Charlie Trotter set the standard for using organics back in the mid-90s. Items that have become haute cuisine cliches, such as micro-greens and heirloom vegetables from the Chef's Garden in Ohio, made some of their first restaurant appearances at the venerable Trotter's.

While living in India, chef Bruce Sherman didn't have access to megamarts chockfull of out-of-season produce. Instead Sherman had to consult his local Wallah, or produce vender, daily to see what was available before he could cook. That lesson of cooking seasonally and locally continues at North Pond, whose menu is studded with produce from local farms such as Nichols, Snug Haven and Kinnikinnick. A board member of Green City Market, Sherman's green spirit extends to the kitchen, where he's implemented a significant waste recycling program.

Chef Michael Altenberg's commitment to serving organic French bistro fare is personal. When his young son contracted a strain of leukemia likely caused by exposure to toxins, eating and serving organic food was a way to rid poisons from his family and his customer's lives. His commitment extends beyond the food as well: The al fresco dining section in the back of the restaurant is composed of reclaimed pine from a former home of Abe Lincoln.

Lula is where the farm and indie rock meet. This Logan Square stalwart serves up a seasonal cornucopia overflowing with green garlic, wild leeks and other goodies. The Monday night farm dinners, which feature the bounty of different Midwestern farmer, is a great way to build relationships and learn about local farms.

Fed a macrobiotic diet as a kid, chef Noah Bekofsky grew up as the son of hippies in the Pacific Northwest. While he now serves (and eats) meat, his respect for sustainable, locally-farmed organic produce never waned. His upscale versions of international comfort food, like shrimp and chicken pad thai and lobster spring rolls, are stuffed with the wares of Green City Market farmers. Bekofsky also runs a regular "shop with the chef" tour at Green City, where he teaches regular folks how to pick out and cook the incredible produce available.

Chef Rick Bayless's regional Mexican cuisine, a spicy assortment of smoky salsas, adobo-roasted meats and earthy moles, is buttressed by rich huitlacoche (corn truffle) from Illinois and tomatillos and chilies from organic farms like Tomato Mountain in Wisconsin. Bayless's Frontera Farmer's Foundation has granted hundreds of thousands of dollars to local farmers and has kickstarted a micro-entrepreneurial revolution that includes everything from Native American-inspired maple syrups to organic bloody mary mixes.

With her cousins Michael (the business guru) and Tom (the interior designer) in the mix, Carrie Nahabedian's spot is a family affair, one that's committed to serving the best of local family farms. Her commitment to market-based cuisine is rooted in her Armenian upbringing and her California training as a chef at the Four Seasons in Santa Barbara and Beverly Hills. It's probably the only spot in town where you can get heirloom tomatoes on your burger, but Nahabedian doesn't just shop at the Green City Market: She also sits on its board.

Chef Paul Kahan styled Blackbird's commitment to local and organic ingredients on the example set by Alice Waters at Chez Panisse in California in the 1970s. And while he features plenty of farm-fresh, consciously-grown produce, it's his facility with pork from sustainable farms like Swan Creek and Gunthorp that reigns supreme.

Chefs always say they cook like Mom, but Prairie Grass truly cuts out the middle-man. Chef Sarah Stegner's mom, Elizabeth, bakes many of the pies available for dessert. Tall Grass beef, a free-range and pasture-raised locally-grown antibiotic- and hormone-free meat, featured in the shepherd's pie and meat-based pasta sauce, is a staple of the menu.

Michelle Fire's mod Uptown spot, which features organic buckwheat pancakes, organic eggs and Hebron Farm Amish Country sausage, eases the early morning groans and makes rising with the sun a sweet treat.

Chef/owner Mindy Segal is so dedicated to her craft that she renders her own leaf lard from sustainably-farmed pork, ensuring she's got the flakiest pie crusts in Chicago. Already regarded one of the city's top pastry chef's from her days at MK, the upscale comfort food menu at Hot Chocolate, studded with Plapp Family organic meats, proves that this Ace of Cakes is also the Queen of Savory.

Chef/owner Alex Cheswick, a veteran of Tru and Le Francais, features the treasures of the Green City Market as well as regional delicacies from markets near his West Town spot. His New American-style cuisine has a European flair, a nod to his time spent training abroad at a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Chef Paul Virant, who preserves his own jams, cures his own meats and makes his own vinegar, is the one-room schoolhouse of chefs. Almost every week without fail, you'll find him holding court with the farmers at the Green City Market. Otherwise he's digging for Wild Leeks at Spence Farm in Central Illinois or foraging for mushrooms. His menu relies heavily on local suppliers; case in point: the creamy Chevre Gnocchi from Leslie Cooperband's Prairie Fruit Farms.