Uncommon Ground Restaurant Celebrates 30 Years in July

On Thursday, July 1st, independently owned and operated restaurant Uncommon Ground will celebrate 30 years in business as a brand & fixture in the Lakeview/Wrigleyville area of Chicago. Since 1991, owners Mike and Helen Cameron have been true community leaders in the ‘farm to table’ movement and continue to be recognized for their commitment to sustainable practices.

Uncommon Ground first opened as a coffeehouse on Grace Street in July 1991 before expanding to its current size of 4,000 square feet. A second location followed in 2007 in the historic Edgewater neighborhood and eventually both were named the “first and second greenest restaurants in the country” by the Green Restaurant Association. Uncommon Ground has been serving brunch, lunch, and dinner with a focus on contemporary comfort cuisine utilizing seasonal, regional, and organic ingredients.

Uncommon Ground’s bar features house-infused organic cocktails, an eclectic American wine list and a variety of organic craft beers from their very own certified Greenstar Brewing company, which was named “first organic brewery in Illinois.”

Uncommon Ground is widely known for their community involvement hosting national musical acts that perform nightly in their acoustic listening room as well as showcasing art openings to support local Chicago artists. They are nationally recognized for erecting America’s “first certified rooftop farm” that is 2500 square feet and produces 1500 pounds of food annually. A pair of beehives also provides 40-50 pounds of honey for both restaurants.

Amidst the pandemic, the Cameron’s shut down dining like all other restaurants and moved to carry out and delivery only. They dipped into retirement funds, applied for PPP and credit the second round of approval as truly saving their business because they were able to keep many more people on payroll than sales had been allowing. But as brutally challenging as the time was, the husband/wife team pushed through and can acknowledge the positives. For one, the craft beers brewed in fermentation tanks ended up receiving more months of lagering than they normally would resulting in some of the best tasting beer they have had in Greenstar’s 7-year history of organic brewing! Second, the rooftop and sidewalk farms required a great deal of care in which Helen had to step in and handle due to the inability to pay the farm director. So while feeling like so many, that the floor had literally been removed from underneath her - combined with no sense of control over the future or being able to plan more than one day ahead, she dug her hands in the dirt to plant, nurture and harvest the farms full time.

“Planting seeds is an act of hope,” explains Helen. “The sunshine lifts your spirits, yet the purpose is grounding and therapeutic and boy did I get some great exercise! I feel that spending a great deal of time outside and watching seedlings grow brought the light back into my soul after a very dark time.”

“30 years of running two busy restaurants has taught us a lot about how to evolve or die in our industry,” explains Mike. “We’ve been through a couple recessions, a housing market bubble bursting, etc., so we are tenacious enough to make it through. That is why our special anniversary beer is called Perseverance Double IPA.”

Uncommon Ground has been named World’s Greenest Restaurant and Greenest Restaurant in America by the Green Restaurant Association. In 2008, Uncommon Ground’s Edgewater location was recognized as the First Certified Organic Roof Top Farm in the U.S. by M.O.S.A. while in 2013 Lakeview’s Greenstar Brewery marked the First Certified Organic Brewery in Illinois.

Other awards and accomplishments include: 2008- Best New Restaurants - Chicago Magazine / 2008- Best New Breakfast Spot - Time Out Chicago (Devon) / 2009- “Winner of the prestigious USGBC EnvironmotionAward” / 2009, 2010, 2011- Mayor's Landscape Award - City of Chicago/ 2010, 2011- Recipient of the Governor's Sustainability Award / 2010, 2011- #1 & #2 Ranked Green Restaurants in Chicago - Green Restaurant Association / 2011, 2012- "Greenest Restaurants in the World" - Green Restaurant Association / 2012- “Innovative Operator of the Year” – Category Sustainability runner up –National Restaurant Association / 2012- Ranked 1st in the Nation / 2014- The first "Snail of Approval" by Slow Food Chicago / 2014- "First Certified Organic Brewery in Illinois" - M.O.S.A. / Greenest Restaurant of the Year - Edgewater Chamber of Commerce / 2016 –“Chicago Real 25” restaurant by United States Healthful Food Council.

Uncommon Ground will celebrate its 30th Anniversary all month long with a special $30 prixfixe menu available for takeout or dining and musical performances beginning July 15th. Locations are 3800 N Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60613 and 1401 W Devon, Chicago, IL 60660. For more information, please visit www.uncommonground.com