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Chicago Tribune
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago Gourmet announces 2025 dates, new sports theme with a crosstown twist and all-star roster of chefs
Chicago Gourmet, the upscale food festival that celebrates the city as a 'culinary capital,' will return to Millennium Park from Sept. 25 to 28 with a new, sporty twist. This year's theme, 'Step up to the Plate,' is a marriage of food and sports, showcasing 'all-star chefs, big-time bites and championship-level sips,' said Sam Toia, president and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association. 'Like pro sports, great food requires skill, strategy and passion,' Toia said. 'No doubt Chicago is a top sports town, but our restaurant teams are the real MVPs of the city.' Like in previous years, host chefs will collaborate with local businesses, restaurants and drink vendors over four days. Organizers said they will soon announce additional pre-game events. In the 18th iteration of the event since it began in 2008, the festival typically generates buzz around Hamburger Hop, a fan-favorite burger competition in which chefs compete to win the celebrity-judged award and the audience-judged People's Choice. This year's 'cross-town classic' Hamburger Hop will be co-hosted by Joe Flamm, chef and owner of il Carciofo and Rose Mary, who will represent the South Side, and Sarah Grueneberg, chef and co-owner of Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio, representing the North Side. 'This event has always been a Chicago Gourmet highlight and I'll be decked out in my beloved Cubbies jersey,' Grueneberg said. Flamm said he's excited about the added element of a crosstown rivalry to an already thrilling event. 'I love that Hamburger Hop is a chance for chefs from all around the city to show off their grilling skills while getting creative and having fun,' Flamm said. 'I've been a part of Chicago Gourmet for as long as I can remember, so being back to host an event like this again is a full-circle moment for me.' Hamburger Hop, hosted on the Harris Theater rooftop, will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 26. Over 100 chefs and restaurateurs are slated to participate, including Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill, Topolobampo), Marcos Carbajal (Carnitas Uruapan), Diana Dávila (Mi Tocaya Antojería), Jenner Tomaska (The Alston, Esmé), Norman Fenton (Cariňo), Israel Idonije (Signature, The Staley) and Jeff Mauro (Mauro Provisions). Other host chefs and ticket prices will be announced later, but many of the main events from previous years are scheduled to return. The crowd favorite Tacos & Tequilas will be hosted by Bayless and Carbajal on Sept. 25. Rise and Shine Gourmet, hosted by Art Smith, Lorena Garcia and Jernard Wells, will serve up sweet and savory brunch bites from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 28. Late Night Gourmet Asian Street Market — a new after-party addition hosted by chef Thai Dang of HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen — will be from 9 p.m. to midnight Sept. 26. Grand Cru on Sept. 27 takes inspiration from 'the greatest of all times,' such as Michael Jordan and Jordan Biles, and will be hosted by Stephanie Izard, executive chef and partner of four Chicago restaurants: Girl & the Goat, Little Goat, Duck Duck Goat and Cabra. 'I always say Chicago is the culinary capital of the world and Chicago Gourmet just highlights that each year,' Toia said. 'It's where talent, creativity and our city's enduring competitive spirit gets to shine.' Programming at Chicago Gourmet will benefit the Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, which works with high school students to build the hospitality workforce through career exploration. Ticket prices have not yet been announced but will be available starting in July at
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Illinois targets third-party restaurant reservation resellers with new bill
The Brief Illinois lawmakers are working to ban the resale of restaurant reservations without restaurant approval. Rep. Margaret Croke discovered some Chicago spots were being scalped online for hundreds of dollars. The bill passed the House unanimously and could become law by summer. CHICAGO - Have you ever waited online for a restaurant reservation to open only to discover they were already taken? Legislators say there is a black market for restaurant reservations, and now they want to pass legislation to stop it. What we know It's one of the hardest reservations in Chicago to get, and it had one state lawmaker asking why. "Why can I never get a table? I would log on at 9 a.m. when they would release new seats, and I could just never get a reservation," said Rep. Margaret Croke (IL-12th District). It's a common complaint in Chicago, which is home to some of the most in-demand restaurants in the country. Croke did a little research into trying to figure out why she couldn't get a reservation. To her surprise, she discovered third-party companies were snatching them up and then reselling them on an online market. "When I wanted to go to Armitage Ale House, I could have bought a reservation for like $400 for Friday night or RL in Mag Mile for $700. And I thought that was insane because some of these restaurants are places that you would like to be kind of neighborhood places that could just stop by at," she said. Croke partnered with the Illinois Restaurant Association, or the IRA, to introduce new legislation. It's called "The Restaurant Reservation Anti-Piracy Act." It would ban third-party reservation service companies from listing, advertising, promoting, or selling reservations, unless there's a written agreement between the third party and the restaurant. Dig deeper Croke and the IRA believe these third-party companies are not only robbing consumers, but also having a negative impact on the restaurants. "Customers shouldn't have to compete with bots or, you know, predatory third-party resellers. That's how a lot of restaurant owners feel, right? Why should they compete with bots or predatory third-party resellers? So that's very important. But also, these unauthorized third-party resellers increase the numbers of no-shows. That's the biggest problem," said Sam Toia, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association. Jonas Frey is the founder of Appointment Trader, which is one of the third-party companies lawmakers are trying to ban. It allows individuals to exchange or sell reservations for restaurants. FOX 32 went to Appointment Trader's website, and here's what we found: a reservation for four people this Saturday at Bavette's would cost you $265, and at Italian restaurant Tre Dita on Saturday – $135. Now remember, you are buying the reservation only. No food or drink is included. "That argument that because of Appoint Trader you can't get a reservation is absolutely bogus," Frey said. His counter? This is a free market and restaurants don't own the reservations – the consumers do, especially when it comes to pre-paid reservations where customers can lose money if they have to cancel. "The reason why you can't get a restaurant reservation at any one of these restaurants is because there are more people that want to go than there are seats, and Appointment Trader grew because there were a lot of people that weren't able to get reservations," Frey said. Frey says this is a consumer-driven platform, and they have piracy measures and metrics to combat against bots and scalpers. What's next Appointment Trader and other third-party websites were just banned in New York, and Chicago may not be far behind. Those backing this third-party reservation ban say if it passes, restaurants and consumers would be the winners. "I think that if we weren't intervening right now, that this problem would just become worse and worse and proliferate throughout Chicago," Croke said. The proposed bill passed the Illinois House unanimously, and proponents say they are optimistic there will be no opposition in the Senate or from Governor JB Pritzker. They hope to have it signed soon, and it could become law by this summer. The Source FOX 32 Chicago Investigates reported on this story.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fear grips Chicago as immigration raids continue, affecting local businesses
CHICAGO – Images of immigration raids around the country and people being deported in shackles on military planes is stoking fear and leaving some people afraid to come to work or even move around their community. One U.S. citizen, who immigrated to America over 30 years ago and opened his own business, is now directly impacted by the ongoing immigration raids, because you can't run a business without customers. 'I hope this terror will stop,' the man, who did not wish to be identified, said. 'This is going to affect the city. It's a chain of command. It's going to affect everybody…most of our customers are Latinos, almost 95%, and the way things are going around the country right now, they're scared to come out.' Chicago's 'sanctuary city' status under investigation by federal committee amid immigration raids The man said violent criminals should be removed, but striking fear into hardworking families can't be the goal. 'There are so many ways they can work with these immigrants to make their status legal instead of just scaring them,' the man said. Reports vary on how many people have been rounded up in Chicago since Sunday. Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling said his sources believe the number is more than 100, adding the focus is on those with criminal convictions. 'There's no need to be afraid to show up to work. There's no need to be afraid to go to school,' Snelling said. 'We have not seen federal agents running through Chicago looking for children, going to work locations and grabbing people.' What has changed with immigration under Trump and what is still playing out? Sam Toia of the Illinois Restaurant Association told WGN News on Tuesday that about 586,000 people work in the food service industry statewide; close to 300,000 are in Chicago and about 40% of them are immigrants. Toia added anxiety is high for those who don't hold the right papers. 'There's no question there's a few that are not coming to work. Everyone's looking over their shoulder,' Toia said. 'Not just because maybe some are undocumented, but some are just feeling like, you know, 'I'm Latino/Mexican. Am I just going to be stopped on the street? And if I don't produce my papers, am I going to be taken away?'' Agents need a signed warrant to enter a home or business, but an employer still has 72 hours to hand over I-9 forms which are required for work authorization. 'If that happens, please reach out to the Illinois Restaurant Association. Reach out to us. We are working with immigration groups, pro bono lawyers, to represent these workers,' Toia said. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also joined Snelling earlier Tuesday, reaffirming the city's commitment to being a welcoming one. 'There's a real goal here to stoke fear into the American people,' Johnson said. 'We'll continue to make sure that we're protecting the interests of all working people in the city.' Snelling did say on Tuesday that CPD, under the city's welcoming ordinance, cannot share an immigrant's status. Those who need police assistance are asked to give them a call. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
