TWEET to TASTE

At Taste of the Nation Chicago we love all things food. We also appreciate a good artistic eye. That’s why we’re running a new contest that combines both – deliciously decadent fare captured using your favorite vintage photo filter. That’s right – we WANT you to take pictures of your food.

Starting TODAY, Friday, July 27, through Tuesday, August 7 visit any participating Taste of the Nation Chicago restaurant (peep the list here) and snap a pic that includes the name of the establishment, or the chef, and tweet it to us at @TasteNationChi using the hashtag #NKHchi.  We’ll select the 5 most deliciously inspired images and those lucky people will receive a FREE pair of tickets to the event on August 8^th. All winners will be notified on the morning of August 8th.

Here’s a sample from Taste of the Nation Chicago communications chair Johnny Auer:

Mmm...donuts from Julius Meinl

So put all those Instagram likes to good use and help us spread the word about ending childhood hunger. You might just win yourself a spot to the hottest party in town, too.

Rock Out For Childhood Hunger

You (and any other interested party) can bid on a 3-day pass to the hottest music festival in town. And all the proceeds will go straight to Taste of the Nation Chicago, benefiting great organizations like the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Cooking Matters and the Illinois Hunger Coalition. Starting bid's a great deal at $200, and the auction only lasts til Friday night at 5p. You have a little more than two days. Ready. Set. BID!

Be a Benefactor

You might have noticed we've got some new ticket pricing levels this year. The most exclusive of the bunch is the Benefactor. In our intimate Benefactor Lounge, we invite you to experience one-of-a-kind tastings of vintage scotch courtesy of Macallan Scotch; spa treatments by Element Wellness; and a coveted preview tasting from the much-anticipated City Winery.

If that's not enough to entice you, we've got something pretty, well, SUPER. Entrance to the Benefactor Lounge also includes the chance to win the aptly named "Super Package." What makes it so super?

• Dinners for two at acclaimed Lettuce Entertain You restaurants Tru, L2O and Everest - with wine pairings.

• A full year of concierge services, including coordination of the aforementioned dinner reservations, provided by Toque & Bottle Advisory.

• City Winery invites you and nine of your favorite oenophiles for a wine tasting/pairing experience you won't forget.

• Flight Deck Chicago will take you on a three-restaurant food "flight" for four people.

As if you needed any more reason to support Taste of the Nation Chicago, now you've got a super one. Tickets are limited to 100 guests and will NOT be sold at the door. Don't miss out. Buy yours today.

TWO WEEKS AWAY!

Time flies. Especially summertime. We can hardly believe it ourselves, but our very own Taste of the Nation Chicago 2012 is but a mere two weeks away, and we're just bubbling with excitement over all the great things that will undoubtedly make this year's event the best one yet.

This year's restaurant lineup is pretty top-notch. A lot of the our perennial favorites are back (you know, Frontera Grill, mk The Restaurant, Hot Chocolate and the like). Some new places are also in the mix. Spots like Nellcôte, RPM Italian, Premise, Tavernita, Trenchermen, and Red Door to name a few. As if it's not enough to give you a taste of these hot spots diners all over the city are clamoring for reservations to, we've got access to places so exclusive they're not even open yet. You might've heard of a lil place called bellyQ, a Bill Kim project. Or maybe Carriage House, Mark Steuer's take on low-country cuisine. Oenophiles will love City Winery (only available to Benefactors). Want to see the complete list of restaurants? Go to our main event page at strength.org/chicago to see them all and to buy tickets to what's guaranteed to be the hottest event of the year!

P.S. - There are going to be some pretty fun giveaways happening through our social media. Following us on Twitter and liking us on Facebook might be pretty prudent if you don't already...