Cheers to celebrating all things food and entertainment in 2019!  Known as one of the country’s top food and wine events, this world-class festival celebrated the “Year of Chicago Theater” with a Lights, Camera, Napkin! theme by holding city-wide events celebrating Chicago’s rich culinary heritage.

Starting on Tuesday, September 24 we set the stage with an exclusive “Hamilton” event hosted by Rick Bayless and then continued the entertainment through Sunday, September 29. The festival was produced by the Illinois Restaurant Association, with generous support from title sponsor Bon Appétit magazine and presenting sponsor Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. 

Chicago Gourmet was enjoyed by more than 14,000 ticketed attendees. The main event in Millennium Park and the exclusive Grand Cru tasting, presented by UnitedHealthcare, were accompanied by a week of show stopping Encore Events.

This year, the festival featured 192 sponsors along with wine, spirit, beer and gourmet food exhibitors who provided indulgent tastings for attendees. More than 290 top talent, chefs, & restaurants participated in the various Encore Events throughout the week. Notably, Chicago Gourmet hosted it’s first ever Gourmet Chili Cook-Off with host Sarah Grueneberg and an all-start line up of chefs and local Chicago firefighters. We also hit a new impression record as Chicago Gourmet's public relations and marketing efforts garnered an astounding 1.4 billion impressions this year.

Save the date for Chicago Gourmet and the Annual Hamburger Hop on September 25-27, 2020 in Millennium Park. Visit chicagogourmet.org for more information.