Gourmet Event Showcases Top Chefs and Master Sommeliers From Chicago and Beyond
The Illinois Restaurant Association (IRA) announces the second Chicago Gourmet event, a celebration of the city’s finest in food and wine. Chicago Gourmet will showcase the unparalleled talent Chicago’s culinary community has to offer through two days of high-end food and wine tastings, informative demonstrations, educational seminars and celebrity chef appearances.
In collaboration with presenting sponsor Southern Wine and Spirits of Illinois, this year’s event promises to double the food tastings, offer more than 300 different wineries and over 65 spirit brands.
New programming is slated for 2009 including Gourmet Pavilions which will feature a variety of cuisines each day, a Dine Around Program with participating Chicago Gourmet restaurants, and an Organic Gourmet Tent featuring Southern Wine and Spirit’s organic wines. Also new this year, the general admission ticket price will include the seminar series.
A true showcase of food, wine and the city’s rich culinary heritage, Chicago Gourmet will take place in Millennium Park on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, 2009.
Live cooking demonstrations will also be presented at 30 minute intervals throughout each day on the Jay Pritzker Pavilion Stage and the new Gourmet Pavilion Culinary Stage. The festival offers attendees a chance to interact with more than 50 chefs.
All epicureans and wine lovers are encouraged to visit chicagogourmet.org to take advantage of the current ticket sale promotion offering all-day access to the festival at the price of $120/day; after August 1, ticket prices increase to $150/day. A two-day pass also is available for $250.
New Programming for 2009
• Gourmet Pavilions on the Great Lawn
Multiple chefs and restaurants will offer tastings of a variety of unique cuisines each day, including Asian, French, Seafood, Latin, Gastropub, Mediterranean, Regional American. Dessert and Cheese stations will also be featured. The additional tastings will double the amount of food offerings.
• Gourmet Pavilion Culinary Stage
The Gourmet Pavilion Culinary Stage, a second cooking demonstration stage, added to this year’s event for more opportunities to attend intimate cooking demonstrations from multiple great chefs from Chicago and beyond.
• The Dine Around Program
The Dine Around Program will be offered by participating restaurants to guests ordering from a prix fixe menu between Monday, August 24 and Sunday, September 27. Once guests have dined five times at participating restaurants during the five-week promotional period, they will receive a free general admission ticket to Chicago Gourmet.
• Organic Gourmet Tent
Organic Gourmet Tent will offer Southern Wine and Spirit’s organic wines and the Green City Market. There will also be a silent auction in this area benefiting Green City Market.
Returning Programming
Chicago Gourmet will continue to allow for quality interaction with some of Chicago’s most innovative chefs and wine experts via a variety of educational programming during the two-day event. Seminars on today’s hottest gourmet food and wine topics will be offered throughout the event, allowing participants ranging from beginner through aficionado to hone their skills, cultivate their palates, and interact with worldwide experts and producers.
Celebrity chefs will demonstrate their personal passion for great food on the Jay Pritzker Pavilion Stage with auditorium seating. On-stage cooking demonstrations will offer the chance of a lifetime: to sit up-close-andpersonal as the chefs cook and taste. Celebrity appearances include: Ted Allen (Top Chef, Bravo and Chopped, Food Network), Rick Bayless (Mexico – One Plate at a Time, PBS), Rahman “Rock” Harper (Winner of Season 3 of Hell’s Kitchen, FOX television network), Stephanie Izard (Winner of the Season 4 of Top Chef, Bravo), Marcus Samuelsson (Inner Chef, Discovery Home Channel; Urban Cuisine, BETJ; Iron Chef America, The Food Network), and Fabio Viviani (Top Chef, Bravo).
The ultimate wine experience, the Grand Cru Tastings at Chicago Gourmet, will offer attendees tastings of the finest wines in the world as selected by our Master Sommeliers. During these exclusive 90-minute events, the Master Sommeliers will be on hand to present and discuss their selections. The Grand Cru is a separate ticketed event at $175/person and requires a general admission ticket. Attendance is limited to 200 per day.
In addition, connoisseurs can look forward to the wine and spirits tastings and seminars, headlined by the best of the city and beyond, including Master Sommeliers Serafin Alvarado, Fernando Beteta, Frederick Dame, Alpana Singh and also Gaia Gaja of Gaja Winery, Fred Noe of Beam Global Spirits and Wine, and Bill Terlato of Terlato Wines International.
About Chicago Gourmet
Chicago Gourmet is a premier culinary experience aimed to promote Chicago’s impressive food and wine community. It was created by the Illinois Restaurant Association (IRA) and the Anton Family Foundation to celebrate and honor both Chicago’s culinary achievements and the creative vision of the chefs, master sommeliers and wine makers who are participating. It also aims to highlight the city as an international culinary destination via its unparalleled epicurean talent.
About the Illinois Restaurant Association
Founded in 1914, the Illinois Restaurant Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, protecting, educating and improving the restaurant industry in Illinois.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kristen Roskowski, 312-729-4302
kroskowski@golinharris.com
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