June Restaurant

Meet Grindstone friend and client Evan Barry, farmer and owner of Down River Farm, where he grows some of the freshest and finest vegetables in Central Illinois.

Evan began his farming career on a 1.5 acre market garden in Asheville, NC, before exploring agriculture internationally, working for a year in South America on six different farms in Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Argentina, farming sheep in Patagonia, cacao and coffee in Ecuador, then working on a vineyard in Argentina.

Discovering the people and places behind these plants we call commodities taught him the cultural implications of our actions from a very unique perspective.​

Upon his return, Evan sought a job as a farmhand near Chicago to be closer to his family and found his way to Henry’s Farm, where he truly learned to embody the dance that is farming.

Evan experienced firsthand how one crop weaves into another seamlessly — how spring lettuces make way for mulching tomatoes, which falls into the first summer squash harvest and the intensive weeding sessions, then the sweet corn harvest which makes way for the green bean harvest, leading back to lettuces in the fall, and finally clearing the field before the first frost.

Evan learned how to focus on each of his senses and movements to farm as effectively and efficiently as possible. He embraced and soon embodied how to live and breathe this profession, day in and day out, for the entirety of a season.

Learn more and experience it all at our monthly music and farm dinner series. The next dinner will be prepared on July 31 by Chef Josh Adams (former owner and executive chef at June Restaurant) in a live fire outdoor kitchen served at a communal table on the farm and accompanied by acoustic tunes from Nathan Taylor Music.

DM us to request an invite to book any of the few remaining reservations via our private link and password.

We’d love to see you at the table.

Fall Harvest Sale & Farm Tour
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Saturday October 5 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Farm Tour at noon
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Kira's Flowers/Down River Farm
3404 Springfield Rd. East Peoria (almost to Groveland)
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Bouquets, fall decor, vegetables, herbs, teas, fruit, goat milk soaps, mushrooms, art, jewelry, pottery, beeswax wraps, gourd birdhouses, bread, and more!
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Chef Cody Scogin of will be preparing lunch made from our tasty vegetables! 10-3 or until sold out!

Everyone should come out to Princeville Athletic Performance Center this Saturday between 9:00 am - 4:00 pm at 131 E. Main St. Princeville,IL for there Holiday Homecoming. I will be doing a smoked pork shoulder, black eyed pea, kale, and caramelized shallot soup. So if you been missing some June food here's your chance to get some. UFC fighter Kenny Robertson will also be there signing autographs and taking pictures from 11:15 am - 12:45 pm.

Food and Wine News Celebrate Mother's Day With a Stylish Brunch http://ow.ly/2FYjVa

Celebrate Mother's Day With a Stylish Brunch Sidestep the long lines at your favorite brunch spot and skip the last-minute, cellophane-wrapped bouquets this Mother's Day. Host a stylish brunch instead for a celebration spent the way this special day was meant to be enjoyed—unrushed and cherished with friends and family.