Food & Wine magazine hosted its Food & Wine festival in Chicago for the first time August 29 and 30. “Chicago is a culinary capital primed for a standout, all-star food festival with huge national appeal," said Christina Grdovic, senior vice president and publisher of Food & Wine. "At Food & Wine, we’re obsessed with uncovering and championing amazing talent, and of course there’s a ton of it in Chicago.” The event was produced in partnership with C3 Presents and Texas-based chef Tim Love.
Despite weekend's foggy, drizzly weather, some 4,500 guests attended the outdoor event throughout the weekend. Long lines and congestion were notably absent, and guests had plenty of one-of-one time with the chefs and liquor reps. "A hallmark of our festivals is to create an intimate and accessible environment where attendees have the opportunity to mix and mingle with participating chefs, and vice versa," said Charlie Jones, C3 and festival co-founder.
Held in Lincoln Park, the event featured a grand tasting tent with wine and spirits tastings, as well as food samples from a variety of local restaurants such as Osteria Langhe to Honey Butter Fried Chicken. "Our advisory board was comprised of some of the most acclaimed chefs in the industry, let alone the city of Chicago," Love said. "The line-up of chefs [and] wine and spirits experts reflected the city’s breadth of restaurants and diverse culinary offerings." The festival also offered cooking demonstrations, wine seminars, book signings, and activations from sponsors such as Stella Artois and Citi.
Separately ticketed events took place throughout the weekend. There was a feast in Lincoln Park on the festival's eve on August 28, a tasting event in Grant Park on Saturday evening, and the dessert-centric bash at Chicago's Block 37 late Saturday night. According to Love, holding off-site events in conjunction with the festival "allowed time for attendees and out-of-town guests to experience the city of Chicago while they were not on festival grounds."
A 2016 iteration of the festival is already in the works, and organizers expect slightly higher attendance next year. "As a first-year event, we would like to see the festival grow," Jones said. "But our goal is to always keep the festival a manageable and intimate experience and continually evolve the overall experience from year to year."
