Chicago Gourmet Attracts Hardcore Food & Wine Fans

The damp, intermittent showers and muddy lawn couldn’t keep thousands of food and wine lovers away from Millennium Park this weekend. The 4th annual Chicago Gourmet saw its share of top-tier chefs, sommeliers and mixologists all come together in a spirited effort to once again raise the city’s culinary profile. This year, bon appétit magazine really dug its heels in as a title sponsor, hosting a swanky little hospitality tent that looked more like a Pottery Barn spread, complete with DJ and delicious little snacks like tuna crostini and gazpacho. The magazine also exerted some influence with the main cooking demos, bringing in L.A.’s Mary Sue Milliken and New York City’s Jonathan Waxman. To see my slide show, follow the jump…

While the organizers, including the Illinois Restaurant Association, did a much better job this year with respect to adding more food options, as well as ramping up the educational components (local mixologist Lynn House led a particularly informative cocktail class) there were still some issues with lines (thank God there was no Groupon this year); the problem seemed to stem from the Chef Tasting Pavilions, which have to be reorganized next year. But the addition of another demo tent, headlined by additional tastings and a Stella beer garden, really helped alleviate some of the congestion.  Note on the slide show: Saturday pictures taken by yours truly; Sunday photos taken by Joseph Storch. Click on “Photosets” to access the Chicago Gourmet pics.