Gourmet Chefs Draw Thousands To Millennium Park
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Gourmet chefs shared some secrets at a tasting event at Millenium Park over the weekend, which drew thousands of guests.
As WBBM Newsradio's Michele Fiore reports, among the food they ate was samples of a smoked salmon appetizer with capers, and chicken filled waffles served with maple syrup.
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Gourmet food draws people to Chicago, says one of the event planners, and engagements such as this "Chicago Gourmet" event only add to that.
Tickets were required to get into the event which was held both Saturday and Sunday. Tickets were $150 per person and included all the food and drinks patrons wanted, except the rather expensive wine tasting area, which cost a bit more to sample.
Chefs were sharing their secrets. Patrons could sample food and drink, and also learn about cooking schools, such as The Chopping Block which is located in the Merchandise Mart and offers one-day classes on ethnically diverse foods.
"Italian, French, Indian, Mexican... and a lot of what we do now are actually social classes like date night. People like to come and do this Saturday night with their date -- drink some wine, cook some food, maybe pay attention, maybe not," said Chopping Block owner Shelly Young.
For those who did sample the wines, it was well worth it, says Serafin Alvarado.
"We're in Millennium Park," he said. "That in itself, you can't beat it."
A total of 10,000 eaters attended, going from stage to stage, learning how to prepare foods such as caviar and smoked salmon.
A light drizzle came down, making the ground muddy. Some smart attendees came dressed in fashionable rubber boots.
