Chicago Gourmet, the upscale food festival that celebrates the city as a “culinary capital,” will return to Millennium Park from Sept. 25 to 28 with a new, sporty twist.
This year’s theme, “Step up to the Plate,” is a marriage of food and sports, showcasing “all-star chefs, big-time bites and championship-level sips,” said Sam Toia, president and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association.
“Like pro sports, great food requires skill, strategy and passion,” Toia said. “No doubt Chicago is a top sports town, but our restaurant teams are the real MVPs of the city.”
Like in previous years, host chefs will collaborate with local businesses, restaurants and drink vendors over four days. Organizers said they will soon announce additional pre-game events.
In the 18th iteration of the event since it began in 2008, the festival typically generates buzz around Hamburger Hop, a fan-favorite burger competition in which chefs compete to win the celebrity-judged award and the audience-judged People’s Choice.
This year’s “cross-town classic” Hamburger Hop will be co-hosted by Joe Flamm, chef and owner of il Carciofo and Rose Mary, who will represent the South Side, and Sarah Grueneberg, chef and co-owner of Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio, representing the North Side.
“This event has always been a Chicago Gourmet highlight and I’ll be decked out in my beloved Cubbies jersey,” Grueneberg said.
Flamm said he’s excited about the added element of a crosstown rivalry to an already thrilling event.
“I love that Hamburger Hop is a chance for chefs from all around the city to show off their grilling skills while getting creative and having fun,” Flamm said. “I’ve been a part of Chicago Gourmet for as long as I can remember, so being back to host an event like this again is a full-circle moment for me.”
Hamburger Hop, hosted on the Harris Theater rooftop, will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 26.
Over 100 chefs and restaurateurs are slated to participate, including Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill, Topolobampo), Marcos Carbajal (Carnitas Uruapan), Diana Dávila (Mi Tocaya Antojería), Jenner Tomaska (The Alston, Esmé), Norman Fenton (Cariňo), Israel Idonije (Signature, The Staley) and Jeff Mauro (Mauro Provisions).
Other host chefs and ticket prices will be announced later, but many of the main events from previous years are scheduled to return.
The crowd favorite Tacos & Tequilas will be hosted by Bayless and Carbajal on Sept. 25.
Rise and Shine Gourmet, hosted by Art Smith, Lorena Garcia and Jernard Wells, will serve up sweet and savory brunch bites from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 28.
Late Night Gourmet Asian Street Market — a new after-party addition hosted by chef Thai Dang of HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen — will be from 9 p.m. to midnight Sept. 26.
Grand Cru on Sept. 27 takes inspiration from “the greatest of all times,” such as Michael Jordan and Jordan Biles, and will be hosted by Stephanie Izard, executive chef and partner of four Chicago restaurants: Girl & the Goat, Little Goat, Duck Duck Goat and Cabra.
“I always say Chicago is the culinary capital of the world and Chicago Gourmet just highlights that each year,” Toia said. “It’s where talent, creativity and our city’s enduring competitive spirit gets to shine.”
Programming at Chicago Gourmet will benefit the Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, which works with high school students to build the hospitality workforce through career exploration.
Ticket prices have not yet been announced but will be available starting in July at chicagogourmet.org.