Clockwise from top left: Original
Rainbow Cone at Taste of Chicago;
celebrity chef Graham Elliot; a colorful sample from Chicago Gourmet
TOP LEFT PHOTO BY JULIE CORSI/CC BY 2.0; GRAHAM ELLIOT AND CHICAGO GOURMET PHOTOS
BY JWKPEC PHOTOGRAPHY
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: PATRICK PYSZKA, COURTESY OF CITY OF CHICAGO; COURTESY OF CHOOSE CHICAGO; RAYMOND BOYD
Art Appreciation
reputation as a haven for brats and beer.
Elliot has helped boost the city’s
culinary cred by curating the best local
food and drinks and introducing them
to the masses at Lollapalooza. “We try
to find restaurants that are Chicagobased and have the same independent
spirit as the bands playing the festival,” he says. Last year, Eminem and
the Arctic Monkeys headlined against
a Grant Park backdrop that included
the Elliot-curated Chow Town, loaded
with new and classic takes on Chicago
street food.
The granddaddy of food fests, Taste
of Chicago, also takes place in Grant
Park, bringing together some 3 million
visitors over the span of five days in July.
The festival has been held every summer since 1980. Vendors skew toward
the city’s casual eateries, and last year
there was also a good contingent of
pop-up restaurants and food trucks.
Chicago Gourmet, a relative newcomer presented by Bon Appétit,
highlights the tonier aspects of ChiTown dining. The festival takes place
in late September in Millennium
Park and features cooking demonstrations, tastings and book signings from
world-renown chefs, as well as vintners
and sommeliers.
Food also plays a central role in the
dozens of neighborhood street fairs
that occur during the Chicago summer.
Some—such as Roscoe Village Burger
Fest, SausageFest and Ribfest—
emphasize specific cuisines, while
others, like the various mini “Taste
ofs” (Randolph Street, River North,
Lakeview) highlight local restaurants.
Wrigleyville Summerfest features a little of everything, including food, music
and family activities, as does Wicker
Park Fest.
For cultural immersions that offer
insight into Chicago’s diverse populaces, try Fiesta del Sol, Chicago Korean
Festival, Festa Italiana, Chinatown
Summer Fair or the African/Caribbean
International Festival of Life.
“These festivals help brand their
communities,” says Molly Huber,
special events coordinator for the
Wicker Park and Bucktown Chamber
of Commerce. “They introduce thousands of visitors and residents to the
small businesses, local artists, history
and architecture that make Chicago a
city of neighborhoods.” L
Just because Chicagoans
spend much of the warm
weather months grooving
and grazing doesn’t mean
they neglect the other arts.
The late spring, before the
lazy, crazy days of summer
get underway, is a great time
to sample the city’s bounty
of theaters and museums.
Starting on St. Patrick’s
Day and running