Imbibe & Inspire Coming To Town Sept. 29

The weekend of Chicago Gourmet is shaping up to be a jam-packed couple of days with all sorts of interesting eating and learning opportunities. On Sunday, Sept. 29, Imbibe and Inspire – along with the help from the Wyndham Grand Chicago Riverfront – will welcome “Imbibe and Inspire: The Roots of American Foodways,” a unique event bringing the next generation of groundbreaking chefs, restaurateurs, food writers and photographers to Chicago to share their take on American cuisine. All proceeds will benefit Share Our Strength, a national organization striving to end childhood hunger.

Imbibe and Inspire is essentially a platform for creative people to speak about what inspires them. Founder Stephen Torres even featured me once, about a year ago. The event on the 29th will take place in the Wyndam’s 39th floor Penthouse Ballroom, a one-of-a-kind venue with floor-to-ceiling windows offering panoramic views of Chicago. It will serve as the backdrop for eight interactive presentations dissecting American gastronomy, from its roots to recent reinventions. The presentations will begin at 10 am; each one will tackle a unique topic and last approximately one hour.

In the evening, attendees will be invited back for a reception from 6 – 9 pm where they will be able to dine with chefs and sample their cuisine first-hand. An eight-course dinner with beverage pairings will follow. Participating chefs and restaurateurs include:

Hugh Acheson (Empire State South, Atlanta, GA), Jason Franey & Mark Canlis (Canlis Restaurant, Seattle, WA), Dave Beran (Next Restaurant, Chicago), Kyle Connaughton (formerly of the Fat Duck, Bray, UK), Paul Liebrandt  (The Elm, New York, NY), Alex Stupak  (Empellon, New York, NY), John Shields (formerly of Townhouse, Chilhowie, VA), Matt Lightner (Atera, New York, NY), Will Guidara  (Eleven Madison Park, New York, NY), Erik Anderson (Catbird Seat, Nashville, TN), Ed Lee (Magnolia 610, Louisville, KY), Rosio Sanchez (Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark), Francis Lam, Editor-at-Large, Clarkson Potter/Publishers.

So if you’re not already heading to Chicago Gourmet, you might want to give this day-long event a whirl. To order tickets, click here.