Sunday: No Matter What Fundraising Dinner
Plus Chicago Chefs Cook restaurant lineup and Green City's official opening date
Help This Non-Profit and Eat Well on Sunday
Apologies for the late notice, but there is a great event Sunday night to support No Matter What, a non-profit based in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood focused on providing underprivileged public school students with culinary and urban farming skills.
The organization’s 2nd Annual Culinary Futures Fundraiser will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Zhou B. Art Center, 1029 W. 35th St. in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood. The evening will feature delicious bites prepared and served by Chicago Public School (CPS) students, an open bar, live music, and a silent auction – all to support the youth of Chicago’s community.
No Matter What is led by founder Kenneth Griffin, a former professional chef turned CPS Chef Instructor turned Cook County Deputy Sheriff turned Chicago police officer, a role in which he has served since 2018. He created the non-profit in 2015 to to help young participants “reach their highest potential No Matter What obstacles they face.”
Click the button below to buy tickets for this great event or to make a donation if you can’t attend, then read all the details provided by No Matter What.
_______________
CHICAGO, IL – Dine for a cause at the 2nd Annual Culinary Futures Fundraiser benefiting No Matter What on Sunday, March 5th, 2023 from 6:30pm – 9:30pm. Hosted at Zhou B. Art Center in Bridgeport, the evening will feature delicious bites prepared and served by Chicago Public School (CPS) students, an open bar, live music, and a silent auction – all to support the youth of Chicago’s community.
No Matter What is a not-for-profit organization founded by Kenneth Griffin dedicated to the youth of Chicagoland. The organization creates programs to support CPS students in their career endeavors within the restaurant and hospitality industry through mentorship, career readiness training, and mental health healing to help the students reach their highest potential. The annual Culinary Futures event raises crucial funds to support these programs.
Attendees can expect heavy appetizers of sweet and savory varieties as well as an open bar with an assortment of wine, craft beer, and spirits. Food for the evening will be mostly prepared and catered by High School Culinary Arts Programs. More than 100 CPS students will be participating in the evening’s preparations from schools including Charles A. Prosser Career Academy, Neal F. Simeon Career Academy, Roberto Clemente Community Academy, and others.
A few dishes from past years include Chicken Liver Mousse on Crostini with Pickled Mustard Seed and Parsley, Mini Puff Pastry Tarts with Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms, & Goat Cheese, Pork and Spinach Hand Pies with Tzatziki Sauce, Prime Ribeye Steak with Duck Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Cognac Sauce, Southern Five Spice Pork Belly with Crispy Rice, Strawberry Crunch Cake Petit Fours, Thai Curry Scallops, and Vanilla & Raspberry Petit Fours. Supporting food and drink services will be provided by friends of No Matter What.
Enjoy a live performance from two-time GRAMMY nominee John Primer, the former bandleader and guitarist for Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, and Magic Slim & The Teardrops. A silent auction will be held online with prizes including restaurant gift cards, tickets to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a MARCATO Atlas 150 pasta machine, a gift basket from Tito’s Vodka, a Cancun vacation, and more!
250 guests are expected to attend this year’s fundraiser at Zhou B. Art Center. In 2022, the premier Culinary Futures event raised over $47k for No Matter What. Money raised during the fundraiser is crucial for programs the organization leads like the D.T. Memorial Garden built and opened to the public in 2022 which has become a tool for students to learn about cultivating the land and growing their own food.
Programs that this year’s fundraiser will directly impact include summer camp scholarships for CPS students as well as an upcoming trip to Ireland. No Matter What will choose 10-20 students to participate in a week-long international adventure to immerse them in a different culture with visits to museums, shows, historical sites, and more. Students will shop in local markets and prepare many of their own meals to get a taste of what it’s like to live in another part of the world.
Tickets for the Culinary Futures Fundraising Event are $125. Those looking to make a larger, direct impact are welcome to donate to the 2023 Culinary Futures Scholarship Fund. Donations begin at $1,000 and are put towards the No Matter What scholarship program awarded to four CPS students attending college/university to study culinary arts, hospitality management, and baking & pastry majors.
Zhou B. Art Center is located at 1029 West 35th Street. For more information and to purchase tickets or a sponsorship, please visit https://nmwchicago.org/culinary-futures-2023.
Chicago Chefs Cook Event Looks Over-the-Top Delicious
Local Food Forum has previously shared information about the Chicago Chefs Cook for Earthquake Relief fundraising event that will take place on Monday, March 20, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Avli on the Park restaurant in downtown Chicago. Now check out the graphic above for the lineup of restaurants generously sharing their culinary talents for the event.
It’s kind of mind-blowing, featuring many of our region’s A-list restaurants and chefs. The foremost importance of the event is to raise much-needed funds for Chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen as it provides millions of meals to people displaced by catastrophic earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. But it is also certain to be remembered as one of the foremost food sampling events in Chicago this year.
Click below to buy tickets for the fundraiser. Capacity is not unlimited, so don’t miss out.
Green City Market Sets April 1 Outdoor Opening
Green City Market — our region’s highest-profile farmers market operation — has officially set April 1 as the opening day of its 2023 outdoor season in its Lincoln Park flagship location.
This is the second consecutive year in which Green City is kicking off the outdoor season with a very early opening. As you can see in the photo above from opening day on April 2, 2022, the trees were still bare and outerwear was highly recommended, but we can keep our fingers crossed for more spring-like temperatures this time around.
In any case, it will be the start of something big for Green City and the hundreds of other regional farmers markets that will open later in the spring.
Northern Illinois Young Farmers Coalition Town Hall
Local Food Forum has reported that Northern Illinois Young Farmers Coalition is seeking applicants for leadership and committee positions. If you are interested but what to learn more, tune into the organization’s Town Hall Election Info Session online on Thursday (March 9) from 7:00-8:00 p.m. central.
Click the buttons below to register for the Town Hall and to learn more about and apply for the open positions.