Twenty-One New Restaurants Featured at Green City Market's 15th Annual Chef BBQ Benefit July 16

    CHICAGO, IL, June 30, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Twenty-one new restaurants will join Green City Market's 15th annual Chef BBQ Benefit 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday, July 16 in Lincoln Park. The BBQ will showcase the who's who of Chicago's culinary scene, including this year's new comers: Acanto, Arbor, Bar Takikto, Bohemian House, Bottlefork, Fork, Formento's, Frontier, HaiSous, Japonais by Mormioto, Lillie's Q, Maddy's Dumpling House, River Roast, Salero, Seven Lions, Taus Authentic Food, The Duck Inn, The Gage, The Kitchen, The Nomad Food Company and Villains Chicago. The list of new restaurants continues to grow, so be sure check the Green City Market website often to see what restaurants have been added.

All dishes served at the BBQ feature items offered from the bounty of the market with over 100 chefs and restaurants creating culinary magic. In addition to food, more than 30 of the Midwest's best brewers, distilleries, wineries, and mixologists will feature locally made craft beer, wine, hand-crafted cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages.

For the 5th consecutive year, the Green City Market BBQ lead sponsor is Wirtz Beverage Group. Their featured brands this year are:
Craft Beer/Cider: BuckleDown Brewery, Une Annee, 4 Hands Brewing, and Citizen Cider
Craft Spirits: Death's Door Spirits, Suerte Tequila, Templeton Rye Whiskey
For additional information, visit the Wirtz Beverage website at http://www.wirtzbev.com/drinks@chefbbq.

Advance tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets and at the Green City Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Check the Green City Market website at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1382133 General admission tickets are $125; individual VIP tickets are $250.

For the first time this year, VIP tickets may be purchased in various quantities, making it easy for companies and families to enjoy the special treatment in groups of whatever table configuration they want. VIP experience will feature elegant decor, with optional seating styles for tables of 2, 4, 6 or more. Large corporate cabanas seat 16 for $10,000 and include a dedicated server for food and beverage service. Logo recognition is available at the gold level as well as placement on cabana, step & repeat, and program. Private lounge grouping seats 10 guests for $5,000, including a small cabana, a dedicated server for food and beverage service and logo recognition at the silver level in program and on cabana. VIP ticket holders are treated to a special early VIP reception from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Guests are encouraged to purchase tickets early, as this event has sold out in past years.

"The Chef BBQ is one of the most anticipated events of the summer and a great time to celebrate all of the amazing food and talent this city has to offer," said Sarah Stegner, co-president of the Green City Market board and chef/partner of Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook. "The Chef BBQ is very important to the operations of the market. It raises much needed money to support our operations. The market is funded by such donations and grants. We are thankful that it has grown to be one of Chicago's most popular summer events. Our guests get to experience what truly 'local farm to table' is while helping to make it all possible."

"The Green City Market BBQ is one of the best events of the summer and a great time for all involved. The market is like a seasonal candy store for chefs, so it's awesome to be able to support our farm community," said Tony Quartaro, chef and co-owner of Formento's and Nonna's.

See below for a full list of Chicago's top restaurants and breweries that will have a presence at the BBQ:

Restaurants
312Chicago
676 Restaurant and Bar
Acanto
Arbor
Armour & Swift
Atwood
Bar Tarkito
BellyQ / Urban Belly
Big Jones
Bistronomic
Bohemian House
Boka
Boltwood
Bottlefork and The Duck Inn
Cafe des Architectes
Ceres' Table
Chilam Balam / Shaman by Chilam Balam
CH Distillery
Cochon Volant
Cookies & Carnitas
Dirk's Fish & Gourmet Shop
Eli's Cheesecake
Embeya
Farmhouse Chicago
Fat Rice
Feast, Neighborhood Eats and Drinks
Fork
Formento's & Nonna's
Found Kitchen
Frontera Grill / Topolobampo / XOCO
Frontier
Gather
Girl & the Goat
The Glunz Tavern
Goose Island Brewery
GT Fish & Oyster and GT Prime
HaiSous
Haymarket Pub & Brewery
Highflier Provisions
Homestead
Honey Butter Fried Chicken / Sunday Dinner Club
Japonais by Morimoto
Knife & Tine
La Sirena Clandestina
Lillie's Q
Limelight
Lockwood Restaurant & Bar at the Palmer House Hilton
Maddy's Dumpling House
Madison & Rayne
Maple & Ash
MK & DMK
Momotaro
Nico Osteria
NAHA
North Pond Cafe
Old Town Social
Osteria Via Stato
Park Grill at Millennium Park
Perennial Virant
Piece
Pierrot Gourmet at The Peninsula Chicago
Prairie Grass Cafe
Quince at the Homestead
Red Door
Revel
River Roast
Salero
Seedling
Sepia
Seven Lions
Shaw's Crab House
Smoque BBQ
Sola Restaurant
Southport & Irving
Table, Donkey and Stick
Taus Authentic Food & Drink
Terrace @ Conrad Chicago
Terzo Piano at the Art Institute of Chicago
Tesori Trattoria and Bar
Tete
The Betty
The Bristol
The Chopping Block
The Dawson
The Gage
The Kitchen
The Nomad Food Company
The Publican
The Radler
The Ritz Carlton Chicago
The River Valley Farmer's Table
The Signature Room at the 95th
Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Trenchermen
Uncommon Ground
Vie Restaurant
Villains Chicago
White Oak
Wood


Beverages
Bell's Brewery
Blaum Bros. Distilling Co.
Candid Wines
CH Distillery
Columbia Street Roastery
Dablon Vineyards & Winery
Forbidden Root
Fresh Coast/Wine
Goose Island Brewery
Greenstar Brewing
Grand River Spirits
Half Acre Beer Company
Hickory Creek
Illinois Sparkling Co.
Intelligentsia Coffee/Kilogram Tea
Koval Distillery
Lakeshore Beverage
Lehmans Orchard
Lush Wine & Spirits
Metropolitan Brewing, LLC
Midwest Wine Selections
Moody Tongue Brewing Company
New Holland Brewing and Artisan Spirits
North Shore Distillery
Off Color Brewing
Oppidan Spirits
Quincy Street Distillery
Seasons Soda
Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Two Brothers Brewing Company
Vitani
Wirtz Beverage Group


Grilled Sweet Corn with Calabrian Chile Jam
by Tony Quartaro, Formento's and Nonna's

Ingredients:
2/3C Calabrian Chiles, pureed into a paste
1Qt Honey
2C Lemon Juice
1C Water
1T Pectin
1T Sugar
1.5T Salt

For serving immediately:
Use fresh, in season corn, bi-color or yellow.
Remove the husks and use a dry towel to remove excess corn silk.
Cut the corn into 2" round segments.
Blanch in salted water for 1 minute, do not shock.
Strain water, and transfer corn to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and allow to cool.
Prepare a charcoal grill, allowing coals to ignite, then burn off.
We want to grill these over hot glowing coals with little to no flame.
Lightly oil the corn segments in a mixing bowl, toss with kosher salt to taste.
Place on grill, allowing to blister and char the corn.
Take directly from the grill and toss in a mixing bowl with Calabrian Chile Jam.
Serve with grated ricotta salata, torn basil and mint.

For storing:
Place a small plate in a freezer. Combine chile paste, lemon juice, honey and water in a stainless steel saucepan.
Bring up to a simmer and reduce by 1/5 of the original volume.
In a separate container, mix together pectin and sugar. Using a whisk, slowly distribute pectin into the chile and honey mixture, whisking aggressively.
Turn heat up to high, and allowing to boil and thicken rapidly.
The chile jam should reduce by another 1/5.
Turn the heat off, and test a small spoonful of the jam on your very cold plate.
If the jam sticks to the plate and does not run, it has reached a proper setting point. If it is still runny, you may have to reduce it a bit further and test it again. Cool the jam in individual mason jars or plastic deli containers for future use.

About Green City Market
Green City Market is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization celebrating its 17th anniversary. The mission of Green City Market is to provide a marketplace for purchasing sustainably grown food and to educate, promote and connect farmers and local producers directly to chefs, restaurateurs, and the greater Chicago community. Green City Market values education about quality food and its source. Green City Market values farmers who take care of the land; the preservation of sustainably farmed land; a vibrant thriving community of local farms; and consumption of locally grown foods.

Green City Market's incredible momentum comes from its broad base of support including conscientious and caring farmers and producers, consumers, chefs, restaurateurs, and other culinary professionals. It also reflects Chicagoans' increasing concern for a more sustainable food system by improving the quality of food on the table, produced by local farmers using organic and sustainable practices that preserve the environment for future generations. GCM's support of these local artisan farmers and producers increases the density of fresh, high-quality, locally produced food in Chicago, and provides the basis for a regional cuisine.

Green City Market has been a destination for locals and visitors to Chicago since its inception in 1998. It has consistently been named in the top 10 of the nation's best farmers markets by national publications such as USA Today, Bon Appetit, Travel & Leisure, Forbes, Shape, CNN, Huffington Post and US News, among others.

Visit greencitymarket.org for more information

About Wirtz Beverage Illinois
Wirtz Beverage Illinois is a statewide leader in the distribution of fine wine, spirits and beer brands. The company combines its time-honored tradition of execution excellence with a reputation for best-in-class service and brand building throughout Illinois. The company is a member of Wirtz Beverage Group, a leading wholesaler and broker with interests in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada and throughout Canada. To learn more, visit www.WirtzBev.com or engage with us on Facebook or Twitter.

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