Chicago already hosts Bon Appetit's Chicago Gourmet each September, and now Food & Wine magazine is teaming up with C3 Presents (which runs Lollapalooza) and Dallas celeb chef Tim Love for the Chicago Food + Wine Festival, which will debut this year August 28–30.
The advisory board for the festival is basically a who's who of Chicago's top chefs—Rick Bayless, Graham Elliot, Stephanie Izard, Paul Kahan, Art Smith, Jose Garces, Tony Mantuano and Jimmy Bannos—and they've put together a weekend of events, including a Grand Taste, with samples from local food purveyors; Chef Showcase, with tastings from 40 chefs; and 30 cooking demos over the weekend.
On Friday, August 28, the main event is Feast Under the Stars, with a family-style dinner from Bannos, Elliot, Izard, Mantuano and Mindy Segal, which includes wine pairings. On Saturday and Sunday, the Chef Showcase will be held in Lincoln Park and includes tastings from local chefs, like Dennis Bernard and Tom Van Lente (Dove’s Luncheonette, Big Star); Christine Cikowski and Josh Kulp (Honey Butter Fried Chicken); Sarah Grueneberg (the forthcoming Monteverde) and Matthias Merges (Yusho, A10, Billy Sunday).
The weekend includes cooking demos from Chicago chefs like Bayless, Izard and Bannos, plus big-deal chefs from around the country—Oxford, Mississippi's John Currence (City Grocery) and Los Angeles's Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook (Animal, Trois Mec, Petit Trois, Son of a Gun) will also be participating.
The main Saturday-evening event is Toast & Taste, another tasting event, and the night ends with Last Call, a dessert and cocktail party.
Tickets are available starting today, and there are a few options: The All-In Ticket covers the entire weekend (and costs $550), while the Saturday and Sunday Day Tickets are $175 each. You can also buy individual tickets to Feast Under the Stars and Toast & Taste for $225 each. Last Call is $75 per person.
The full schedule will be posted on the festival's website as it becomes available.