Talking breakfast at the Market
You rolled out of bed and made it to the market in time to get your berries and your greens. Unfortunately, getting to the market early meant skipping breakfast and now, you are starving. By the time you get home and cook up your haul, you'll be ready to gnaw off your own arm.
But, don't undo all of your efforts to eat locally by hitting the drive-thru at the Golden Arches, not when there are better options just steps away.
With a name like Fryer Tuck's you might expect the white vending trailer on the southeast corner of the market to be selling funnel cakes or mini doughnuts. But Fryer Tuck's cooks up egg sandwiches made with local sausage from Triple S farms and English muffins from Dan and Paula Erwin. You'll likely have to stand behind several of the market's farmers to get yours, but it's worth the wait. And for just $3, it's hard to beat this breakfast to go.
If you're in the mood to take a load off after shopping, head for the opposite end of the market where Harold Allston and his crew have turned The Great Impasta into C-U's newest breakfast destination.
"Because of our proximity to the market, serving breakfast just seemed like the natural thing to do," says Allston. In fact, if you are at the market around 7 a.m., you'll likely see Allston pushing a restaurant cart through the market buying ingredients for the morning's meal.
While this makes for a rather hectic schedule as the menu is literally set by 7:30 a.m., menus printed by 7:45 a.m., and the first coffee poured at 8:00 a.m., Allston wouldn't have it any other way. "For years we've been having farmers deliver to our door. Now we can go to their doors," says Allston, adding that shopping at the market allows him to work with even more local farmers.
Allston says he's been consistently surprised with the offerings of the market's vendors. So far The Great Impasta's breakfast offerings have featured local eggs, cheeses, bacon, sausage, Swiss chard, asparagus, kale, mixed greens, strawberries, rhubarb, and even hydroponic tomatoes. Omelets, frittatas, and quiches are staples of the breakfast menu, as local eggs are prevalent and easy to build around, says Allston. "We also serve eggs benedict made with English muffins from Dan and Paula Erwin who are sharing our kitchen to make their breads and other baked goods for the market."
Allston says he plans to serve breakfast throughout the market season. "It's becoming very popular and the kitchen is enjoying getting to learn a new form of cookery. Breakfast is different than lunch or dinner, especially when you are cooking with eggs. It's also been interesting to have guests come in and ask, ‘Where did you get the lamb sausage? So we're getting to educate people about what all the market has to offer, which is an unexpected bonus."
The Great Impasta serves breakfast until 11 am when the restaurant switches to its lunch menu.
Photo by Lisa Bralts-Kelly
Most Recent Food Comments
Looks like you are also all members of the killer sideburns club.
@Annie: Yeah, my bad. That was the best part! Drinking + memory exercises = fun @Rob: According to Ask the English Teacher, “My dictionary says ‘drunk’ is an archaic past tense of ‘drink.‘“ We’re all about the new grammar around here.
“more beer is drank” Awesome. Way to go “editors.“
You left out the best part—you have to REMEMBER your number after the beer chugging! Yeah, I’m a member.
Great article, man. Like you, I didn’t really know Daniel all that well, but I felt the impact of his death. I too was inspired by him and it pleases me to see that he continues to live on in the spirit of the community.
Thanks you guys…I love living in a community that can connect, share, and create through food. It’s inspiring…
<div> A beautiful recap of the evening and thank you for sharing why you find what the Fund is doing is inspiring. I haven’t been able to write too much about my feelings about the community’s loss of Dan yet either, but Dan has also inspired me…
Seth and Justine, thanks so much! Through your writing and your photos, everyone can get at least a taste of what was served up Sunday night. Dan would very much have liked that! As you say, our community is very much “fertile ground,“ and Dan had such…
That is perhaps the best article you have ever written… a love letter to Champaign-Urbana and the people who call it home.
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Illinois has simply had no luck at all in these Mizzou games. None. I think maybe we’re do for a couple of bounces to go our way. If we get one or two (or sever or eight) breaks, I think it’s a win.
Jason, Savoy could easily join the CPL tax district, which is probably closer to most Savoy residents than the Tolono library is. But my impression is that Savoy residents as a whole don’t want to pay the cost of the CPL (Tolono’s library taxes are cheaper), even…
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I read Timbo’s argument. I think the key word is “speculating.“
I would be interested to hear more about the “word on the street”—how are individual hauling companies fulfilling their promise to recycle?
Timbo makes a smart, sound argument. Reread it.
I joined on 09-09-09 after living here over a year, and having to listen to my dad tell me how his best friend is, like, #27 or something crazy like that, and how said friend never lived further than 50 feet from the Illini Inn while going…
And, I might add, no one is being prevented from using the Champaign library. They are just being asked to pay their fair share if they are going to use it as their primary library.
The equation is pretty simple here. If you want social services, then pay the taxes required to run those social services. These things only work if everyone puts in their fair share. As a heavy user of the Champaign Library, I say bravo to this new policy.
Curtis Orchard is always good for an hour or three, especially if you have rugrats.
What is the increased marginal cost of serving a resident of Savoy or Mahomet? I suspect negligible. What is the increased revenue to be realized by this new policy? I suspect very little. Aside from these financial aspects, what are the most probable results from this new…
Looks like you are also all members of the killer sideburns club.
Thanks for the article, Ben. I was not familiar with this band until now and even though I won’t be able to attend the show on Friday they are now on my radar. A *good* jam band is hard to find, and these folks appear to fill…
Nice article, love the Dead quote in the beginning. If they can get down here to Central FL I’ll definitely be heading out to the show. Some of my friends have finally stopped wincing when I say “jam band.“ I’ve now tried my best at more descriptive…
@Annie: Yeah, my bad. That was the best part! Drinking + memory exercises = fun @Rob: According to Ask the English Teacher, “My dictionary says ‘drunk’ is an archaic past tense of ‘drink.‘“ We’re all about the new grammar around here.
Katie, have the residents of Savoy and Tolono thought about having their taxes raised a little to help their public library expand? That’s a possibility for them. And then everybody wins.
good call on that Herring recording, Josh. Love that version of Exit Music….here’s a clip of the Cinco de Mayo show (from about six months prior). As I recall, this Shakedown went on for roughly a half hour, while getting into the Trampled Underfoot jam in the…
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I joined on 09-09-09 after living here over a year, and having to listen to my dad tell me how his best friend is, like, #27 or something crazy like that, and how said friend never lived further than 50 feet from the Illini Inn while going…