Hundreds feast at Chicago Gourmet

Millennium Park was filled with foodies on Sept. 24-25 for Chicago Gourmet, presented by bon appetit. The cuisine celebration started Sept. 23 with a Hamburger Hop at Harris Theater Rooftop, then continued later that evening at The Underground. Billy Dec, the owner of Rocket Ranch restaurants and The Underground, was on hand later in the weekend for cooking demonstrations on the Bon Appetit Main Stage.

The event featured massive tents full of food and wine. Many vendors were combined together, and some lines needed to be separated. The seafood line was incredibly long at Dirk’s Fish was worth the wait.

Genuine Wagyu brought the beef and Tanta served ceviche for the crowds. The Big Green Egg is a grilling contraption for outdoor cooking and it had the gooiest S’mores ever in a small ice-cream cone.

The Cocktail Project mixed whiskey drinks, and the wine tastings were in every corner. Fuji supplied welcome water and Stoli made Moscow mules that were gluten-free.

The cooking demonstrations each day were informative and fun. Windy City Times asked Lorena Garcia and Art Smith their favorite Top Chef moments and Smith answered that the wedding episode where his cake fell was the best ever. The long hours of filming were tough and not as glamorous as it looks on Bravo, they mentioned.

One of my friends remarked, “This Gourmet event is more gay this year than last!” With chefs like Art Smith talking about same-sex weddings and there being amazing fashion, hopefully 2017 will be even more so.

For next year’s tickets, visit ChicagoGourmet.org.

Photos and text by Jerry Nunn