this without giving a huge shout out to Joe Weber and for sponsoring this iteration of Project T.E.N. cooking kits with their beautiful Lion’s Mane mushrooms.

This week we delivered kits to students from our partner school Chicago Jesuit Academy with everything needed to prepare Roasted Lion’s Mane Mushrooms with Quick Grits and Sumac Chimichurri alongside Chef Sebastian at home.

Project T.E.N. invites students and their families to cook together, explore new flavors, and create moments of connection around the table.

The recipe video is now available on YouTube.

If you’re interested in sponsoring or having a bonding activity with your company or amongst friends to help us pack our next iteration please feel free to reach out!


theevolvednetwork.org/project_ten

Dear TEN Community,

The world feels loud right now — fast, fractured, and often overwhelming. In the midst of all that, we are asked to be thoughtful about what we give our energy and attention to. What we protect. What we continue to return to.

For us, the focus remains clear: the kids.

In 2025, 722 Chicago youth engaged in TEN programming across our partner schools. Most returned for multiple sessions, allowing trust to build over time and relationships to deepen in meaningful ways. This work is not defined by single moments, but by steady presence and sustained commitment.

Our 2025 Impact Report shares what that work looked like in practice: the growth of our programs, the strengthening of our partnerships, and the continued evolution of The Evolved Network Way.

Thank you for continuing to stand with young people and with us. We invite you to read the full report and see how this work continues to unfold across our communities.

Available on our website, link in bio.