Paramount Events was honored to once again cater and staff Chicago Gourmet in Millennium Park this past weekend. For the last eight years, Paramount has worked on behalf of the Illinois Restaurant Association to take catering to the next level at the annual Bon Appétit event by featuring celebrity chef demos, wine and mixology seminars, and food and cocktail tastings. Here’s out Chicago Gourmet 2018 Roundup:
“Rock the Fork” was the theme of Chicago Gourmet this year. We kicked off the incredible weekend with Hamburger Hop, a judged competition event which took place on Friday evening. Sponsored by Buckhead Meat Chicago and Blue Moon Brewing Company, the event featured 15 talented chefs who participated to help discover Chicago’s best burger. This year’s winner was Chef Tony Priolo of Maillard Tavern, Nonnina and Piccolo Sogno, who won the judge’s hearts and the People’s Choice award with his City Slicker burger, topped with black-truffle pesto, foie-gras mayo, seared foie gras, and crispy prosciutto di Parma.
Day 1 began on Saturday, and included live cooking demos on stage with chefs such as Rick Bayless from Frontera Grill and Joe Flamm of Spiaggia. Guests could roam the main pavilion and try over 90 different samples of gourmet cuisine from Chicago restaurants and chefs at 16 different pavilions. Tasting tours, food and drink seminars, and celebrity book signings also took place throughout the day.
Day 2 included another round of over 90 samples from Chicago’s top restaurants, including rosé from The Hampton Social, bites from III Forks Steakhouse, and of course an Eden presentation by Executive Chef Devon Quinn at the Porter Road Tasting Pavilion. Guests could also attend lives demos from Stephanie Izard of Girl and the Goat and TV chef Andrew Zimmerman.
After a weekend filled with gourmet delights from renowned chefs and cocktail extravaganzas alike, the Paramount Events team could not be more excited about next year’s Chicago Gourmet. From the innovative cuisine to the unparalleled service offered, Paramount consistently strives to be the top catering and staffing company in Chicago. This is evident in our successful execution of large scale events such as Chicago Gourmet year after year. Working with Bon Appétit and the Illinois Restaurant Association was an incredible honor, as always, and we look forward to the continued partnership for many more years to come.