MEDIA UPDATE

FOR: BON APPÉTIT PRESENTS CHICAGO GOURMET 2014 chicagogourmet.org facebook.com/ChicagoGourmet @Chicago_Gourmet instagram.com/chicago_gourmet Chicago Gourmet Vimeo Channel

CONTACT: IMR Brenna O’Leary | [email protected] Nick Urig | [email protected] (312) 878-1222 ______

THE SCHEDULE IS HERE! Bon Appétit presents Chicago Gourmet Announces Full Schedule, 2014 Highlights

From “The Whole Fish” to the “A Trotter-Inspired Dish”, the seventh annual Bon Appétit presents Chicago Gourmet offers a spectacular schedule of programming designed to showcase Chicago’s exceptional culinary talent, deliver the latest epicurean trends and to satisfy the hungry minds (and stomachs) of attendees. As guests prepare for their visit to culinary heaven, they can customize their own gourmet adventure with a lineup of unforgettable events.

Taking place in Millennium Park on Saturday, September 27 from 12 to 6 p.m. and Sunday, September 28 from 12 to 5 p.m., Chicago Gourmet packs the park with the city’s world-class culinary community via two days of food from favorite and famous restaurants; wine and spirits tastings courtesy of Southern Wine and Spirits of Illinois; beer sampling; celebrity chef demos; educational seminars; book signings, culinary competitions and more. Attendees have the chance to rub elbows with hundreds of culinary and beverage experts, including Bon Appétit magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Adam Rapoport and Restaurant and Drinks Editor Andrew Knowlton, more master sommeliers than ever before and renowned chefs like Carla Hall, Morimoto, Rick Bayless, Tony Mantuano, Stephanie Izard, Mindy Segal, Jeff Mauro, Takashi Yagihashi and Carlos Gaytan.

THE BON APPÉTIT MAIN STAGE LINEUP INCLUDES:

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

12-12:30 p.m. Mexican Takeover Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill/Topolobampo/XOCO), Carlos Gaytan (Mexique)

1 -1:30 p.m. Simple Meal Ideas from the Late Summer Farm Harvest Stephanie Izard (Girl & The Goat/Little Goat Diner), Jamie Bissonnette (Coppa)

2 -2:30 p.m. The Whole Fish Masaharu Morimoto (Japonais by Morimoto)

3 – 3:30 p.m. Carla's Comfort Foods: Favorite Dishes from Around the World Carla Hall (“The Chew”)

3:45- 4:15 p.m. Chicago’s Classic Italians Jeff Mauro (“Sandwich King”), Tony Priolo (Piccolo Sogno/Piccolo Sogno Due)

4:30-5 p.m. James Beard Award Winners Jimmy Bannos Jr. (The Purple Pig), Justin Aprahamian (Sanford Restaurant)

5:15-5:45 p.m. A Classic Chicago Roast Tony Mantuano (Spiaggia/Terzo Piano/Bar Toma/River Roast), John Hogan (River Roast), Jimmy Bannos (Heaven on Seven/The Purple Pig)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

12:30- 1 p.m. Pastry Pillars Michelle Gayer (Salty Tart), Della Gossett (Spago Beverly Hills)

1:30-2 p.m. Chicago's Top Restaurateurs Donnie Madia (One Off Hospitality), Rohini Dey (Vermilion), RJ Melman (Lettuce Entertain You), Rob Katz and Kevin Boehm (BOKA Restaurant Group)

2:30-3 p.m. Trans Atlantic Experiments Sergi Arola (Arola), Homaro Cantu (Moto)

3:30-4 p.m. A Trotter-Inspired Dish Graham Elliot (graham elliot/g.e.b.)

4:30-5 p.m. Culinary Travel Inspiration Bill Kim (bellyQ/urbanbelly/Belly Shack), Mindy Segal (Mindy's Hot Chocolate)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE COMPLETE 2014 SCHEDULE OF SPEAKERS, BOOK SIGNINGS, SEMINARS, DEMONSTRATIONS AND MORE FOR BON APPÉTIT PRESENTS CHICAGO GOURMET!

WHAT’S NEW IN 2014

• Eat Like You’ve Never Eaten Before. With 180 participating restaurants over both days – the most in Chicago Gourmet’s seven-year history – attendees will eat like they’ve never eaten before.

• Primetime Pavilions. Explore nearly a dozen tasting pavilions, featuring new and timely themes such as: o BBQ Pavilion (in partnership with the Illinois BBQ Alliance): Including Chicago q, Bub City, Old Crow Smokehouse, Sweet Baby Ray’s, Smoque BBQ and others! o Green City Market Pavilion: Featuring Farmhouse Craft Tavern, 2 Sparrows, CICCHETTI, Spritzburger, Karyn’s on Green and more! th o Centennial Pavilion (in celebration of the Illinois Restaurant Association’s 100 Anniversary): Featuring Mike Ditka’s Chicago, Gibsons Restaurant Group, The Signature Room at the 95th, The Berghoff, Italian Village and others! o Neighborhood Pavilion. Featuring Hash House A Go-Go, Nana, Autre Monde Café and Spirits, Marion Street Market, The Chop Shop and more! o Mariano’s Pavilion: Featuring Trenchermen, Three Dots and a Dash, Piccolo Sogno Due, The Bristol, Three Aces, The Radler and others!

• Street Eats. Travel the world at the newly added Global Street Food Market, developed in collaboration with Chicago’s Sister Cities, located in the South Promenade. Featuring internationally-loved foods from China, Ireland, Africa, Columbia, and 11 of Chicago’s sister cities, highlights include offerings from Bolat, K-Kitchen, Shokolad Pastry & Café, Vermilion, Red Butter, Spencer’s Jolly Posh Foods and several others. The Global Street Food vendors share the pavilion with breweries, a newly added entertainment stage and an artisan market presented by Artizone featuring Chicago vendors selling their wares.

• Craft on Draft. Beer geeks can ‘hop’ their way through the festival, and enjoy a refreshing offering of craft brews. Stella Artois, Goose Island, Lagunitas Brewing Company and New Belgium will be on hand to present pairings, tastings and extensive beer knowledge to interested attendees.

• Glittering Grand Cru. The ultimate food and wine experience, the Grand Cru, presented by COUNTRY Financial, offers attendees the opportunity to taste over 90 of the finest wines in the world, as chosen by the event’s impressive and largest line up of Master Sommeliers. During these select tastings, taking place each day from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Harris Theater Rooftop, these leading wine experts will pour, present and discuss their picks.

• Beard-Worthy Bites. This year, guests holding a golden ticket to the Grand Cru, presented by COUNTRY Financial, will also indulge in food pairings from the James Beard Foundation’s elite. Heralding from restaurants championed both locally and throughout the United States, the remarkable culinary talent includes esteemed chefs recognized by the James Beard Foundation. Visiting chefs have been paired with a Chicago-based counterpart who will present a side-by-side showcase.

• Eat. Drink. Stay. VIP Packages. Visitors are invited to book a VIP package with Chicago Gourmet’s hotel partners for a delicious weekend that includes exceptional accommodations along with passes to the weekend's events. Options include a Foodie Weekend Package ($1,299) and the Gourmand Weekend Package ($2,999). Click here to view packages.

Admission and Cost: Tickets are selling quickly at chicagogourmet.org. All prices are exclusive of taxes and fees. Attendees at all events must be at least 21 years of age. • General-admission tickets: $170 for a One-Day Pass. General admission allows full access to the main festival area, which includes numerous culinary tasting pavilions, live cooking demonstrations on the Bon Appétit Main Stage and the Bon Appétit Culinary Stage, as well as premium wine and spirits tastings and seminars. • Weekend Passes: $275 • Grand Cru tickets: $199 per person + regular admission

Bid Between Bites. Chicago Gourmet 2014 presents an impressive lineup of food, wine, memorabilia, and travel-related items in an online auction in conjunction with the event. The online auction will go live on September 17, 2014, and those who wish to bid can register and view items online and at the Auction tent on the North end of the Great Lawn.

Auction proceeds benefit the Illinois Restaurant Association (IRA) Educational Foundation (IRAEF). The IRAEF Scholarship Program has awarded almost $2.5 million in scholarships to deserving students pursuing Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management in college. The IRAEF works to build the future Illinois hospitality workforce through scholarships, career exploration and workforce development programs for high school students.

Sponsors Chicago Gourmet 2014 is made possible by the generosity of the following sponsors: Bon Appétit magazine (title sponsor), Southern Wine & Spirits of Illinois (presenting sponsor), Illinois Restaurant Association, JCDecaux, CS Modern Luxury, Choose Chicago, American Express, Buick, Target, COUNTRY Financial, GE Monogram, Beam Suntory, Wintrust Financial, Ruffino, Moet Hennessy USA, Nestle Waters North America, United States Postal Service, US Foods, Allen Brothers Steaks, Stella Artois, Celebrity Cruises, American Airlines, Chipotle, Absolut Elyx, Casamigos Tequila, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, The Patron Spirits Company, Proximo Spirits, Wild Horse Winery, Hyatt Regency, Lagunitas Brewing Company, The Langham, Libbey, Mariano’s, Goose Island, Gibsons Restaurant Group, Supreme Lobster & Seafood Co., Artizone, CSI, Labriola Baking Company

Chicago Gourmet media partners include: Chicago Sun Times, Eater, Edible Chicago, NBC 5 Chicago, 93 XRT, Enjoy Illinois

ABOUT BON APPÉTIT Food is the new fashion, and the new Bon Appétit is the food lover’s style guide. The magazine, and its companion website, deliver not just recipes, tips and techniques, but a world of lush travel, high-gloss entertaining and up-to-the-minute restaurant coverage. It’s a visually arresting publication, driven by excellent photography, clean graphics, and headlines that pop. And notable faces too: Each issue features of-the-moment tastemakers, from chefs and restaurateurs to fashion designers and celebrities. All of these elements combine to make Bon Appétit the largest epicurean magazine in America with the most affluent readership.

Bon Appétit is published by Condé Nast, a division of Advance Publications, which operates in 25 countries. In the United States, Condé Nast publishes eighteen consumer magazines, two trade publications and twenty-seven websites that garner international acclaim and unparalleled consumer engagement. Please visit http://www.bonappetit.com.

ABOUT CHICAGO GOURMET Now in its seventh year, Chicago Gourmet, the nation’s premier culinary experience aimed at promoting Chicago’s world-class culinary community, will take place September 26-28, 2014. It was created by the Illinois Restaurant Association (IRA) and the Anton Family Foundation to celebrate and honor both Chicago’s culinary achievements and the creative vision of the chefs, Master Sommeliers, and wine-, spirit-, and beer-makers who participate. It also spotlights Chicago as an international culinary destination via its unparalleled epicurean talent. For more information, please visit www.chicagogourmet.org and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

ABOUT ILLINOIS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION Founded in 1914, the Illinois Restaurant Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, protecting, educating and improving the restaurant industry in Illinois. For more information, visit www.illinoisrestaurants.org and follow on Facebook and Twitter.

ABOUT SOUTHERN WINE & SPIRITS Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. is the nation’s largest wine and spirits distributor, with current operations in 29 states. The multi-state distributor currently operates in: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia—as well as the additional seven states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Utah through the Southern-Odom/Spirits West partnership. In addition, Southern has announced a pending strategic arrangement with Glazer’s Family of Companies in the center of the country—resulting in an incremental 8 markets to Southern’s existing footprint. On a national basis, Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. employs more than 10,000 team members. For more information contact: www.southernwine.com.

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