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Chicago Gourmet - a sneak peak

Posted by Tammy at 5:00 pm

Aug 132010

Priolo prepares risotto for the audience.

We were able to try Chef Tony Priolo’s cooking and Master Sommelier Serafin Alvarado’s wine selections at a sneak peak event for the third annual Chicago Gourmet, held at the new Whole Foods. Chef Priolo prepared panzanella (tomato and bread salad) and risotto with mixed mushrooms which Alvarado then paired with wines sold in-store. Everything was delicious and whet my appetite for more.

Chicago Gourmet’s food and wine extravaganza will be held in Millennium Park on September 24-26, and costs $150 for a single day pass or $250 for the weekend. A Friday night competition between 15 Chicago chefs for best burger will be $75. Each day’s Grand Cru wine tasting is an additional $175/person.

The big change this year is sponsorship by Bon Appetit Magazine, which promises to bring more of a national focus with the addition of Chef Cat Cora and editors Barbara Fairchild and Andrew Knowlton. Additionally, there will be a Fancy Food Show Pavilion where attendees can see and purchase items from 60+ food and beverage purveyors. What remains the same? Cooking demonstrations, classes and delicious samples prepared by nearly 100 of Chicago’s best chefs.

If you’re already dedicated to eating in the city’s best restaurants, then you might want to consider Chicago Gourmet’s Dine Around program. Dine at five participating restaurants between August 30 and September 26, and you can use your receipts to get a complimentary one-day pass.

Can’t wait? Take a look at our past coverage.

Alvarado tastes the wine before sharing.

Do You Know Chicago Chefs?

Posted by chicagobites at 7:00 am

Sep 292009

Test your smarts with our chefs Bingo card! Most of these folks reside at local restaurants you should try. Simply mark them off as you see them in person. Go for a blackout!

Chefs in action at Chicago Gourmet 2009.

Day Two at Chicago Gourmet: Highlights, Grazing, and Contemplating the Environment

Posted by chicagobites at 2:00 pm

Sep 282009

Chicago Gourmet 2009 Highlights

Our second day at Chicago Gourmet was a leisurely stroll from bite to bite and sip to sip. We chatted with fellow foodies and local chefs as we grazed, soaking in the sun.

Highlights included mini burgers from Rockit Bar and Grill, heirloom tomato panzanella from The Bristol, Caribbean ceviche from Riva, smoked salmon with early grey and ginger noodles from L20, lobster boil from Tru, pear and port wine cornets from Les Nomades, and Beet foam from NoMI.

Tru's Lobster boil complete with baby potato chip.

But, hands down, the wining food category of the day was dessert. Treats from C-house, Floriole Bakery, and Bittersweet Pastry Shop and Café were all fantastic, but C-House’s sour candied citrus and Floriole’s vanilla shortbread bites were the sweets that disappeared off our plates so quickly we seriously contemplated going for seconds, thirds and fourths!

The sour candied citrus from C-House made us pucker perfectly.

Chicago Gourmet truly showcased our city’s finest food artisans, and the chefs themselves rose to the occasion, illustrating their talent and the pride they take in their work.

There was only one part of the event that grossly contradicted some of its messaging. Many of the chefs there showed an active interest in using organic, locally sourced food in their recipes, and the topic of “being green” in general came up time and again in cooking demos and casual conversation.

That’s why it was surprising to see so much waste at Chicago Gourmet. The majority of the food was served on paper plates with napkins and plastic ware that was not recyclable. So the trashcans filled up quickly, and the staff had to rush back and fourth through the crowd on golf charts piled high with bulging sacks of garbage every few minutes.

It wasn’t that an effort wasn’t made to be green – Evian water had bottle-recycling bins (reminiscent of huge fabric softener bottles) randomly placed throughout the park, and there were big recycling containers next to the city trashcans too, even if there wasn’t much to recycle. Attendees were also given re-useable grocery bags to carry along with glass stemware.

Still, with the food industry putting such an effort into being more environmentally conscious, it would be good to see Chicago Gourmet double its efforts for future events.