In the heart of Michigan Avenue during the Magnificent Shopping Festival, MasterCard presented its first culinary fundraiser in the shopping district—entitled “A Magnificent Taste”—featuring local and national chefs. Bravo’s Top Chef season nine winner Paul Qui was on hand, serving some fresh kale. Also spotted were two of Qui’s former competitors, Sarah Grueneberg and Grayson Schmitz.
Local contributing restaurants included Shaw’s Crab House, with its sushi, and Mercadito with fish tacos, among others. Magnolia Bakery supplied desserts on a huge roundtable in the middle of the tented Pioneer Court. Bombay Sapphire provided drinks.
The two-and-a-half-hour event raised money for Common Threads, a Chicago based organization dedicated to helping children. For more information visit www.commonthreads.org. Photos and text by Jerry Nunn
