Righting Unrightable Wrongs in Tigray
Top chefs rally again to ease suffering with generosity and joy
Shining a Healing Light on a Humanitarian Crisis
Once again, Chicago’s culinary community came together, drawing a crowd for a mega-tasting event and raising a significant amount of money to address suffering in a place torn by war.
Chicago Chefs Cook for Tigray — the event held Wednesday at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture in Chicago’s Humboldt Park — was a fundraiser for Health Professionals Network for Tigray (HPN4Tigray), which provides much-needed medical and health care assistance to those displaced in the besieged northern Ethiopian province.
While smaller in scale than the first-such event, Chicago Chefs Cook for Ukraine, at Navy Pier in March, the event for Tigray (pronounced Ti-GRYE) packed the tent on the museum’s courtyard, with both generosity and joy to spare.
To wit…
The evening was punctuated with a presentation that included members of the organizing team above. At far left is Tigist Reda, chef/owner of Demera Ethiopian Restaurant, who sparked the event; she is a Tigray native and has been unable to communicate with her mother and other relatives who are living under a communications blackout there. Others from left are Chef Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook; Jodi Fyfe of The Paramount Group catering company; local Good Food advocates Eda Davidman and Darren Gest; and chef Tony Priolo of Chicago’s Piccolo Sogno.
As the presentation was winding down, Sarah turned the microphone over to Erick Williams, chef/owner of Chicago’s Virtue Restaurant & Bar, Daisy’s Po’Boy and Tavern, and Mustard Seed Kitchen. Erick, who in June received the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Great Lakes, kicked off an unplanned live auction by offering a private dinner for the highest bidder and friends. As other chefs signed on to the plan, it evolved into two dinners won by the two highest bidders.
And then, Zack Steen of Frontera Grill put up for auction a private dinner in Chef/Owner Rick Bayless’ lush home garden. While the total proceeds from the event are still being calculated, the impromptu auction alone brought in more than $20,000 for the Tigray cause.
On a personal note, I became a full-time Good Food advocate after I moved to Chicago in 2011, giving up my past career as a political journalist, because I wanted to work with folks at the grass-roots community level to affect positive change. To help people. To fix things.
Several of the organizers thanked me for the support I provided by publicizing the event in Local Food Forum. I’m grateful, but thanks back to them many times over for enabling me to be part of it. The inspiration I received at the two Chicago Chefs Cook events this year will make them lifetime memories.
The following are photos of just some of the participating chefs. I have some more photos of chefs and food pix the next couple of days.
And if you weren’t able to attend, click the button below to make a donation.
A closeup of Chef Tigist Reda in front of her Demera Ethiopian Restaurant table.
Tigist also join a group of traditionally garbed dancers who put on a joyous performance and circled the room with a collection plate to raise additional dollars.
A pair of Chicago culinary community giants: Paul Kahan of the One-Off Hospitality Group and Tony Priolo of Piccolo Sogno.
Along with organizing the Chicago Chefs Cook events, Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Cafe is a leader of The Abundance Setting, a Chicago nonprofit started by Chefs Beverly Kim (see photo below) and Johnny Clark to advocate for women and particularly mothers working in the culinary sector. She also was a founding member of the Green City Market Board in 1999 and continues in that capacity today.
Chef Beverly Kim of Chicago’s Wherewithall and Parachute restaurants also is a member of the Green City Market Board.
Brian Jupiter is a Chicago star chef at his Frontier restaurant, focused on whole roasted meats, and Ina Mae, a Cajun restaurant.