Floored! NRA Show 2009 News

İBravo! ‘Top Chef Master’ Rick Bayless

 
Congratulations to Bravo TV’s first-ever “Top Chef Masters” winner, Chicago’s very own chef/owner – an NRA Show audience favorite – Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill/Topolobampo). Viva the black mole sauce master!

Top Chef Masters pitted 24 accomplished chefs against each other as they competed for the “toque-n” crown. NRA Show supporter and participant Bayless was also joined by fellow NRA Show regular/”Masters” contestant Art Smith (Table Fifty-Two) in the finals, but Smith was cut in the second round.

Bayless’ $100,000 prize goes to Frontera Farmer Foundation, which helps support small, sustainable Midwestern farms.

Fiesta like acclaimed master chef Rick Bayless who had only two words to say on Twitter – “Party’s starting.” Check out these upcoming parties with a Bayless connection.

Glamorama, Chicago’s highly anticipated fashion event at the Chicago Theatre kicks off Friday, August 21 at 8 p.m. The post-party bash lands at Macy’s on State Street (an NRA Show 2009 International Back-of-the-House Tour participating restaurant) - home to Rick Bayless’ upscale, quickservice restaurant Frontera Fresco.

Award-winning restaurant Frontera Grill along with several other participating restaurants will cater StreetWise Under-the-Stars, a benefit for the publication that provides an income source to homeless Chicagoans. (Friday, August 21 at Rooftop Sculpture Garden, 117 N. Jefferson, fourth floor). Tickets available here.

Last but not least, meet the “Top Chef Master” at NRA Show 2010 (May 22-25, 2010 at Chicago’s McCormick Place). Visitors to the NRA Show always enjoy interacting with him in the Celebrity Book Signings area and other Show features. Registration opens soon!

Viva Summer!

 
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. With the dog days of summer fun in full swing, we all wish that summer could always be here. Those lyrics by Nat King Cole still ring true today.

We know how much you want to sit back, relax and enjoy the final days of summer. But before you head to the beach, cool off with a cold refreshing drink or whatever gets you in the “viva summer” mood, remember that the 2009 exhibitors renewal deadline for NRA Show 2010 (May 22-25, 2010 at Chicago’s McCormick Place) is today. Tick tock goes the clock...call (312) 853-2525.

By the way, feel free to share your summer fun tips and ideas with us. We’re always up for a good time!

The Ultimate Party to Fight Childhood Hunger

 
We know a thing or two about hosting a great event. After all, the entire restaurant and hospitality industry has been coming together at the NRA Show for over 90 years...hello!

When we learned several of the NRA Show and International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event's trendsetting chef, restaurant and mixologist participants will be out in full force at Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation® Chicago on Thursday, August 13, 2009 at the Ravenswood Billboard Factory, we hungered for more scoop.

Here's the skinny, more than 40 of Chicago’s hottest chefs, restaurants and mixologists will donate their time, talent and passion to serve up sensational dishes, drinks and other delicious delights in an effort to raise money needed to support Share Our Strength’s mission to end childhood hunger across the United States, Canada and abroad.
 
The National Restaurant Association’s NRA Show partner the Greater Chicago Food Depository will be one of the area charities to benefit from this year's event. Exhibiting companies at NRA Show 2009 donated food that provided nearly 50,000 meals to the 600 GCFD member pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, day care centers and senior living facilities across the Chicago area. Additional charities that will benefit include the Illinois Hunger Coalition and the Near North Health Service Corporation.

It’s not too late to purchase tickets to Taste of the Nation® Chicago. For more information about a Taste of the Nation event near you – there are more than 45 events across the United States, Canada and Mexico – or to get involved, visit www.tasteofthenation.org.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

 
On his 48th birthday, Prez O's likely gearing up for the meal of a lifetime, but if he was in Chicago we know what he'd like to chow down on:

Hyde Park's Caribbean-focused Calypso Cafe, along with the now defunct New Orleans-inspired Dixie Kitchen, is a favorite of the First Family. They recently added some of the more popular dishes from Dixie Kitchen's menu—which just happened to be the President's faves—including peach cobbler, fried green tomatoes and the Southern Sampler (Jambalaya, gumbo, red beans & rice).

Italian Fiesta, in South Shore, had the honor of serving its thin-crust pizzas at the inauguration. This is the way a pizza's supposed to be: indulgently greasy and bursting with flavor from hearty toppings. Obama's guilty pleasure is the cheese-only pizza.

He's fit as a fiddle and his waistline is trim and slim, but we love that he's not afraid of chowing down on an occasional sandwich loaded down with mounds of corned beef. He caused quite a scene when he ordered several, and paid cash, at Manny's Deli right after the election.