Fantasy Campfire: Green City's Chef BBQ Drew 3,000+ to Outdoor Feast

Bob Benenson
2 minutes ago
3 min read

Epic Annual Fundraiser for the Chicago Farmers Market Raised More Than $445,000

There are many excellent culinary tasting events in Chicago, but the annual Chef BBQ fundraiser for the Green City Market non-profit — held last Thursday (September 4) — is in a league of its own.

Something of a family reunion for the city's chefs and the diners who love them, this year's event drew more than 100 restaurants serving up delicious small dishes, and eager eaters from among the 3,100+ ticket purchasers. The event, always a big deal, has expanded over the past few years to cover the entire footprint of Green City's flagship location in Lincoln Park (the actual park as well as the neighborhood).

The event has been a success since its launch in 2001, two years after the market was started. But since 2021, it has benefited from a scheduling change from July to September that was originally a matter of circumstance.

Like so many gatherings, the 2020 Chef BBQ had to be cancelled because of COVID pandemic restrictions. The crisis lingered well into 2021, delaying planning and prompting the organization to schedule that year's event for early September instead of its traditional mid-summer date. The shift proved so popular that it has become permanent.

The July date invariably was either the hottest day of the year or nearly so, with the occasional summer downpour. The atmosphere has been more ambient since 2021, and probably maxed out last Thursday when the current lovely cool spell delivered BBQ-time temperatures in the 60s.

There is another, less obvious benefit to the September scheduling. Participating restaurants — many of them farm-to-table by nature — are required to use ingredients produced by the market's farmer vendors in their creations. While the region's peak growing season is on by July, the transitional season in early September provides favorite crops such as sweet corn, field tomatoes and peaches, along with apples and other early fall arrivals.

Now, with so much to choose from, it's almost necessary to plan a strategy for what you're going to sample. This year, I made it simple, focusing (mostly) on chefs who I'm honored to know personally. This certainly wasn't a given when I embarked on this second career 13 years ago, and I'll always be grateful to this community for being so welcoming.

Please enjoy the photos.

THE CHEFS

Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook (right) was a Green City founding Board member and is credited with coming up with the idea for the Chef BBQ. Cindy Kurman of Kurman Communications helped out at the Prairie Grass table.

Rick Bayless (right), whose iconic career serving regional Mexican cuisine began at his Frontera Grill in 1987, also was a founding Board member of Green City Market.

John Manion, a master of Latin American beef-centric cuisine, was at the Chef BBQ repping his Brasero restaurant.

The One Off Hospitality team obviously enjoyed repping the group's Avec restaurant. Partners Donnie Madia (left) and Paul Kahan, One Off's Executive Chef (joking around on the right) worked the line.

Darnell Reed, who has made his mark with Southern cuisine rooted in his family's traditions, recently relocated and shifted his focus from dinner to brunch.

Paul Fehribach of Big Jones restaurant is another leader in making Chicago a Northern nexus of Southern cooking.

Tigist Reda crafts exquisite Ethiopian cuisine at her Demera restaurant. She is highly engaged with the culinary community's philanthropy and raises funds to address the health care needs of Tigray, her war-torn native province.

Chef Sebastian White is founder and executive director of The Evolved Network, a Chicago non-profit that works in schools with disadvantaged youths to provide them with food education, cooking lessons and life skills.

Chef Cleetus Friedman, who assisted Sebastian White, has advanced local food in a variety of capacities.

Paul Virant (second left) is a longtime leader in the Chicago region's farm-to-table restaurant sector. Each of his three current restaurants — Vistro Prime (Hinsdale), Petite Vie (Western Springs) and Gaijin (Chicago) — served at the Chef BBQ.