ABOUT PENNYROYAL CAFE & PROVISIONS
Pennyroyal Café and Provisions is the collaboration of our team’s culinary, pastry, and horticultural backgrounds into a unique dining destination that provides an unforgettable experience.
Our menu includes seasonal dishes, as well as house favorites that can be enjoyed anytime. Join us at the Café for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
Missy was named one of Chicago’s top female chefs in 2015 by Thrillist and was featured in the annual People Issue of the Chicago Reader in 2014. Having worked for 3 James Beard award-winning chefs between Maine and Chicago, her cooking focuses on using seasonal produce and classic technique.
James Beard Award winners Sam Hayward (Fore Street) and Rob Evans (Hugo’s/Duckfat) taught Missy the value of product and how to work with farmers. Evans was a defining mentor for her and eventually pushed her to go on the Food Network show “Chopped,” where Missy competed and won.
After the competition, Missy returned to her hometown of Chicago and landed at Publican Quality Meats. While there, she worked as a butcher and eventually took over as Chef de Cuisine. Working closely with Executive chef Paul Kahan, Missy continued to explore inventive seasonal cuisine and whole animal butchery. She hopes to train future eaters how to cook with the fruitful abundance that Southwest Michigan offers.
Bryan has always been passionate about cooking, and especially baking. He specializes in artisan breads and breakfast pastries. After a 20-year career in engineering, manufacturing, and operations management, he completed the Silver Fork Culinary program in Chicago to pursue a career in the culinary arts.
Bryan graduated from the French Pastry School with a certificate in L’Art de la Boulangerie. He first met Missy and Ryan while working at Virtue Cider in Fennville Michigan. Born and raised near New Orleans, Bryan was exposed to great food with Cajun, Creole, and Southern influence. His family also grew fresh fruits and vegetables in summer gardens. He has always appreciated that fresh ingredients coupled with heritage recipes are the keys to great cuisine.
Farmer and Garden Designer
Ryan is a farmer with 17 years of diverse garden experience. His past work includes arboretum and plant research at UC Santa Cruz and UI Chicago, urban and rural farm management, and professional garden installation work.
Ryan has served at Chicago’s premier garden nurseries and landscaping groups. He also started an urban farm for the Jane Addams Hull House Museum, an iconic Chicago institution with a history of advocating for food justice/hunger issues.
Ryan combines his passion for native plants, knowledge of intensive vegetable farming and eye for landscape design to create memorable spaces, edible gardens and healthy orchards. He hopes to further promote sustainability and education on herbaceous and edible plants.
For centuries, herbs have been prized for their beauty and utility in the garden, kitchen and apothecary. Pennyroyal is a historic mint plant once used by the ancient Greeks and as a staple in the early Native American healing tradition. Like many herbs that were once widely useful and abundant, Pennyroyal is now overlooked as a weed. Herbs uniquely represent the overlap in the past of food and medicine. Our style of cooking reflects this idea. We start with humble ingredients and enhance them by utilizing historic recipes with a tasteful, cultivated touch.