Charity Chat
Navigating the New Normal: Chef Bill Kim and Yvonne Cadiz-Kim
Chef Bill Kim and Yvonne Cadiz-Kim are both highly respected throughout the hospitality industry. Recently, Chef Jaime Laurita and I had a Kitchen Chat with this dynamic duo. As chef/owner of Urban Belly and chef/partner of Crate & Barrel’s The Table at Crate, Chef Kim is navigating the new normal. Carry out is the main…
Read MoreCHILL at the Merchandise Mart: An Evening of Food, Wine and Charity
As we know, charity begins in the kitchen. On today’s Kitchen Chat, we are featuring Chef Didier Durand, Executive Chef of Marchesa and Chef James De Marte, Chef/owner of Pisolino along with his business partner, Rachel De Marte. These two chefs joined Chef Jaime Laurita and me in the Middleby Residential Showroom for cooking demos.…
Read MoreMeals on Wheels Chicago
On November 8, Chef Jaime Laurita and I will emcee the Celebrity Chef Ball for Meals on Wheels Chicago. It’s extra special this year as the organization will be honoring the legendary Ina Pinkney. Ina is a dear friend and mentor. Her experience as a restaurateur, cookbook author, brand ambassador, a polio survivor and a…
Read MoreCommon Threads: The Power of Using Food for Change and Education
“We all know when we eat well we feel better. We have the energy to rock it out!” Linda Novick O’Keefe, Founding CEO of Common Threads Over 16 million children in the United States experience hunger. Common Threads is helping lead the way to empower and educate children across the country. Recently, Linda Novick…
Read MoreStanley Cup Winner Daniel Carcillo: Life After the Game
“Hockey mimics life. It’s important to stay mentally focused no matter if the momentum changes.” Daniel Carcillo, two time Stanley Cup winner, formerly with Chicago Blackhawks Unexpected blows in life can happen to us all. However, unexpected blows in the hockey rink can change the course of one’s life after the game. Daniel Carcillo shares…
Read MoreThe Giving Kitchen: James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year Award
“Giving Kitchen for us is really more about stability for food service than anything else. And within the financial grant program we’ve been able to award over $2.5 million to over 1,600 members of our community in the state of Georgia.” Jen Hidinger-Kendrick, co-founder of Giving Kitchen In 2012, Jen Hidinger-Kendrick’s husband, Chef Ryan Hidinger was…
Read MoreDrew Nieporent: Master of Hospitality
“Our job is anticipating the guests’ needs.” Drew Nieporent, Founder of Myriad Restaurant Group Drew Nieporent, founder of Myriad Restaurant Group including Nobu and Tribeca Grill, is the perfect matchmaker for the pairing of food and film. Just hours before joining Chef Jaime Laurita and me for a Kitchen Chat in the Middleby Residential Showroom,…
Read MoreDanny Meyer: A Heart for Hospitality
“Quality almost always finds its audience.” Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group Danny Meyer is a Renaissance Restaurateur who leads and lives by the tenets of Enlightened Hospitality. The salient core is that each business has the same stakeholders and “choosing how the stakeholders are prioritized will often create a virtuous cycle…
Read MoreMichael Airhart and SocialWorks: Taste for the Homeless
The statistics are staggering. According to Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, nearly 80,000 people in Chicago are facing food and shelter instability. Michael Airhart exemplifies what one person can do to tackle a huge problem. For many years, he has cooked meals in his kitchen, has gone out into the streets, under bridges and into…
Read MoreInternational Association of Culinary Professionals CEO Tanya Steel
International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) is “taking it to the next level” under the leadership of its new CEO, Tanya Steel. Some of the founding members of IACP include Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Nathalie Dupree and Anne Willan. Steel’s impressive resume includes being Editor in Chief of both Epicurious and Gourmet, a best selling cookbook…
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