With fall approaching, the weather isn’t the only thing that will change.

Along with the crisp, chill air and falling leaves comes an entirely different season of produce.

Utilizing nature’s change to the fullest is Bacaro Wine Lounge, a nearby restaurant located at 113 N. Walnut St. in Champaign.

By transforming its menu daily, Thad Morrow, chef and owner of Bacaro, sets out to satisfy Champaign and Urbana locals through the food he creates from ingredients purchased from local farmers.

Every Monday Bacaro offers an almost exclusively local dinner in which Morrow and other chefs create a menu of five to six courses.

The meal costs around $40 and consists of food that is mostly from local farmers.

“Right now, the market decides what’s available. I can’t say I want strawberries because there aren’t any strawberries. So we really look to the farmers to tell us what’s the best,” Morrow said.

And what’s best right now when it comes to fresh produce is squash and root vegetables like potatoes, turnips and parsnips.

“With fall starting, we’ll see the end of sweetcorn and tomatoes, and we’ll move into more green vegetables like kale. The menu also moves into more protein,” Morrow said. Desserts will also be modified, like the huckleberry pie once served during the summertime will now change to sweet potato pie.

Preparation of the food also shifts with the season at Bacaro.

The popularity of grilling and sauteing throughout the summer moves more into slow-cooking, like roasting and braising, to satisfy and comfort stomachs during the oncoming colder months.

Aside from the restaurant’s drive to support local farmers, Bacaro also makes an effort to inspire those who dine there.

Through constant menu changes due to a changing produce market, Morrow and his fellow chefs try to show people who eat at Bacaro that they too can make their meals more season friendly and interesting.

“With this Market Monday menu especially, we really do try to say that, ‘I know maybe you don’t have all these uses for tomatoes, but this is what you can do. Make roasted yellow tomato soup,’” Morrow said. He also suggests going to the farmer’s market to pick up some new produce to experiment and try to eliminate the intimidation factor.

“There’s an attraction to making vegetables with more interesting applications.”

And with a consistently changing menu fitting appropriately to each season, dining at Bacaro has given people ideas when it comes to their own cooking.

“The first time I went to the farmer’s market was actually after I ate at Bacaro,” said Jess Mulcrone, a junior in LAS. “I wouldn’t say that I was afraid to cook before, but their menu definitely gave me a few ideas even if I didn’t order the specific thing I wanted to try later. I knew I could always buy the produce at the market and create my own special dish that I never would have thought to make before.”

Open for nine years as of this November, Bacaro continues to grow in popularity, especially among students, because of its incredibly fresh cuisine.

“I went to Bacaro last year when my mom visited for Mom’s Weekend,” said Vicky Ngo-Lam, a sophomore in Business.

“We really enjoyed it because of the freshness since we knew the food came from local farmers, and we also liked it because we didn’t feel heavy after eating it. It was really satisfying,” she added.

Crediting those who help contribute to what Bacaro stands for, Morrow tries to pay the people he works with a very fair price, which explains why a meal at Bacaro may cost a few dollars more than any other restaurant down the street.

Morrow also creates alternatives for students in hopes of respecting them and their bank accounts.

“We have a bar menu which is a little easier on the pocketbook. Or, you can come in here on a date and get a couple plates of pasta without it costing you an arm and a leg,” Morrow said.

Bacaro’s message is simple: to serve good food and to serve it well.

“I don’t want to be too challenging,” Morrow said. “I just want to make the food interesting,”