Chefs Come Out to "Play" for Charity

There's just something so quaint and lovely about a charity event titled "Chefs' Playground." On May 16, a myriad of top chefs from across the country will converge at Terzo Piano to partake in said Playground, an inaugural charity event benefitting the Academy for Global Citizenship. The AGC is a Chicago public charter school on the southwest side of Chicago, with a concentration on environmentalism, international awareness, and general well-roundedness of students. Basically, the school cultivates young citizens of the world, prepared to go out and make the planet a better place. That sounds very "Captain Planet," but it's genuine, and an admirable cause for chefs to support. Considering that many chefs are inspired by childhood in one way or another, the Chefs' Playground event is an apt opportunity for some of the country's culinary elite to get back to their roots by simultaneously cooking school-inspired dishes and supporting a charter school. Added bonus: chefs don't have to wear hair nets.

Participating chefs ready to "play" include Jimmy Bannos and Jimmy Bannos Jr. of The Purple Pig; Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, and XOCO; Jose Garces of the Garces Group and locally, Mercat a la Planxa; Hedy Goldsmith of Michael's Genuine Food & Drink in Miami; Sarah Grueneberg of Spiaggia; Paul Kahan of avec, Big Star, Blackbird, The Publican, and Publican Quality Meats; Jeff Mauro, host of Food Network's Sandwich King; Marcela Valladolid, host of Food Network's Mexican Made Easy; and more. The host chef is Terzo Piano's own Tony Mantuano, standing at the helm of this Avengers-like team of culinary superstars. In addition to the slew of nostalgia-inspired dishes to be served, Chefs' Playground will feature a silent and live auction, a DJ, and cocktials and beer from local distilleries, a slight departure from the playground theme, unless you grew up with boozy playgrounds.

General admission for the event is $225 per person. VIP tickets (like the cool kids on the playground) are $300 per person, which includes a pre-party from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and specialty cocktails from Charles Joly of The Aviary. The main event runs from 7:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.

(Students at the Academy for Global Citizenship)