Edible, Elegant Fundraiser at Grace Restaurant for American Food Conference

A dish by Jessica Largey, Chef de Cuisine at Manresa in Los Gatos, CA, and one of the featured chefs for the fundraiser. (Photo courtesy Ashley Sears)

American food conferences don’t come cheap, and if you want to try to avoid having a corporate logo on every table, menu and fork, sometimes you have to go out and raise the money yourself. That’s partly why on Sunday, June 15th, Breville is presenting the “Future of American Food” dinner at Grace (652 W. Randolph St) to raise money for the upcoming “Roots of American Food” conference in September here in Chicago. The two-day conference is co-curated by Christopher Kostow (of Meadowood in St. Helena, CA) and Stephen Torres, and will take place September 7th and 8th.

This year, the Conference will honor Chef Jeremiah Tower (formerly of Stars in San Francisco) and will also include appearances by a number of chefs of American cuisine, including Kyle Connaughton, Paul Qui (of Uchiko in Austin, TX) and David Kinch (of Manresa in Los Gatos, CA). The event will feature a series of panels and lectures, as well as a nightly dinner for 75 people made by participating chefs. Tickets are now on sale.

The June dinner will also promote those who have made their mark on American food by bringing in 12 Chef de Cuisines from around the country, including: David Posey (of Blackbird), Katianna Weiner (of Meadowood) and Dan Heinze (of McCrady’s in Charleston). Dinner is $375 and includes a wine pairing, but excludes tax and tip. Reservations begin at 5:30 p.m, and can be made by calling Grace at 312-234-9494.