Chicago Gourmet 2008

Hungry Z, NBC5 Street Team

New details are in! Beginning on Friday evening, September 26th, Chicago Gourmet will offer three days of activities featuring the cream of the crop in food and wine through a full slate of events in Millennium Park.

Tickets will be $150 per person and these lucky folks will be granted full access to the Great Lawn and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion to enjoy cooking demonstrations and premium wine tastings.

• Cooking demonstrations will offer  the chance to sit on-stage, up-close-and-personal, as celebrity chefs demonstrate their personal passion for great food.
• More than 150 premium wineries from around the world will welcome attendees and discuss and share wine in the Grand Tasting Tents on the Great Lawn.

Beyond the general admission activities, Chicago Gourmet will also offer additional events including an Opening Night Gala, a Grand Cru tasting, a Family Pavilion, a World of Flavors tent produced by the Culinary Institute of America, and a series of individual seminars about today’s hottest gourmet food and wine topics. Tickets for each of these exclusive events will be limited and sold separately from the General Admission passes.

There are currently 25 chefs participating including Rick Bayless and Gail Gand. To view the full list of chefs and events, visit http://www.chicagogourmet.org/

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Taste of Chicago-The Gourmet Sequel

Hungry Z, NBC5 Street Team

Do you love the Taste but wish you could sample some of the city’s more upscale fair? Sure there’s the gourmet tent located near the fountain, but that’s only like three places. Good news my food loving friends, soon you will have a “fancy pants” taste to indulge in. The City of Chicago and Illinois Restaurant Association will co-host “Chicago Gourmet,” billed as “a celebration of food & wine,” September 26-28 in Millennium Park. 

The mayor apparently wants a gourmet version of the Taste, one that will show off Chicago as a world-class culinary destination. Don’t get me wrong, I love sampling Robinson’s Ribs, Harold’s Chicken, Ricobene’s and other street food favorites. But hey, our cuisine is more upscale than some of the country gives us credit for.

There’s a May 20th press conference, but until then details are pretty slim. Rumor has it that a number of big-name chefs are already on board. I’ll fill everyone in with all the details as soon as they become available.

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