7 Chicago Desserts – Iconic and Irresistible https://www.2foodtrippers.com/7-chicago-desserts-iconic-and-irresistible/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic%2Fchicagotravel
Category: Chicago restaurants
What’s New and Happening in Chicago – Fall/Winter 2024
Following a banner summer for Chicago’s tourism, hospitality, and events community, the city was honored to be voted the “Best Big City in the U.S.” by Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers Choice Award 2024 for a historic eighth consecutive year!
Anchored by the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and other major conventions, as well as events like Lollapalooza and the NASCAR street race, visitors to Chicago filled up a total of 3.4 million hotel room nights over the summer months (June, July, and August 2024) and drove all-time records in summer hotel revenue ($942 million USD). Summer season also welcomed over 671,000 international visitors to Chicago. Looking ahead, Chicago is gearing up for a busy end of 2024, with major events like the launch of Theatre Season, Christkindlmarket, the Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, and more set to attract visitors from near and far. Visit ChooseChicago.com for more information and travel inspiration.
Recent Accolades:
- Chicago was honored to be voted the “Best Big City in the U.S.” by Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers Choice Award 2024 for a historic eighth consecutive year. (Over 575,000 discerning and well-traveled readers participated in this prestigious survey!)
- Chicago’s Logan Square was just designated one of the “Coolest Neighborhoods in the World” by TimeOut.
- The New York Times named Asador Bastian, the only Illinois restaurant, one of the 50 Best Restaurants in the country this year.
- Three restaurants were added to the MICHELIN Guide Chicago in September 2024, showcasing diverse and exciting culinary experiences across the city.
- USA Today named St. Regis Chicago #9 as Best New Hotel
- Global Traveler Magazine named O’Hare International Airport Best Airport in North America for the 20th consecutive year.
- OAG ranked Chicago O’Hare International Airport at #13 in categories for Best Airport
Dining, Best Airport Shopping, and Best Large Airport overall.
- Chicago was named one of the 50 Best Vacations in the US by the 2024 Men’s Journal Travel Awards.
To read more about Chicago in the news, click here.
Winter/Holiday Hotel Offerings:
Beginning November 23, 2024, the Twelve Ways of Festive returns to Four Seasons Hotel Chicago with themed activations and delightful surprises to capture the whimsy of the holiday season. Over six weeks, guests can expect merry moments from tasty chef-created treats and a speakeasy to family-oriented crafts and cookie decorating in the vibrant social spaces.
NoMI at Park Hyatt Chicago will host multiple events throughout the holiday season.
- Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Viewing Party (November 23, 2024) – Experience the 33rd Annual Magnificent Mile Lights Festival like never before at NoMI. Enjoy lavish food stations, festive activities for the kids, and unlimited trips to the hot chocolate buffet. As the parade begins, enjoy front-row, standing-room views of the Lights Festival parade from our prime vantage point.
- NoMI Lounge’s Hot Chocolate Experience (November 23, 2024 – January 1, 2025) – Launching just in time for the Lights Festival, pour yourself a cup of rich Valrhona hot chocolate, then indulge in a buffet of housemade toppings from NoMI’s pastry team. For a grown-up twist, choose from a selection of spirits to “spike” your creation.
- Thanksgiving Feast (November 28, 2024) – Join us for a memorable Thanksgiving with a modern twist on traditional flavors. Executive Chef Terence Zubieta will present a 4-course prix-fixe menu featuring truffle-sage brined turkey with herb and brown butter cornbread stuffing, citrus-spiced cranberry sauce, and pommes purée. Indulge in NoMI’s decadent dessert buffet, including our signature salted caramel apple tarts, while enjoying stunning views of the Magnificent Mile from our floor-to-ceiling windows.
- Cookies & Wishes: A Santa Workshop (December 7, 2024) – Join us for a magical, one-day-only holiday celebration at NoMI Lounge, where festive fun comes to life for the whole family. Take photos with Santa, decorate cookies, craft letters to Santa, and enjoy endless hot chocolate. To our adult guests, feel free to create letters to take home to your friends and family instead!
- Christmas Eve Dinner and Christmas Day Brunch (December 24-25, 2024) – Celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day overlooking the twinkling lights of Lake Michigan and the Magnificent Mile. Enjoy a 4-course prix fixe menu curated by Executive Chef Terence Zubieta, starting with hearty appetizers like pomme dauphines with truffle crème, followed by entrées like Chilean sea bass with littleneck clams, king oyster mushroom, and a creamy white wine and passionfruit broth. Conclude your festive evening with a luxe dessert buffet featuring holiday favorites like bûche de noël.
- New Year’s Eve Soirée (December 31, 2024) – Slip into your finest cocktail attire and join us for Park Hyatt Chicago’s Annual New Year’s Eve Soirée – a night of pure opulence at NoMI Kitchen! Start your evening with an exquisite dinner and raw bar, before dancing the night away to live music and a champagne toast at midnight.
Staypineapple Chicago has new offerings for the fall and winter seasons:
- Thanksgiving Parade View Room Package: Staypineapple Chicago is offering guests the chance to experience the magic of the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade like never before with its exclusive room package that includes a spectacular view of the parade right from their windows as it winds through the city. Guests who stay at this historic gem housed in a National Historic Landmark building from 1895 and book this package will receive complimentary gourmet popcorn and delicious hot chocolate to enjoy while watching the parade overhead from the comfort of their room. This unique experience combining history, charm, and holiday joy will create a Thanksgiving to remember for guests who choose Staypineapple Chicago for their festive winter getaway.
- Theater Season Prix Fixe Menu: Atwood, a premier dining establishment located in Staypineapple Chicago, is offering a special prix fixe menu to celebrate the vibrant theater season inspired by the rich artistic heritage of the city. Just steps away from renowned venues like the Chicago Theatre, Goodman Theatre, and Cadillac Palace Theatre, Atwood invites patrons to indulge in a curated selection of dishes that pay homage to the flavors of Chicago. This exclusive menu features seasonal ingredients to create unique course options such as roasted bone marrow with apple butter mostarda, shrimp in brown butter caper sauce, and pumpkin risotto with pepitas, providing the perfect pre-theater dining experience that sets the stage for an unforgettable evening in the city.
Enjoy the holiday magic of Chicago’s Gold Coast with the Winter Wonderland Suite package at One MICHELIN Key hotel Viceroy Chicago. The festive offer includes accommodations in a one bedroom lakeview suite decorated for the holidays, curated amenities, a hot chocolate kit, cookie plate, holiday ornaments and mugs, plus a holiday coloring book and cookie decorating kit for children. This offer is valid on stays from December 1-25, 2024.
Food and Libations:
James Beard award-winning Chef Johnny Clark will open Anelya in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood on October 24. The restaurant is the most personal project Clark has launched, with the name and background of the restaurant derived from his grandmother, Anelya, and it serves as her 100th birthday gift. A major focus on the culinary program from Clark will be fermentation and seasonal preservations. Chef Clark’s main menu will feature creative takes on staple dishes like Varenyky, which are similar to pierogis or ravioli, with fillings like pumpkin and farmers cheese, or even seasonal fruits like cherries as a sweet and savory application. Anelya will also offer modern takes on dishes like Holubtsi, or stuffed cabbage with sturgeon and buckwheat with caviar and sherry cream sauce. (Neighborhood: Avondale)
The Chicago City Council has approved a lease agreement to bring the flavors of a popular South Side eatery to O’Hare’s expanded and renovated Terminal 5. Bronzeville Bites will feature a signature bar with small plates modeled after Bronzeville Winery in the namesake neighborhood.
Cantina Rosa, a Mexican bar concept from Chef Erick Williams and Jesus Garcia, will open this fall. The menu will feature an expansive Mezcal and tequila program, Mexican-inspired bar bites, and a chic atmosphere with installations from local artists, spacious tables, and cozy seating. (Neighborhood: Hyde Park)
Cebu Chicago is a modern Filipino restaurant that aims to not only highlight Filipino cuisine in Chicago, but also represents Filipino culture in the USA. As a family-owned business, its mission is to showcase the richness of Filipino culinary traditions and create a welcoming environment for people to enjoy the experience. Part cafe and diner, guests will find ube waffles topped with fried chicken and a breakfast sandwich with a purple bun, hash brown medallion, and a chorizo patty. (Neighborhood: Lakeview)
The Dip Inn is an American cocktail bar coming to River North’s vibrant culinary scene in late 2024. The eatery’s drink menu will feature beverage mainstays helmed by Kevin Beary, partner and award-winning beverage director of Lettuce Entertain You’s Three Dots and a Dash and The Bamboo Room. (Neighborhood: River North)
Ēma, the Mediterranean restaurant from Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, opened its second location in the Glenview neighborhood. Ēma Glenview’s menu, created by chef-partner CJ Jacobson, menu features a selection of mezze, and Mediterranean small plates, with an emphasis on Hummus & Spreads, Raw, Vegetable and Kebabs. Signature dishes include Moroccan Onion Dip, Tahini Caesar Salad, Octopus Carpaccio, and Spicy Brisket Kefta Kebab. (Neighborhood: Glenview)
il Carciofo, the newest restaurant from celebrity Chef Joe Flamm, will open in late fall 2024. Guests can enjoy a seasonal menu of elevated Italian favorites, including prosciutto di parma, crispy carciofo and suppli con ragu antipasti, Roman-style pizzas from a custom wood stone oven, traditional hand-rolled pasta, market-driven main courses and house-spun gelatis and sorbettis, maritozzi and zabaglione for dessert. (Neighborhood: Fulton Market)
KOVAL Distillery will debut its new luxury line, Thresh & Winnow, with a limited edition Gold Medal-winning 10-Year-Old Rye Whiskey and a Best in Class and Double Gold medal-winning Single Malt Whiskey. The distillery’s tasting room will introduce new cocktails in the fall, and its tasting room calendar includes exciting cocktail classes, tours, magic, and more.
La Grande Boucherie is thrilled to announce the appointment of Chef Michael Taus as the new Executive Chef. With over three decades of culinary excellence, Chef Taus brings a wealth of experience and a passion for classic and innovative cuisine. His arrival marks an exciting new chapter for La Grande Boucherie as the team continues to elevate the dining experience with his creative vision and mastery of French-inspired cuisine in a classic steakhouse setting at an excellent value for the price point. La Grande Boucherie and Chef Taus are excited to bring a fresh take on the classic steakhouse experience, blending Midwestern charm with French traditions. Known for its expertly crafted cuts of prime steaks and an offering that balances accessibility with quality, La Grande Boucherie offers something for every steak lover and will expand their steakhouse offerings under Chef Taus’ leadership. Whether guests are savoring a perfectly cooked ribeye or indulging in one of the signature French-inspired dishes, Chef Taus promises an unforgettable dining experience that’s refined yet approachable. With a focus on quality and hospitality, La Grande Boucherie is redefining what it means to dine at a steakhouse in the heart of Chicago.
Nora Restaurant & Bar, a culinary gem that opened this year in Chicago, is excited to announce the arrival of its new Executive Chef, Daniele Sotgiu. With his extensive experience and passion for Mediterranean cuisine, Chef Sotgiu is set to elevate the dining experience at Nora with a unique blend of flavors inspired by his Sardinian roots. Under Chef Sotgiu’s direction, Nora plans to launch new menu items that promise to be a delectable feast for the senses. Guests can look forward to signature dishes such as the boneless branzino served with persillade sauce and vegetable caponatina, the bone-in saffron lamb shank that’s marinated overnight, as well as a rotating selection of homemade pastas. The menu will continue to highlight healthy, vibrant dishes, staying true to Mediterranean culinary culture. Chef Sotgiu emphasizes the importance of seasonal ingredients, planning to update the menu seasonally to incorporate the freshest ingredients available. The new menu aims to offer something new and unique that diners won’t find anywhere else.
Petit Pomeroy is now open in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. The sister restaurant to Winnetka’s Pomeroy serves a curated selection of bistro favorites alongside kind, impeccable service. It is a special place where everything looks beautiful and everyone feels comfortable. To dine with friends or drink with colleagues is to enjoy a taste of what makes Paris neighborhoods so special: the charming bistros. And those views—both inside and out—ils sont magnifiques! (Neighborhood: River North)
Pitaki, a quick-service dining spot specializing in Greek street food, is coming to Fulton Market this fall. Avli’s new sister restaurant Pitaki is bringing the rich flavors and vibrant traditions of Greek street food with pita wraps, bowls, savory Greek pies, salads, and desserts. Open for both lunch and dinner, the restaurant concept will feature a convenient counter for walk-up service, along with limited in-house seating and a catering program. (Neighborhood: Fulton Market)
New York pizzeria Prince Street Pizza will arrive in Chicago this fall on Randolph Street’s “Restaurant Row.” Offering square, Sicilian-style slices and original Neapolitan pizzas prepared daily from scratch, diners will get their pick of popular combos like “The Spicy Vodka” with fresh mozzarella, spicy vodka sauce, and pecorino romano and the “Green Machine” with nut-free pesto, shredded mozzarella, ricotta, and black olives, alongside Chicago-exclusive offerings.
Executive Chef Pablo Mexqutitla welcomes fall with a Tortoise Supper Club tradition – The Pheasant Pie – available beginning October 1, 2024. Settle into the authentic Chicago Supper Club experience at Tortoise Supper Club with fresh, from scratch menu including prime rib, prime steaks, and fresh seafood in a swanky jazz-era atmosphere with live jazz on Fridays and Saturdays in the heart of Downtown Chicago showcasing the Pheasant Pie during the month of October. (Neighborhood: River North)
FOX 59 Indianapolis: Indy pizza joint named 2nd best in the Midwest, according to Yelp
Announcing this year’s James Beard Foundation Book Award Winners
Entries for the 2024 James Beard Book Awards were accepted for all cookbooks and other nonfiction food and beverage books published in the U.S. in 2023. Books from foreign publishers were eligible if they bore a 2023 U.S. copyright date or were distributed in the U.S. during 2023.
This year’s winners, announced tonight at Columbia College, were:
Baking and Desserts
Dark Rye and Honey Cake: Festival Baking from Belgium, the Heart of the Low Countries
Regula Ysewijn
(Weldon Owen)
Beverage with Recipes
Slow Drinks: A Field Guide to Foraging and Fermenting Seasonal Sodas, Botanical Cocktails, Homemade Wines, and More Danny Childs
(Hardie Grant North America)
Beverage without Recipes
Agave Spirits: The Past, Present, and Future of Mezcals
Gary Paul Nabhan and David Suro Piñera
(W. W. Norton & Company)
Food Issues and Advocacy
Resilient Kitchens: American Immigrant Cooking in a Time of Crisis: Essays and Recipes
Philip Gleissner and Harry Eli Kashdan
(Rutgers University Press)
General
Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook
Sohla El-Waylly
(Alfred A. Knopf)
International
The World Central Kitchen Cookbook
José Andrés and World Central Kitchen with Sam Chapple-Sokol
(Clarkson Potter)
Literary Writing
The Migrant Chef: The Life and Times of Lalo García
Laura Tillman
(W. W. Norton & Company)
Reference, History, and Scholarship
White Burgers, Black Cash: Fast Food from Black Exclusion to Exploitation
Naa Oyo A. Kwate
(University of Minnesota Press)
Restaurant and Professional
Fish Butchery: Mastering The Catch, Cut, And Craft
Josh Niland
(Hardie Grant Books)
Single Subject
Pasta Every Day: Make It, Shape It, Sauce It, Eat It
Meryl Feinstein
(Hachette Book Group)
U.S. Foodways
Love Japan: Recipes from Our Japanese American Kitchen
Aaron Israel and Sawako Okochi with Gabriella Gershenson
(Ten Speed Press)
Vegetable-Focused Cooking
Tenderheart: A Cookbook About Vegetables and Unbreakable Family Bonds
Hetty Lui McKinnon
(Alfred A. Knopf)
Visuals
The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp
Yudi Echevarria
(Ten Speed Press)
Cookbook Hall of Fame
Pierre Thiam
Emerging Voice
Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed
Abi Balingit
(HarperCollins)
Each a world of its own, the award winning The 77: A City of Neighborhoods celebrates what makes Chicago special
CHOOSE CHICAGO’S TRAVEL SERIES “THE 77: A CITY OF NEIGHBORHOODS” WINS THIRTEEN TELLY AWARDS
Choose Chicago is proud to announce that its new travel series, “The 77: A City of Neighborhoods,” has received multiple honors at the prestigious Telly Awards, a globally-recognized awards platform that honors excellence in television and video across all screens.
Choose Chicago created this series in partnership with Chicago-based Skalawag Productions to showcase the rich diversity and history of our neighborhoods. “The 77: A City of Neighborhoods” garnered thirteen accolades at the Telly Awards, including five Gold and eight Silver Awards.
Choose Chicago works to position Chicago’s neighborhoods as premier travel destinations by collaborating with local creatives, community leaders, and chambers of commerce, and by supporting community events, infrastructure development, and placemaking projects.
Rich Gamble, Interim President and CEO of Choose Chicago, expressed his excitement about the series’ success: “We are thrilled that ‘The 77: A City of Neighborhoods’ has been recognized with such prestigious awards. This series is a testament to the rich cultural tapestry of Chicago’s neighborhoods and the talented team behind its creation. We hope these stories inspire viewers to further explore and experience all that our city and its neighborhoods have to offer.”
“The 77: A City of Neighborhoods” celebrates the vibrant and distinct communities that make Chicago a world-class destination. The first five episodes of the series have resonated with audiences and judges alike, earning recognition across multiple categories. The awards underscore the series’ exceptional storytelling, cinematography, and creative direction.
“Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, and we took a new marketing approach that acknowledges the realties and complexities of a constantly changing urban landscape,” said Rob Fojtik, Vice President of Neighborhood Strategy at Choose Chicago. “‘The 77: A City of Neighborhoods’ series is part of our organization’s commitment to position the city’s communities as premier cultural destinations and to promote economic activity beyond the central business district.”
“Working on ‘The 77: A City of Neighborhoods’ with Choose Chicago has been an incredibly rewarding experience,” said Mark Skala, Founder of Skalawag Productions. “This series allowed us to delve into the heart of Chicago’s neighborhoods and showcase their unique stories. The collaboration with the community and the talented team at Choose Chicago made this project truly special, and we hope it inspires people to explore every corner of this beautiful city.”
“It has been wonderful to see Bronzeville featured in ‘The 77: A City of Neighborhoods,’” said Cecilia Cuff, Owner of Bronzville Winery. “This recognition goes beyond just our restaurant; it highlights the legacy and spirit of the Bronzeville community. Through this series, viewers get a glimpse into how the history and culture of our neighborhood are instrumental in revitalizing and fostering a sense of pride and unity. I am proud to be part of this celebration of Chicago’s neighborhoods and look forward to welcoming more visitors to experience all that my community has to offer.”
Gold Awards:
- Food & Beverage — Online
- Travel & Tourism — Online
- History — Online
- Documentary — Online
- Writing — Online (Humboldt Park)
Silver Awards:
- Non-Scripted — Online
- Editing — Online (Humboldt Park)
- Directing — Online (Little Village)
- Videography & Cinematography — Online (Uptown)
- Voiceover & Narration — Online (Little Village)
- Directing — Online (Humboldt Park)
- Best Show Opening Segment — Online (Bronzeville)
- Motion Graphics & Design — Online (Pullman/Roseland)
Funding for production of “The 77: A City of Neighborhoods” was provided by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) as part of a grant from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
The series can be viewed on Choose Chicago’s YouTube channel where visitors can immerse themselves in the unique stories and vibrant cultures of our city’s neighborhoods.
About Choose Chicago
Choose Chicago is the official sales and marketing organization responsible for promoting Chicago as a global visitor and meetings destination, leveraging the city’s unmatched assets to ensure the economic vitality of the city, its residents and our partner business community.
Follow @choosechicago on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and X/Twitter. For more information, visit choosechicago.com.
CHICAGO WELCOMES THE 2024 JAMES BEARD AWARDS® PRESENTED BY CAPITAL ONEWITH A LINE-UP OF ANCILLARY CELEBRATIONS AND SPECIAL EVENTS AROUND THE CITY
Celebrate this year’s James Beard Awards® presented by Capital One, kicking off on Thursday, June 6 and extending through Tuesday, June 11. This celebratory weekend is packed with an vast array of intimate and grand-scale events, featuring special menus, exclusive out-of-town chef and bartender collaborations, educational sessions, and more. With one of the strongest lineups of public events since the arrival of the James Beard Awards® in Chicago in 2015, the weekend promises to be one of the most lively celebrations of the city’s dynamic dining scene this year.
Recognized as one of the nation’s most prestigious honors, the James Beard Awards celebrate excellence in the culinary and food media industries, and broader food system. They also honor individuals who demonstrate a commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive.
Co-hosts Choose Chicago and Illinois Restaurant Association champion the city’s vibrant hospitality community year-round, but this weekend provides a particularly proud moment. Open to the public, 2024 festivities include:
THURSDAY, JUNE 6
Mordecai’s James Beard Special Menu with Cocktail Pairings
Thursday, June 6th – Monday, June 10th
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Mordecai – 3632 North Clark Street, Chicago IL 60613
In celebration of the James Beard Awards, Mordecai will host a special James Beard menu with cocktail pairings in honor of the ceremony and James Beard Foundation from Thursday, June 6th – Monday, June 10th. Chef Djibril Webb has chosen two recipes from the James Beard Cookbook and Mordecai’s Bar Manager, Rena Long, created special cocktails to pair perfectly with each dish. The menu includes: Stuffed Little Neck Clams set to pair with the Vintage Mordecai Martini and the Breaded Pork Chop with Dill Caper Gravy paired with a cocktail featuring a coconut fat-washed Benriach 10, Bittermens Tepache pineapple, burnt coconut palm sugar, sfumato, and coriander bitters. A portion of the proceeds from each of the dishes and cocktails (sold a la carte) will be donated to the James Beard Foundation.
FRIDAY, JUNE 7
Celebration of Old-World Wines with Terraneo Merchants
Friday, June 7th, 2024
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar – 2700 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
A two-part celebration with Sasha and Drue from Terraneo. To begin a two-part celebration, Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar will host a Happy Hour Take-over from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm to sample a variety of wine with Sasha and Drue from Terraneo Merchants. All wines will be happy hour priced. They will provide tastes and an in-depth dive with those curious to know more. The event will feature happy hour bites and plates with a Georgian Twist! Reservations are strongly suggested, and open to the public. For the second half of the celebration, the restaurant will pour many bottles of Georgian wine to be passed and many toasts by Sasha and Drue during a traditional Georgian Supra Feast from 6:00 – 8:00 pm.
Le Sud James Beard Tasting Menu
Friday, June 7 – Sunday, June 9th, 2024
4:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Le Sud – 2301 W Roscoe Street, Chicago, IL 60618
Le Sud will offer a special tasting menu in honor of James Beard Awards weekend. Please see the website for more information.
A Rooftop Pop-Up featuring James Beard Finalist Strong Water Anaheim at Château Carbide
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Château Carbide at Pendry Chicago – 230 N Michigan Ave., 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60601
In the heart of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, luxury boutique hotel Pendry Chicago’s rooftop cocktail haven, Château Carbide, will welcome the 2024 James Beard Award nominee (Outstanding Wine & Other Beverages Program) Strong Water Anaheim for a bar takeover 24 stories above the city. Operated by husband-and-wife duo Ying Chang and Robert Adamson, Strong Water Anaheim has gained nationwide recognition for its nautical-theme “tiki-easy” with rum-based libations, which transport guests onto a sunken ship embarking on an immersive tiki experience. Ying and Robert’s team will be on-site at the historic Art Deco Carbide & Carbon Building shaking up a selection of fan-favorite cocktails from the menu of the James Beard Award nominated bar.
The Bartender’s Bookshelf: Toby Maloney & The Violet Hour host Danny Childs, Slow Drinks
7:30 pm -12:00 am
The Violet Hour – 1520 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
James Beard Award-winning author and barman Toby Maloney will welcome Danny Childs, author of Slow Drinks 2024 James Beard Media Award nominee (Beverage Book with Recipes) to The Violet Hour for “The Bartender’s Bookshelf.” The evening will be dedicated to showcasing the talent of the James Beard Media Awards nominee. Together with The Violet Hour team, ethnobotanist Danny has crafted a specialty menu that pulls recipes and inspiration from Slow Drinks, his acclaimed guide to foraging and fermenting seasonal sodas, botanical cocktails, homemade wines, and more.
Throughout the night, signed copies of Slow Drinks will be available for purchase on-site with the help of the local Chicago bookstore, The Book Cellar. The Violet Hour will open its doors to the public, inviting local cocktail enthusiasts to meet Danny and Toby and grab a drink from the collaborative menu and a signed copy of the book while supplies last.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday @ Sportsman’s Club
9:00 pm – 2:00 am
Sportsman’s Club – 948 N Western Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622
No reservations required
2023 James Beard Award winner for Outstanding Restaurant, Philadelphia-based Friday, Saturday, Sunday, will take over Sportsman’s Club’s bar. Beginning at 9:00 pm, FSS head bartender Paul MacDonald will showcase some of the restaurant’s signature drinks in addition to a few one-night-only creations. This event is first come, first served. No reservations.
SATURDAY, JUNE 8
Cocktail for a Cause at Bar Mar & Bazaar Meat by José Andrés
Saturday, June 8th – Monday, June 10th 2024
All Day
Bar Mar & Bazaar Meat by José Andrés – 120 N Upper Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606
Sip for good! In celebration of and a show of commitment to the James Beard Awards in Chicago, Bar Mar by José Andrés and Bazaar Meat by José Andrés will donate a portion of proceeds from each Salt Air Margarita sold from Saturday, June 8 through Monday, June 11 to the James Beard Foundation’s Women’s Leadership Programs. Whether a stop in during the energetic weekend or refreshment just before the ceremony at the Lyric, José’s signature margarita is the perfect way to cocktail for a great cause.
Summer Kickoff Party at Baobing!
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Baobing at Duck Duck Goat – 857 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607
No reservation required
Chef Stephanie Izard at Baobing, her Taiwanese-inspired walk-up window next to Duck Duck Goat, will offer cocktails and ice cream sundaes to kick off summer!
Under the Influence: How Dining Trends are Shaping Drink Choices– A Panel Hosted by the James Beard Foundation®
2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Biân – 600 W Chicago Ave Suite 001, Chicago, IL 60654
Leaders in restaurants, bars, and hospitality, as well as beverage producers, will convene to talk about how dining trends, menu creation, and consumption shape how consumers select their beverages. Kevin Boehm, Chairman and Co-Founder, Biân; Co-CEO and Co-Founder, Boka Restaurant Group; and 2019 James Beard Award winner for Outstanding Restaurateur will host the panel alongside Tahiirah Habibi and Richy Petrina, James Beard Awards Committee Members. Rodney Williams, James Beard Foundation Trustee and President, Diageo Beer Company will moderate the conversation. Panelists include:
- Gregory Gourdet, Author, Chef and Owner, Kann; 2022 James Beard Book Award Winner; 2023 James Beard Award Winner for Best New Restaurant
- Lynnette Marrero, Co-founder, Speed Rack and Partner, Delola
- Julia Momosé, Partner and Creative Director, Kumiko; 2022 James Beard Book Award Winner
- Tia Polite, Sommelier, Indienne
- Aldo Sohm, Wine Director, Le Bernadin, and Aldo Sohm Wine Bar; 2009 James Beard Award Winner for Outstanding Wine Service
Fireside Chat with Diana Wu, Executive Director of Oakland Bloom, and Chef Melissa Tung, Justice for
Migrant Women’s Special Culinary Advisor, on Caring for Communities and the Role of the Restaurant
Industry
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Kendall College at National Louis University – 18 S Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60603
RSVP for the Event (info@oaklandbloom.org)
This intimate conversation, moderated by 2022 James Beard Leadership Award honoree and Justice for Migrant Women Founder Mónica Ramírez, will provide insight from two seasoned leaders in the food industry on the role of the restaurant industry in confronting crises and supporting care in the communities that surround them, and the workers that make them run. This conversation will look at trends they have seen since COVID, opportunities and promising practices, and the work that remains to be done.
Immigrant Women Leading Across the Food Supply Chain
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Kendall College at National Louis University – 18 S Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60603
RSVP for the Event (info@oaklandbloom.org)
James Beard Leadership Award Honorees Justice for Migrant Women and Oakland Bloom (for Understory) work to advance rights, power, and pathways to ownership for working-class migrant women in food. While migrant women’s labor and knowledge are a cornerstone of the food industry at all levels, their voices and experiences are often erased. The event will feature powerful conversation with migrant women in food, discussing their experiences and insights around food and migration, and how they are advancing a more just, connected, healthier, and inclusive vision for the industry and their communities.
Convenience Middle West
3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Middle Brow – 2840 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
Middle Brow will feature the Texas barbecue joint, Convenience West to its patio for a pizza collaboration.
Celebration of Caviar with Antonio from Polanco Caviar
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar – 2700 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
A two-part celebration with Antonio Salto of Polanco and Chef Guy Meikle of Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar. Reserve Level Tastings: To begin the two-part celebration, Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar will host a sampling of some of Polanco’s Reserve level caviars during a tasting led by Antonio Salto. Enjoy a menu of items at your leisure anytime between 4:00 – 6:00 pm. Reservations are $70 a person and reservations are strongly suggested, open to the public. Continue the two-part celebration with Antonio Salto and Chef Guy during a special tasting menu from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Tickets are $325 a person and all-inclusive with a max capacity of 24 guests, reservations are required.
Served Up: A Rooftop Pop-Up featuring James Beard Outstanding Bar Finalist Barr Hill Cocktail Bar at Château Carbide
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Château Carbide at Pendry Chicago – 230 N Michigan Ave., 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60601
Luxury boutique hotel ’s rooftop cocktail haven Château Carbide will welcome 2024 James Beard Award nominee for Outstanding Bar, Vermont-based for a bar takeover 24 stories above the city. Barr Hill Cocktail Bar has gained nationwide recognition for its cocktail menu that combines handcrafted ingredients with cutting-edge bar techniques. From 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, Barr Hill’s Head Distiller Ryan Christiansen and team will be onsite at the historic Art Deco Carbide & Carbon Building chatting shaking up a selection of fan-favorite cocktails from their James Beard Award-nominated menu.
James Beard Tasting Menu at The Coach House
6:30 pm
The Coach House – 1742 W. Division Street, Chicago, IL
Reservations Here
Enjoy an 8-course tasting menu by 2x James Beard Award-nominated Chef Zubair Mohajir, exploring the primary spices used in South Indian cuisine. Through storytelling and an exclusively unique menu, guests for this event will get to experience The Coach House in an entirely new and vibrant way.
SUNDAY, JUNE 9
Coffee Chat: Culinary Titans Tackle Sustainability from Planet to Plate to People at Daisies
9:30 am – 11:00 am
Daisie’s – 2375 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
RSVP for the Event (rsvpchi@h2publicrelations.com)
Chef and Owner Joe Frillman of MICHELIN Green Starred Daisies in Logan Square will gather several of the industries’ leading voices in sustainability for an open-to-the-public coffee chat on the morning of Sunday, June 9th featuring Chicago’s own Green City Market, the city’s first year-round nonprofit farmers’ market that fights for citywide access to locally-grown, sustainably-produced food. From forging lasting bonds with local farmers to pioneering groundbreaking techniques in waste reduction and supporting local pollinators, the panel will share their insights and strategies for a more sustainable future. As they tackle pressing issues facing the industry today, attendees are welcome to nosh on a selection of hosted sweets and pastries by Jean Banchet Award-winning Executive Pastry Chef and Partner Leigh Omilinsky of Daisies as well as complimentary coffee and tea moderated by Food & Wine’s Chandra Ram, James Beard Media Award nominee, and IACP Award-nominated associate editorial director Chandra Ram, Daisies welcomes trailblazers including:
- Joe Frillman of Daisies in Chicago, IL — MICHELIN Green Star, 2024 James Beard Award Semifinalist for Best Chef: Great Lakes
- Chef Rick Bayless — Frontera, Xoco, Bar Sótano & More, Top Chef, Founder of Green City Market & Frontera Farmer Foundation, Seven-Time James Beard Award winner
- Chef Geoff Davis of Burdell in Oakland, CA — 2024 James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef: California, Esquire’s Best New Restaurants
- Chef Rob Connoley of Bulrush in St. Louis, MO — 2024 James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef: Midwest, Author: Acorns & Cattails: A Modern Foraging Cookbook of Forest, Farm & Field
- Patrick Amice of Barr Hill Cocktail Bar and Distillery in Montpelier, VA — General Manager of Hospitality Operations, 2024 James Beard Award nominee for Outstanding Bar Program
- Nicole Yarovinsky of Daisies in Chicago, IL — Bar Director, 2x Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards Semi-Finalist
Get Roasted ‘24: Brew and Bites with Big Shoulders Coffee
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Big Shoulders Coffee Roasting Works – 2415 W 19th Street, Chicago, IL 60608
Patricia and Tim Coonan will welcome all to the Roastery for the 2024 Get Roasted event. The event will feature fresh coffee and homemade pastries, live roasting demonstrations, a micro-lot pour-over station, an espresso bar with a latte art exhibition, mocktails and cocktails created by our mixologist, Alicia Scott, and local brewery Alarmist Brewing will be sponsoring the event with a small selection of their craft beers. Don’t miss the craft coffee brew and bites event of the year ahead of the James Beard Foundation Awards. All guests will receive a bag of freshly roasted coffee to go.
Steph & Chef Friends’ Beard Brunch!
11:00 am – Onward
Girl & the Goat – 809 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60607
Stephanie Izard alongside Lee Anne Wong, Christina Nguyen, Elizabeth Falkner, and Karen Akunowicz, will host a very special brunch. Enjoy a tasty dish from each chef while supporting the James Beard Foundation’s Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. Cocktails, beer, and wine will be available for a la carte purchase. Brunch will be a ticketed, family-style event with communal seating, please purchase the total amount of tickets for your entire party to ensure you will be seated next to one another. Please reach out to info@girlandthegoat.com with questions.
West Loop’s Sunday Brunch @ Nobu’s Rooftop
11:30 am – 2:30 pm
Nobu Chicago Rooftop – 155 N. Peoria Street, Chicago, IL 60607
Nobu will host a Sunday Brunch soiree at The Rooftop, the stunning restaurant and lounge on the 11th floor of Nobu Hotel Chicago, which recently received a MICHELIN Key. Get a taste of celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s brunch menu while taking in one of the best views of Chicago’s skyline overlooking the burgeoning West Loop neighborhood. Attendees will be served reception-style Nobu brunch bites and crafted cocktails.
JBF Greens x Mi Tocaya Antojería
12:00pm – 2:30pm
Mi Tocaya Antojería – 2800 W. Lohan Blvd., Chicago IL 60647
This event is sold out. Click here to be added to the waitlist.
Mi Tocaya Antojería will host JBF Greens and open for brunch so that the James Beard Foundation® Greens community (and friends!) can ring in the 2024 Awards. Translated to mean “my namesake” in Spanish, Mi Tocaya highlights chef — and James Beard Award nominee — Diana Dávila’s mission to reshape Mexican cuisine.
Since opening the restaurant in 2017, Chef Diana has established herself as a leader in and out of the kitchen. During the pandemic, she not only launched the Todos Ponen Project to support undocumented workers in the hospitality industry, but also provided free meals for the community, and remained steadfast in her commitment to her employees, farmers, and local vendors. For the occasion, chef Diana will prepare a 3-course brunch that highlights traditional favorites as well as lesser-known regional specialties inspired by her summers traveling through Mexico.
Up South
1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Justice of the Pies – 8655 S Blackstone, Chicago, IL 60619
No reservation required
Chef Maya-Camille Broussard, 2022 James Beard Award nominee for Outstanding Baker, Chef Serigne Mbaye, 2024 James Beard Award nominee for Best New Restaurant, Chef Adrienne Cheatham, 2023 James Beard Media Award nominated author of Sunday Best, and Chef Fariyal Abdullahi, 2024 James Beard Award nominee for Emerging Chef, will celebrate culinary brilliance on the South Side of Chicago. The UP SOUTH pop-up will feature offerings laced with Southern influences while retaining the spirit of the greater Black diaspora. Live music and terrace seating will be available at Justice of the Pies, a bakery proudly nestled in the center of Avalon Park on Chicago’s South Side.
The Rise and Impact of Chef Civic Leadership – A Panel Hosted by Chicago Chefs Cook
1:15 pm – 2:15 pm
Kendall College at National Louis University –
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The Lula Cafe Cookbook
“more than just ingredients, it is an accumulation of knowledge, sourcing, collaboration, farms, orchards, fields, and artistry.”
After almost a quarter of a century as executive chef and co-owner of Lula Cafe, Chef Jason Hammel has written his debut cookbook about his popular restaurant in Chicago’s trendy Logan Square neighborhood. The Lula Café, which was nominated as a finalist for Outstanding Hospitality by the James Beard Foundation, is often described as trailblazing with boundary-pushing new dishes gracing the menu every week and Hammel credited with being in the vanguard of sourcing local and organic ingredients to use in his restaurant well before it became a trend.
All of these factors are in play in The Lula Café Cookbook: Collected Recipes and Stories (Phaidon Press). Included are 90 full recipes and 40 “building block” pantry recipes.
Hammel, a consulting chef at Marisol in the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago and a co-founder of Pilot Light, a food education nonprofit that invests in teacher leadership and fosters good food choices, has crafted an intriguing and beautiful cookbook. The recipes have very detailed instructions, are accompanied by artistic full-color photographs, and often include a suggestion of how to serve the dish to get the best effect and taste.
Some are esoteric and might be daunting to everyday home cooks who are looking for quick and easy. Count among those the Sweet Corn, Cipollini Onion, and Raclette Tart with its many steps and side recipes and the Toasted Bay Leaf and Chocolate Crème Brûlée, which calls for making both candied hazelnuts and candied kumquats as well as a brûlée base.
Hammel says the recipe for Carrots, Plums, and Dill came about when they were experimenting with using a shio koji, the mold used for making such Japanese fermented products as miso, soy sauce, and sake, to marinate meats such as pork shoulder and quail—yes that’s how much they pay attention to detail at The Lula Café. They then moved on to using shio koji for vegetables, which is how Carrots, Plums, and Dill came about. All these dishes would be well worth the effort for those so inclined (and who want to invest in a shio koji) but there are others that have the same sophisticated look but are much more approachable.
One such dish is Pasta Yiayia, a staple at the restaurant. (See recipe below).
“I married into this dish,” writes Hammel. “This is the recipe my wife most associated with her grandmother and namesake, Amalia, who came to Chicago from a village near Sparta, Greece, as a child. I never got the chance to meet this side branch of the family tree. But I can see Amalia now when I set Pasta YiaYia in front of my children.
“There is nothing more central to my wife’s family than this maternal line—a branch of creativity, grit, beauty, and bravery—traced back to Amalia herself and now carried on by the flavors, stories, ingredients, and techniques in this recipe. I imagine my wife as a child, as her grandmother set down a bowl of pasta dressed with feta, brown butter, garlic, and cinnamon. I can only imagine that these flavors connected her to a place in an old world she’d never known.”
Another easy to try is the Turmeric Tangerine Teacake that Hammel praises his pastry chef, Emily Spurlin, for creating and marveling at her skills at melding the flavors so the turmeric bounces off the baking spices, olive oil, and yogurt. And in this season of fresh produce, Tomato Tonnato is another good choice to try.
The stories accompanying each recipe shows the almost poetic take Hammel and his staff take to creating the food they prepare and serve. It is more than just ingredients, it is an accumulation of knowledge, sourcing, collaboration, farms, orchards, fields, and artistry.
Lula Cafe’s Pasta Yiayia
From The Lula Cafe Cookbook (Phaidon, 2023)
Serves 4
Yiayia Sauce
- 1 ¼ cups (10 fl oz/300 g) milk
- 1 tablespoon Roasted Garlic Purée (recipe follows) + 1 teaspoon oil from the Roasted Garlic
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (5 oz/150 g) crumbled feta
- ⅛ teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)
To Serve
- 8 oz bucatini (Hammel and Lula use Misko No. 2)
- 1 cup (3 ½ oz/100 g) grated Parmesan
- Generous ½ cup (2 ¾ oz/70 g) crumbled feta
- Ground cinnamon, to taste
- ¼ cup (2 ¼ oz/55 g) butter
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1. Make the Yiayia sauce. In a small pan, combine the milk, roasted garlic, garlic oil, minced garlic, and cinnamon.
2. Bring to a simmer over low heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
3. Remove from the heat and let cool.
4. Transfer the milk mixture to a blender, adding the feta and xanthan gum, if using. Purée until smooth.
5. Gently warm the sauce in a large, wide pan over low heat while you prepare the pasta.
6. To serve, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Salt generously. Add the bucatini to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.
7. Strain and transfer the pasta to the pan with the warmed sauce, tossing until thoroughly coated.
8. Add half the Parmesan and feta, and toss again until just incorporated. The feta can be chunky and half melted.
9. Transfer the pasta to warm serving bowls or a platter and top with the remaining feta and Parmesan. Sprinkle cinnamon on top and keep the serving vessel(s) in a warm place.
10. In a small pan over medium heat, combine the butter and sliced garlic, swirling them around as the butter melts and begins to simmer. This will be your brown butter. Adjust the heat so the butter foams and simmers without burning. You’ll see the cloudy mixture eventually separate and brown. Shake the pan in short forward-backward movements to aerate the foaming butter and circulate the slowly caramelizing milk solids. As the butter caramelizes, it should smell sweet, rich, and nutty. When both the garlic and butter are golden brown, remove the pan from the heat and drizzle the brown foaming butter all over the top of the pasta. It will sizzle evocatively. Serve.
Roasted Garlic
- 3 heads garlic, top sliced to expose cloves
- 2 ½ cups (18 fl oz/550 g) vegetable oil, plus extra as needed
Preheat the oven to 300F/150C. In a small baking dish or loaf pan (tin), add the garlic and the oil. If the oil doesn’t cover the garlic all the way, add more to submerge it. Cover the dish with foil and cook the garlic until golden, tender, and lightly roasted, about 1 hour. Leave to cool, then store the garlic in the oil. When ready to use, squeeze the roasted garlic purée out of the cloves.
Introducing the James Beard 2024 Book Award Nominees
Baking and Desserts:
This award recognizes books with recipes focused on the art and craft of baking, pastries, and desserts, both sweet and savory items, including ingredients, techniques, equipment, and traditions.
This year, submissions to the Bread category were included for consideration within the Baking and Desserts category.
Dark Rye and Honey Cake: Festival Baking from Belgium, the Heart of the Low Countries
Regula Ysewijn
(Weldon Owen)
Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed
Abi Balingit
(HarperCollins)
More Than Cake: 100 Baking Recipes Built for Pleasure and Community
Natasha Pickowicz
(Artisan Books)
Beverage with Recipes:
This award recognizes books with recipes focused on beverages, such as
cocktails, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, or juices.
Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs, and Juice: Cocktails from Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks
Toni Tipton-Martin
(Clarkson Potter)
The Maison Premiere Almanac: Cocktails, Oysters, Absinthe, and Other Essential Nutrients for the Sensualist, Aesthete, and Flaneur
Joshua Boissy, Jordan Mackay, and Krystof Zizka
(Clarkson Potter)
Danny Childs
(Hardie Grant North America)
Beverage without Recipes:
This award recognizes books without recipes that focus on beverages, such
as cocktails, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, or juices; or books that cover these subject areas where recipes are not the focus of cooking, not just a single topic, technique, or region.
Agave Spirits: The Past, Present, and Future of Mezcals
Gary Paul Nabhan and David Suro Piñera
(W. W. Norton & Company)
The New French Wine
Jon Bonné
(Ten Speed Press)
Vines in a Cold Climate: The People Behind the English Wine Revolution
Henry Jeffreys
(Atlantic)
Food Issues and Advocacy:
This award recognizes books that focus on investigative journalism, food
policy, food advocacy, deep dives, and critical analysis of the changing social landscape around food.
At the Table: The Chef’s Guide to Advocacy
Katherine Miller
(Island Press)
Avocado Anxiety: and Other Stories About Where Your Food Comes From
Louise Gray
(Bloomsbury Wildlife)
Resilient Kitchens: American Immigrant Cooking in a Time of Crisis: Essays and Recipes
Philip Gleissner and Harry Eli Kashdan
(Rutgers University Press)
General:
This award recognizes books with recipes that address a broad scope of cooking, not just a single topic, technique, or region.
Nigel Slater
(Ten Speed)
The Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Leftovers A-Z
Tamar Adler
(Scribner)
Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook
Sohla El-Waylly
(Alfred A. Knopf)
International:
This award recognizes books with recipes focused on food or cooking traditions of countries, regions, or communities outside of the United States.
Made in Taiwan: Recipes and Stories from the Island Nation
Clarissa Wei with Ivy Chen
(Simon & Schuster/Simon Element)
My Everyday Lagos: Nigerian Cooking at Home and in the Diaspora
Yewande Komolafe
(Ten Speed Press)
The World Central Kitchen Cookbook
José Andrés and Sam Chapple-Sokol
(Clarkson Potter)
Literary Writing:
This award recognizes narrative nonfiction books, including memoirs, culinary travel, culinary tourism, biography, reflections on food in a cultural context, and personal essays.
Food Stories: Writing That Stirs the Pot
(The Bitter Southerner)
For The Culture: Phenomenal Black Women and Femmes in Food: Interviews, Inspiration, and Recipes
Klancy Miller
(HarperCollins)
The Migrant Chef: The Life and Times of Lalo García
Laura Tillman
(W. W. Norton & Company)
Reference, History, and Scholarship:
This award recognizes manuals, guides, encyclopedias, or books
that present research related to food or foodways.
The Ark of Taste: Delicious and Distinctive Foods That Define the United States
David S. Shields and Giselle K. Lord
(Hachette Book Group)
Food Power Politics: The Food Story of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement
Bobby J. Smith II
(University of North Carolina Press)
White Burgers, Black Cash: Fast Food from Black Exclusion to Exploitation
Naa Oyo A. Kwate
(University of Minnesota Press)
Restaurant and Professional:
This award recognizes books written by a culinary professional or
restaurant chef with recipes that may include advanced cooking techniques, the use of specialty ingredients and professional equipment, including culinary arts textbooks.
Mat Lindsay with Pat Nourse
(Murdoch Books)
Fish Butchery: Mastering The Catch, Cut, and Craft
Josh Niland
Hardie Grant Books)
Rintaro: Japanese Food from an Izakaya in California
Jessica Battilana and Sylvan Mishima Brackett
(Hardie Grant North America)
Single Subject:
This award recognizes books with recipes focused on a single ingredient, dish, or method of cooking. Examples include seafood, grains, pasta, burgers, or canning. Exceptions are baking and desserts books, vegetable-focused books, restaurant and professional books, and beverage books—
which would be entered in their respective categories.
The Hog Island Book of Fish and Seafood: Culinary Treasures from Our Waters
John Ash
(Cameron Books)
Pasta Every Day: Make It, Shape It, Sauce It, Eat It
Meryl Feinstein
(Hachette Book Group
Yogurt & Whey: Recipes of an Iranian Immigrant Life
Homa Dashtaki
(W. W. Norton & Company)
U.S. Foodways:
This award recognizes books with recipes focused on the cooking or foodways of regions or communities located within the United States.
Ed Mitchell, Ryan Mitchell, and Zella Palmer
(Ecco)
Love Japan: Recipes from Our Japanese American Kitchen
Aaron Israel and Sawako Okochi with Gabriella Gershenson
(Ten Speed Press)
Made Here Recipes & Reflections From NYC’s Asian Communities
Send Chinatown Love
(Self-Published)
Vegetable-Focused Cooking:
This award recognizes books on vegetable cookery with recipes that are meatless, vegetarian, or vegan.
Ever-Green Vietnamese: Super-Fresh Recipes, Starring Plants from Land and Sea
Andrea Nguyen
(Ten Speed Press)
Japan: The Vegetarian Cookbook
Nancy Singleton Hachisu
Phaidon Press)
Tenderheart: A Cookbook About Vegetables and Unbreakable Family Bonds
Hetty Lui McKinnon
(Alfred A. Knopf)
Visuals:
This award recognizes books on food or beverage with exceptional graphic design, art, or photography.
The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp
Yudi Echevarria
(Ten Speed Press)
For The Culture: Phenomenal Black Women and Femmes in Food: Interviews, Inspiration, and Recipes
Kelly Marshall and Sarah Madden
(HarperCollins)
Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South
Kate Medley with Dave Whitling
(BS Publishing)
Cookbook Hall of Fame:
This award is given to either a cookbook that has significantly influenced the way we think about food, honoring authors who possess an exceptional ability to communicate their gastronomic vision via the printed page, or an author whose cookbooks and other culinary books and work, taken together, make a difference in the world of food and cooking.
The Book Awards Subcommittee selects the winner for this category. The Cookbook Hall of Fame winner will be announced at the Media Awards ceremony on June 8.
CHOOSE CHICAGO TO LAUNCH NEW TRAVEL SERIES “THE 77: A CITY OF NEIGHBORHOODS”
Choose Chicago announced today the upcoming release of a new neighborhood travel show titled “The 77: A City of Neighborhoods.” This new series tells the stories of residents and small business owners in five neighborhoods, taking viewers on a captivating and delicious journey to explore the authentic stories, culinary traditions, and preservation efforts that define these remarkable communities.
Choose Chicago will host a launch event for media and invited guests from the communities featured in the series at the CIBC Theatre this Saturday, April 6. The series is one piece of Choose Chicago’s broad efforts to support community-led neighborhood tourism through traditional and digital marketing, neighborhood guides, the Chicago Alfresco Program, and more. The series will be available on April 6th to stream for free on YouTube and at https://www.choosechicago.com/the77.
“Choose Chicago has produced something very special with ‘The 77: A City of Neighborhoods’,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “This is more than just a travel series; it is a journey into the soul of Chicago. By showcasing our diverse neighborhoods, we are not only celebrating our cultural heritage but also inviting visitors and residents alike to discover the people and communities that make this the greatest freaking city in the world!”
“We’re taking a new and creative approach to marketing our city with this series,” said Rich Gamble, Interim President and CEO at Choose Chicago. “As a lifelong Chicagoan, it is especially important to me that we encourage visitors to both explore both our iconic downtown attractions and get off the well-trodden tourist paths and into the heart of our communities. There are exciting cultural and culinary experiences to be had year-round throughout Chicago.”
The series will feature five unique Chicago neighborhoods: Pullman/Roseland, Humboldt Park, Bronzeville, Uptown, and Little Village, with versions of the latter available for streaming in both English and Spanish. Through conversations with residents and local business owners, “The 77: A City of Neighborhoods” uncovers untold stories that that make each neighborhood a one-of-a-kind and indispensable part of Chicago. The half hour episodes will be used to continue attracting locals and visitors to explore Chicago’s unique and vibrant neighborhoods.
“As a long-time community member of the Asia on Argyle corridor in Uptown’s Chicago neighborhood, I am honored and humbled in sharing my story, my community’s story in Choose Chicago’s travel series ‘The 77: A City of Neighborhoods’,” said Hac Tran, co-founder of Celebrate Argyle and Culture and Communications Manager at the Uptown Chamber of Commerce. “Chicago is a mosaic of many cultures, histories, and stories, and Choose Chicago’s effort in shining a light on these narratives truly reveals that Chicago is in fact a city of neighborhoods.”
“Our goal with this project is not just to attract visitors but to challenge misperceptions about Chicago’s neighborhoods,” said Rob Fojtik, Vice President of Neighborhood Strategy at Choose Chicago, who acts as the series’ host. “Each of these five episodes are crafted to share the untold stories and hidden gems that make these communities unique, further enriching the visitor experience. We worked with community-based partners to identify and elevate the voices and stories that define the neighborhoods featured. The series is a great asset for anyone looking for authentic, only-in-Chicago experiences.”
Skalawag Productions, an award-winning Chicago-based film studio, was chosen through an RFP process and became an integral partner in weaving together the neighborhood stories that are presented through beautiful food videography, captivating interviews, and industry-leading graphics.
Andrea D. Reed, Executive Director, Greater Roseland Chamber of Commerce, said, “I am proud to be featured in this powerful series highlighting the people and places that make Pullman, Roseland, and our whole city great. It is so important to tell the stories of our rich history, local entrepreneurs and community leaders who work hard every day to build better lives and create opportunities for their families and their neighbors.”
Following the launch event on April 6, Choose Chicago will also be hosting neighborhood screenings in each of the communities featured in “The 77: A City of Neighborhoods.”
- Humboldt Park: Wednesday, April 10 at 6pm | National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture | RSVP
- Little Village: Thursday, April 11 at 6pm | Mi Tierra | RSVP
- Bronzeville: Tuesday, April 16 at 6pm | Oakwood Center | RSVP
- Uptown: Thursday, April 18 at 6pm | Wilson Abbey | RSVP
- Pullman/Roseland: Tuesday, April 23 at 6pm | Pullman National Historical Park | RSVP
The project has been made possible thanks to American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds distributed by the City of Chicago to support neighborhood tourism marketing. In addition to this new video series, Choose Chicago works directly with 30 neighborhoods across Chicago to market our communities and position Chicago’s neighborhoods as prime destinations for residents and visitors alike.
About Choose Chicago
Choose Chicago is the official sales and marketing organization responsible for promoting Chicago as a global visitor and meetings destination, leveraging the city’s unmatched assets to ensure the economic vitality of the city, its residents and our partner business community.
Follow @choosechicago on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and X/Twitter and tag hicaGOandKNOW.
For more information, visit choosechicago.com.
What’s Happening Chicago: 10 New Restaurants To Try
Cariño, located at 4662 N. Broadway, is an immersive culinary journey offering a Latin-inspired tasting menu and taco Omakase by Chef Norman Fenton. Each dish has been meticulously crafted to highlight the rich tapestry of flavors and ingredients found across Latin America. (Neighborhood: Uptown)
Farm Bar Ravenswood, Farmheads Hospitality’s newest concept in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood, opened in the former Land & Lake restaurant space at 1970 W Montrose Avenue in November. Farm Bar brings approachable Midwestern fare straight from the farm, with an extensive menu of fresh salads and handhelds, craft cocktails, and a carefully crafted wine list.
Under the helm of Executive Chef David Wakefield, chef at Farm Bar Lakeview and Ravenswood concepts, the Ravenswood location will include the same approachable Midwestern bites while introducing new and innovative twists. (Neighborhood: Ravenswood)
Feverdream, the second concept from Chicago’s Milkhorse Hospitality (after Common Decency, opening next door this Winter 2024),will be made up of a team of industry veterans including Mark Steuer, Felipe Hernandez, Kelsey Kasper, and Jason Turley. Taking over the “Thank You” space that provided the food for Logan Square’s iconic Lost Lake (3154 W Diversey Ave), like the team’s first concept (Common Decency), Feverdream is built on the foundation of ensuring hospitality employees have a sustainable work/life balance with health insurance, access to an employee loyalty program, and other benefits. In line with Milkhorse Hospitality and Common Decency’s mission, Feverdream will incorporate dietary accessibility within its menus and ensure that everyone can have a great meal and killer cocktail in an intimate, cool, vibey setting and space. Expect familiar concepts, but turned on their heads.(Neighborhood: Logan Square)
After announcing early plans for a flagship restaurant in Chicago in early 2023, Hawksmoor, one of London’s best-loved restaurants that’s currently ranked #2 Best Steakhouse in the World, is slated to open its location at 500 N. LaSalle Street (The LaSalle Street Cable Car Powerhouse, a designated Chicago landmark) in spring 2024.
The award-winning restaurant serves steaks from ethically reared cattle and sustainably sourced seafood alongside a progressive cocktail program. (Neighborhood: The Loop)
Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants is celebrating new openings in 2024:
- Tre Dita, set to open this winter, is a collaboration between Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants and award-winning Los Angeles Chef Evan Funke (Felix, Mother Wolf). The Tuscan steakhouse is the second of the two-restaurant project from Lettuce Entertain You in the St. Regis Chicago, following the opening of the lauded all-day Japanese restaurant Miru in May 2023. The space located at 401 E. Wacker Drive, which will feature a temperature-controlled pasta lab and a open-hearth wood-fired grill, is being designed by David Collins Studio. (Neighborhood: The Loop)
- Sushi-san is slated to open a new location in Lincoln Park in early 2024, joining the River North and Willis Tower locations. Located on Halsted just north of Armitage, the new location will serve Sushi-san’s beloved sushi, maki, nigiri/sashimi, and other signature dishes, along with a few exclusive new items. (Neighborhood: Lincoln Park)
Maxwells Trading is the brainchild of Underscore Hospitality partners Josh Tilden and Erling Wu-Bower. Josh and Erling opened Maxwells to have their ideal place to unwind, eat, drink, and listen to music with their family and friends.
The 1516 W. Carroll Avenue location offers an eclectic menu with soul-satisfying food, crisp cocktails, and engaging wines. (Neighborhood: West Loop)
Signature, the upscale sports bar and restaurant bar co-owned by Chicago chef and restaurateur Stephen Gillanders (S.K.Y, Valhalla, Apolonia) and his business partner, former Chicago Bears defensive end Israel Idonije (2003-2012; 2014), opened this January not far from Soldier’s Field (1312 S. Wabash Avenue). It will replace Great Lakes-themed restaurant Harbor and the owners hope to draw sports fans and players with their sophisticated take on sports bar favorites. (Neighborhood: South Loop)
The Dearborn, Chicago’s iconic Loop destination spot known for its world-class culinary program and exceptional hospitality, will open its second location at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport Terminal 5 in 2024. (Neighborhood: The Loop)
Chicago is about to experience a sensational burst of razzle-dazzle as Broadway Diner, a thrilling Broadway-themed pop-up, arrives at The Tin Lizzie at 2483 North Clark Street on Sunday, February 18 and 25. Residents and visitors can immerse themselves in an extraordinary dining experience combining captivating performances, delectable diner classics, and an unforgettable atmosphere. (Neighborhood: Lincoln Park)
