There's a New Food Festival in Town

How many food festivals can one city sustain? Apparently when you're a food Mecca of a metropolis, the answer is "many." Between smaller neighborhood fests and enormous events like Taste of Chicago, Green City Market Chefs' BBQ, and Bon Appétit's Chicago Gourmet, Chicagoans and visitors have ample opportunities to experience and celebrate our thriving local food scene. But now there's another event to savor, as Food & Wine magazine prepares to host its first ever Chicago Food + Wine Festival in Lincoln Park. 

 

Chicago Food + Wine Festival
Chicago Food + Wine Festival



Like its Bon Appétit counterpart taking place next month in Grant Park, the Chicago Food + Wine Festival is a multi-day fete packed with demos, tastings, seminars, dinners, book signings, and lots more, all within the lush confines of Lincoln Park. The talent pool is quite enormous, as not only are Chicago's top chefs, sommeliers, restaurateurs, and spirits pros all in attendance, but chefs from across the country will be on hand as well. 

Tastings at the Grand Tasting Pavilion are paramount, as nearly 100 exhibitors will be on hand for the showcase. If that's not enough wow factor, the festival also promises standout events like a multi-course al fresco dinner to kick off the weekend on Friday evening, a booze- and dessert-oriented "Last Call" on Saturday, a book tent stocked with cheffy cookbooks, and plenty more. 

 

Graham Elliot
Graham Elliot, one of many chefs in attendance



While chefs like Tim Love from Fort Worth, Jonathan Waxman from New York City, and Ludo Lefebvre from Los Angeles will all be at the festival to help champion Chicago's incomparable food scene, the local names are really quite impressive. The roster reads like a who's-who of local toques, from Stephanie Izard and Fabio Viviani of Top Chef fame to Tony Mantuano, Paula Haney, Graham Elliot, both Jimmy Bannos Jr. and Sr., and Rick Bayless. 

 

For more information and to purchase tickets for Chicago Food + Wine Festival, visit here

- Matt Kirouac

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