2014 Chicago Gourmet Recap

Chicago is a wonderful culinary city and I always feel lucky to have grown up here and live here. Every September I'm reminded of how wonderful Chicago's food community is at Chicago Gourmet!

The 7th annual Chicago Gourmet showcased hundreds of chefs, wineries, spirit producers, and brewmasters from across the US in Millennium Park. It is definitely one of the best culinary events in Chicago each year and should be attended by anyone with an appreciation for good food and wine. Not only do you get to rub elbows with your favorite chefs, you get to sample a variety of dishes and drinks to help you find your new favorite restaurant, winery, or brewery! In addition to food and drink tastings, Chicago Gourmet also features cooking demonstrations, book signings, food and wine seminars, and more!

This year marked my second time attending Chicago Gourmet. Last year was great as well, but this year I knew just how much there was to explore, and I made a game plan prior to the event. It turned out to be a gorgeous day--hard to believe a week ago it was in the 70s here in Chicago!

I also attended Grand Cru, an exclusive wine and food tasting. Grand Cru includes pours of elite wines from vineyards across the globe, paired with gourmet bites from James Beard award winning chefs from Chicago and the Midwest. It's a separate ticketed event that's part of Chicago Gourmet, but it's totally worth it, if you ask me.

My two favorite things I ate at Chicago Gourmet were both sweets (are you surprised?):

1) Mindy Segal's roasted apple ice cream taffy apple from Hot Chocolate at Grand Cru

2) Stan's Donut's Chicago Mix Bismarck filled with cheddar pastry cream, topped with caramel, and sprinkled with cheese and caramel popcorn, (WOAH!)