Celebrate Chicago’s hospitality workers at the virtual Chicago Tribune 2020 Takeout Awards

Every year, the Chicago Tribune honors the Chef of the Year. But this year, we’re adapting to the changes the dining world has gone through this year. So we proudly present the Person of the Year award to our city’s essential hospitality workers, along with additional Critics’ Choice awards for industry innovators and community champions.

Readers also have a chance to toast their favorites with our Readers’ Choice Awards. Voting is open through April 1.

On April 26, from 6 to 7:15 p.m., please join us for a virtual celebration of the hospitality workers, chefs and owners who made a difference in our city in 2020. The event will take place via Zoom. Ticket holders will receive a link via email 24 hours before the start of the event. Register for tickets at chicagotribune.com/takeoutvent.

The event is free, but please consider making a suggested donation of at least $25. All donations will benefit DishRoulette Kitchen, a nonprofit organization providing grants, training and business assistance to local, minority-owned restaurants and food vendors.

During the event, we’ll recognize the servers who took public transportation to work for minimum wage and tips, and the line cooks who cooked, cleaned and dropped curbside orders in car trunks no matter the weather.

We’ll celebrate those who served customers, supposedly masked unless eating or drinking, while restaurant and bar workers still wait for vaccines. We recognize those who’ve recovered from the coronavirus, some with lingering long-term effects. We award posthumously those we’ve lost.

Featured speakers will include Diana Davila (chef and owner of Mi Tocaya Antojeria), Jeremy Joyce (founder of Black People Eats) and Beverly Kim (co-chef and co-owner of Parachute and Wherewithall).