The Banchet Awards for Culinary Excellence, in partnership with Chicago Chefs Cook, celebrates and recognizes Chicago’s culinary community and hospitality leaders. The evening, hosted by hospitality veteran Michael Muser of Ever and cocktail lounge After, will recognize the city’s top restaurant and bar innovators in 12 distinct categories, representing the current year’s best in class in Chicago, including awards for chefs, heritage restaurants, sommeliers, bars, rising stars, restaurant design, hospitality and more. The night will also honor Chicago Tribune’s long-running former restaurant & dining critic Phil Vettel with the “Banchet Award for Culinary Excellence of the Year”, a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to the culinary industry. Vettel helped set Chicago’s reputation as a global culinary destination and promoted the rise of many young chefs who have built the industry we know today. Presenters for the evening’s awards include Jason Hammel (Lula Café) and Carrie Nahabedian (Brindille), TV stars like Netflix’s ‘School of Chocolate’ winner Juan Gutierrez (The St. Regis), industry podcast hosts Tim Tierney and Danny Shapiro of the Joiners Podcast, restaurant figures like “Chicago’s Breakfast Queen” Ina Pinkney and Gary Obligacion (The Alinea Group) and many more. A full list of nominees is available via the Chicago Tribune.
"The Banchet Awards remind us as an industry of the long line of chefs, beverage professionals, and restaurateurs that came before us. This event and celebration provides us with the important opportunity to gather together as a community and honor our best and brightest of the past year,” says the show’s host, Michael Muser.
New this year, the Banchet Awards have partnered with the Chicago Chefs Cook humanitarian organization, led by Chef Sarah Stegner, Eda Davidman, Jodi Fyfe, Darren Gest, and Melissa Clark. The nonprofit unites Chicagoland chefs to raise money for humanitarian causes, both local and global, that are on the hearts and minds of the city’s culinary and hospitality communities. As the evening’s charity partner, Chicago Chefs Cook has selected Chef Erick Williams’ Virtue Leadership Development Program, as the awards’ charitable beneficiary. The program is a leadership development incubator that serves as a vehicle to equip local young adults of color with the necessary skills to learn value-driven entrepreneurship through training at Virtue Restaurant.
“Our Chicago chef’s community is remarkably generous and Chef Erick Williams represents the best of that spirit. We are thrilled to select the Virtue Leadership Development program as this year’s charity recipient and continue to support wonderful causes that champion the local culinary community of Chicago.” says Chef Sarah Stegner of Chicago Chefs Cook.
Following the ceremony, guests can dance their way to the after-party, which will feature a live performance from eight-piece jazz band, Rick King’s Royal Hustle. 14 chef stations will be showing off the city’s local flavors, including chef-curated bites from Monteverde, Demera, Avec, Jaleo, Ina Mae Tavern, Frontier, Avli on The Park, Soul & Smoke, Eden, Cariño, Kindling, Stan's, Mercat a la Planxa, Reunion and The Evolved Network.
The Banchet Awards for Culinary Excellence, in partnership with Chicago Chefs Cook, celebrates and recognizes Chicago’s culinary community and hospitality leaders. The evening, hosted by hospitality veteran Michael Muser of Ever and cocktail lounge After, will recognize the city’s top restaurant and bar innovators in 12 distinct categories, representing the current year’s best in class in Chicago, including awards for chefs, heritage restaurants, sommeliers, bars, rising stars, restaurant design, hospitality and more. The night will also honor Chicago Tribune’s long-running former restaurant & dining critic Phil Vettel with the “Banchet Award for Culinary Excellence of the Year”, a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to the culinary industry. Vettel helped set Chicago’s reputation as a global culinary destination and promoted the rise of many young chefs who have built the industry we know today. Presenters for the evening’s awards include Jason Hammel (Lula Café) and Carrie Nahabedian (Brindille), TV stars like Netflix’s ‘School of Chocolate’ winner Juan Gutierrez (The St. Regis), industry podcast hosts Tim Tierney and Danny Shapiro of the Joiners Podcast, restaurant figures like “Chicago’s Breakfast Queen” Ina Pinkney and Gary Obligacion (The Alinea Group) and many more. A full list of nominees is available via the Chicago Tribune.
"The Banchet Awards remind us as an industry of the long line of chefs, beverage professionals, and restaurateurs that came before us. This event and celebration provides us with the important opportunity to gather together as a community and honor our best and brightest of the past year,” says the show’s host, Michael Muser.
New this year, the Banchet Awards have partnered with the Chicago Chefs Cook humanitarian organization, led by Chef Sarah Stegner, Eda Davidman, Jodi Fyfe, Darren Gest, and Melissa Clark. The nonprofit unites Chicagoland chefs to raise money for humanitarian causes, both local and global, that are on the hearts and minds of the city’s culinary and hospitality communities. As the evening’s charity partner, Chicago Chefs Cook has selected Chef Erick Williams’ Virtue Leadership Development Program, as the awards’ charitable beneficiary. The program is a leadership development incubator that serves as a vehicle to equip local young adults of color with the necessary skills to learn value-driven entrepreneurship through training at Virtue Restaurant.
“Our Chicago chef’s community is remarkably generous and Chef Erick Williams represents the best of that spirit. We are thrilled to select the Virtue Leadership Development program as this year’s charity recipient and continue to support wonderful causes that champion the local culinary community of Chicago.” says Chef Sarah Stegner of Chicago Chefs Cook.
Following the ceremony, guests can dance their way to the after-party, which will feature a live performance from eight-piece jazz band, Rick King’s Royal Hustle. 14 chef stations will be showing off the city’s local flavors, including chef-curated bites from Monteverde, Demera, Avec, Jaleo, Ina Mae Tavern, Frontier, Avli on The Park, Soul & Smoke, Eden, Cariño, Kindling, Stan's, Mercat a la Planxa, Reunion and The Evolved Network.
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