Chicago Gourmet brings premier chefs, foodies to Harris rooftop for Grand Cru
Walking along Randolph Street on the far north edge of Millennium Park this past weekend, you’d hardly know that just a few steps away, one of the city’s top culinary events was taking place, the trucks lined up on the street notwithstanding.
Now in its 16th year, Chicago Gourmet is a multi-day food, wine and spirits festival that attracts the who’s who of Chicago’s hospitality world and the hungry (literally and figuratively) fans who want to meet them.
In its early iterations, it was top chefs from outside Chicago that drew in crowds. There were panel discussions and cooking demonstrations on the Pritzker Pavilion stage and others in the multiple tented structures spread out on the lawn in front of it with plenty of food, wine and spirits samples in between.
These days, Chicago Gourmet is a much leaner affair with its domain mostly limited to the giant tent set up on the rooftop of the Harris Theater and the grassy area nearby. While you’re still find a few non-Chicago chefs in the mix, it’s local culinary talent now that takes the spotlight.
Sponsored by the Illinois Restaurant Association and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, Chicago Gourmet officially began last Thursday, with Tacos & Tequila. Hosted by chef Rick Bayless (Topolobampo, Frontera Grill, Xoco, Bar Sotano), the event offered creative takes on tacos from 11 chefs and plenty of premium tequila and mescal tastings.
On Friday, chef Stephanie Izard (Girl & the Goat, Little Goat, Duck Duck Goat) hosted Hamburger Hop, which featured 14 chefs fighting for the bragging rights of the best burger. In the end, it was chef Shota
Nakajima of Seattle’s Taku who took home both the judges’ and people’s choice awards.
And then there was Saturday’s Grand Cru. Broken into two 3-hour sessions, it featured 18 to 20 chefs from around the city offering signature dishes from their restaurants, which ranged from the Japanese-influenced, Osaka-style okonomiyaki with shiitake mushrooms and Wagyu beef made by Gaijin’s Paul Virant, and an Italian beef tart complete with giardiniera from Adalina’s Soo Ahn, to caviar-topped zeppole from Fioretta’s Joe Rizza.
Additionally, there was a selection of wines and spirits from around the world curated by leading master sommeliers.
Beverly Kim (Parachute), a longtime Chicago Gourmet participant, wanted to convey the playfulness of her restaurant as well as its Korean heart.
“It’s a small bite so I wanted to make something that had a lot of flavor to make it memorable,” she said of her kimchi fried rice with ’nduja and hollandaise sauce.
Memorable is also a word that can be used to describe the sentiment these Chicago chefs have for each other.
“From a working perspective this is the most tight-knit community of chefs I’ve ever found anywhere,” said Chef Joe Flamm of Rose Mary.