Months before September’s highly anticipated Hamburger Hop cooking competition, Bon Appétit presents Chicago Gourmet has local chefs and culinary crusaders flexing their competitive muscle with a first annual Paella Cook-off. Chicago Gourmet has partnered with award-winning, celebrity Chef Jose Garces of Mercat a la Planxa to present the inaugural cook-off. The Most Valuable Paella (MVP) will be determined by an esteemed panel of judges, while attendees will be able to cast their vote for “The People’s Paella” winner.
Participating Chefs
- Jess DeGuzman (Sunda New Asian)
- Kevin Hickey (Bottlefork Bar & Kitchen)
- Brian Jupiter (Frontier)
- Zoë Schor (Ada Street)
- Guillermo Tellez (Mercadito Hospitality)
- Aaron Thebault (Girl and the Goat)
- Tom Van Lente (TWO)
Judges
- Jose Garces (Mercat a la Planxa)
- Catherine DeOrio (WTTW’s Check, Please!)
- Chandra Ram (Plate Magazine)
General admission includes paella samplings from the featured chefs along with a sangria bar, Spanish-inspired cocktails and beers from Spain. VIP tickets include an exclusive reception beginning at 6 p.m., hosted by Chef Garces himself, passed pintxos and a specialty cocktail.
