Taste of the Nation Kickoff Party at Studio Paris

Consider it the first choice morsel before feasting on the full entrée. Taste of the Nation Chicago is throwing a kickoff party next Wednesday, June 27 and you’re invited. Yes, you.

Studio Paris 

Mix and mingle with fellow No Kid Hungry supporters on the stunning Studio Paris rooftop, just above the Paris Club. There will be a bevy of signature Paris Club dishes to taste, as well as fancy cocktails to drink. Chicago’s own DJ Kwest_on will provide the ambience, spinning grooves under the setting sun. And if it rains, never fear – Studio Paris features a retractable roof. 

So what else is in it for you, besides a great night out? Well a lucky few will receive door prizes upon entry, including the chance to win FREE Advocate tickets to the Taste of the Nation Chicago gala event on August 8^th. Advocate tickets include early entrance to the party and VIP lounge access, among other things. And if you’ve already purchased an Advocate ticket you can win a FREE upgrade to our Benefactor ticket level, earning yourself complimentary valet parking on August 8^th, access to the VIP lounges and reserved seating in the Lakeside Luxe Lounge. Voila! 

More important than enjoying the view on Wednesday night is that you’ll also have the chance to be part of a truly memorable campaign towards combating childhood hunger. Perhaps you’ve already seen the photos of well-known Chicago chefs posing with their No Kid Hungry pledges, and now you have the opportunity to join them. Take the pledge while you’re there, and we’ll take your picture. Every new signature gets us just a little bit closer to reaching our goal of ending childhood hunger in this country by 2015.

Purchase your ticket to the event here.  We hope to see you at Studio Paris on Wednesday, mes amies!

Event Details:

Taste of the Nation – Chicago Pre-Event Kickoff Party June 27 at Studio Paris, 6:00 pm-8:00 pm

Ticket price is $25.00 with all proceeds going towards Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation Chicago

Mindy Segal in the Month of May

May has brought more than flowers and sunny days to the Taste of the Nation crew. Tickets for the August 8th Taste of the Nation Chicago are selling like crazy, and the various ticket packages feature a slew of new and unique experiences. We've secured 25 mixologists to sling back cocktails all night, and will have 50 elite chefs on hand to prepare their signature dishes.

But perhaps the biggest excitement this month was the news that Mindy Segal - TOTN Culinary Council Member and Hot Chocolate chef extraordinaire - was named outstanding pastry chef at the James Beard Awards in New York.

Chef Mindy Segal

We've sung Segal's praises before, for her prowess in the kitchen and her commitment to Share Our Strength, but seeing her win the award after being nominated six times is quite thrilling. Her accomplishment is the perfect opportunity to spotlight just one of the incredibly talented individuals whose efforts support Share Our Strength's mission to end childhood hunger by 2015.

After finishing her studies at Kendall College, Segal earned cred on the Chicago culinary scene by cutting her teeth at notable restaurants like Ambria, Spago, Charlie Trotter's and mk. She gained a reputation for creating dishes that put an innovative spin on American-style classics like the cult favorite "Cake-n-Shake." But there were bigger things to come. In 2005, Segal opened the doors to her very own restaurant, Hot Chocolate, in Bucktown. The menu features everything from savory snacks to full entrees and of course highlights her specialty - dessert. Hot Chocolate reflects Segal's trademark creativity (check out the ice cream list) and her commitment to sourcing the finest in-season and locally produced ingredients available. This month, you can find spring rhubarb popping up in house-made jam, risotto pudding and a country buttermilk cupcake. Hungry yet?

We are proud to have Mindy Segal on board with Share Our Strength, and beyond excited to feature her creations at the Taste of the Nation event this August. Her involvement signifies what our event is all about - bringing together great chefs to do great things. Congratulations, Mindy!

Get Local and Get Giving, All Year Long

While we're all looking forward to chowing down for charity at the Taste of the Nation event this August, there's plenty you can do to help combat childhood hunger in Chicago year round. We're still learning more about what's out there, but here are two local non-profits that are providing some pretty amazing food services to their communities.

Eden Place Nature Center

Photo by Katherine Millett for Chicago Wilderness Magazine

Some argue that food tastes better when you work for it, and Eden Place Nature Center aims to prove that theory. Located in Chicago's Fuller Park neighborhood, the center is a lush nature preserve nestled amongst gritty concrete and freight train tracks. Through partnerships with local schools, Eden Place offers Fuller Park children the chance to experience nature firsthand, teaching them to compost dirt, tend to farm animals, and sow sees for planting. The organization has exposed over 20,000 children to urban agriculture and the importance of getting nutritious food to eat. The children's farming efforts haven't gone to waste, either - Eden Place sells homegrown produce and eggs at a Saturday Farmer's Market throughout the year.

How to get involved: Volunteer to work with Eden Place's plants and animals, or help out with one of their events. You can also donate to Eden Place directly, helping to sponsor projects such as a permanent building for student groups and the ongoing MonarchLive project.

First Slice

First Slice Pie Cafe

While Eden Place promotes a back to nature approach, First Slice shows that nutritious can also mean delicious. The Ravenswood not-for-profit was founded by Chicago chef Mary Ellen Diaz and its mission is to provide high quality meals to families in need. To do that, Diaz enlists the help of a robust Chicago population: resident foodies. Buy some pie at the pie cafe, hire First Slice's community supported kitchen to cater your next event, or subscribe to receive three chef-prepared meals a week - each tasty option fuels First Slice's community outreach efforts. The organization provides meals to the Howard Area Alternative High School, Broadway Youth Center, The Center on Halsted and more. Each meal prepared by First Slice comes with fresh vegetables, fruit, and organic meat. And their pies - which I can attest to from recent firsthand experience - are a true slice of heaven, with options ranging from traditional apple to the more adventurous tabasco cream.

How to get involved: If you'd like to go further than just buying their food, First Slice also offers ample opportunities to volunteer. Contact them directly for information on serving local meals or helping to prepare food for the kitchen and the Soul Food Pantry Bus. They also accept donations.

No Kid Hungry Chicago Chef Campaign

Stephanie in the alley behind Girl & the Goat.

Several weeks ago members of the state legislature gathered at a Chicago elementary school with local media, joined by representatives of the Greater Chicago Food Depository, students, parents, and staff from Share Our Strength and Taste of the Nation Chicago. The gathering marked the launch of No Kid Hungry Illinois, a statewide collaborative effort supported by government, schools, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository, and anchored by Share Our Strength. No Kid Hungry, a national program developed to help eliminate childhood hunger by 2015 on a state-by-state level, has the potential to do a heck of a lot of good for hungry children in Illinois—and we're taking this very seriously at Taste of the Nation.

You've seen us post a lot to twitter and Facebook about the "No Kid Hungry Pledge," but maybe you haven't quite understood exactly what that means. It's pretty simple: if you think no child should ever skip a meal or go hungry, you're going to want to take this pledge. Here's what you agree to:

I believe that no child in America should go hungry. By pledging today, I add my voice to the national movement of people committed to ending childhood hunger in America by 2015.

And here's more about No Kid Hungry:

Yes. That's Jeff Bridges, The Dude, working as a spokesperson for this very cause. Pretty effective, right? And that's the very reason we've teamed up with Galdones Photography for our own No Kid Hungry campaign.

Over the next couple of weeks we'll be visiting Chicago kitchens to photograph chefs who have been advocates and supporters for Share Our Strength and Taste of the Nation Chicago. We started with chefs Jared Van Camp (Nellcôte, Old Town Social) and Stephanie Izard (Girl & the Goat), shooting the two of them in the alley behind Stephanie's restaurant. And just like Jeff Bridges, they're encouraging you to take the pledge.

Blake films as Huge shoots Jared.

You'll see these photographs on display at Taste of the Nation this August, and we're internally discussing other means in which they might be used to help drive awareness for this cause. But one of the biggest ways you can help? Take the pledge and share it with friends. So far over 150,000 people have taken the pledge—a great number, but we should be able to get that many people on board just in Chicago alone.

Taste of the Nation Kicks Off With Food Network Documentary "Hunger Hits Home"

The Taste of the Nation Chicago team is back, and more ready than ever to take on Share Our Strength’s goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015. A big part of that – in addition to planning our annual gala benefit – is working to educate the public on the realities of childhood hunger here in the United States.

Our message got across in a major way last week when The Food Network aired a documentary co-produced with Share Our Strength called "Hunger Hits Home." Narrated by Hollywood actor Jeff Bridges, the film profiles three American families who have unexpectedly found themselves struggling to put food on the table.

Their stories are startling. "I've gone about three days without eating," says one bespectacled boy from Norfolk, Virginia. "I've been able to do that," he says, adding, "sometimes." The children featured here all come from hard-working, loving homes and the desperation their parents feel at not being able to provide for them is palpable.

Sadly, they’re not alone. Childhood hunger affects as many as 16 million children in this country – that’s 1 in 5 kids you see on the street. It's become such a growing problem that current Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack has labeled it an issue of national security.

What’s encouraging is seeing how both private citizens and politicians have become energized around this issue. On the local level, food pantries like Minnie’s in Plano, Texas, help make the choice between cooking dinner and going without a little easier for families in the community. Share Our Strength has also successfully partnered with governors in Maryland and Virginia to help make ending hunger a priority in their states.

The message here is simple. Whether it’s donating to your local food pantry, writing your state legislator, or simply taking the pledge to end childhood hunger, this is a goal we can all get behind.

We hope to do our part here in Chicago. Join us, and buy your ticket to the 2012 Taste of the Nation event today.

The Taste of the Nation Team Serves Up Meals at "A Just Harvest" on Father's Day

A few of our Taste of the Nation Chicago committee members joined the community kitchen, "A Just Harvest" on Father's Day to help dish out dinners for those in need. Located in Roger's Park, "A Just Harvest" serves meals 365 days a year with the help of local partners, volunteers and community donations, making it the largest stand-alone soup kitchen in the Chicago area.


The TOTN Chicago crew helped prepare the food, set up the dining room, stuff gift bags--since it was a holiday after all!--and serve the over 100 diners that arrived to the restaurant-style community kitchen. Families, seniors, and those who just might need a little extra help, are welcomed daily by caring staff and volunteers to sit and enjoy a hot meal. And from the looks of it, AJH has been busy. They served over 54,000 meals in 2010!

Share Our Strength's mission to end childhood hunger synced perfectly with the mission of "A Just Harvest"- to provide hot, nutritious meals to individuals and families, no questions asked. A special thanks is also in order for "A Just Harvest's" Executive Director, Rev. Marilyn Pagán-Banks, who stopped by to give us a general overview of what they are working on this year and who they are serving at the kitchen.

This was my first time volunteering at a soup kitchen, but it will not be my last. I enjoyed getting the chance to interact with the diners (I was the girl with the fruit punch, so I was pretty popular!) and it was a humbling experience for all of us, I'm sure.

For more information on "A Just Harvest" or to get involved, visit www.ajustharvest.org. Hope to see you there soon!

ANNOUNCING: Taste of the Nation Chicago 2011

The Grand Ballroom at night via Navy Pier.

Friends, the day is fast approaching. After last year's incredible party at the Aragon Ballroom, the question kept getting tossed around about what to do about the heat at the Aragon? Jokingly, we said, well why not move the event to Navy Pier. In our dreams, right? Never in a million years...

Or not. Two months from today exactly, guess what famous Chicago landmark we'll be taking over. Yup. That very same pier.

We've waited with bated breath to break the news, and today is finally the day we're spilling the beans. We're talking Navy Pier, in the Grand Ballroom, with more space than we could ever hope for, including an outdoor terrace that overlooks the water. Somehow, we're thinking air conditioning won't be so much of a problem this year... and if the weather cooperates, the outdoor terrace will be prime location to watch the Navy Pier fireworks. Just saying.

And back this year are favorites from year's past, including Stephanie Izard (Girl and the Goat), Tony Mantuano (Spiaggia, Terzo Piano), Paul Virant (Via, Perennial Virant), Mindy Segal (HotChocolate), Dale Levitski (Sprout), David Posey (Blackbird), Chris Pandel (The Bristol), Giuseppe Tentori (Boka, GT Fish and Oyster), Shawn McClain (Green Zebra), Jason Hammel (Lula, Nightwood), Michael Kornick (DMK, MK), Mark Steuer (The Bedford), Paul Fehribach (Big Jones), and Jared Van Camp (Old Town Social).

Yup, we have it all to ourselves via Art Hill.

Not to mention desserts from Jessie Oloroso (Black Dog Gelato), Paula Haney (Hoosier Mama Pie Co.),  and restaurant pastry chefs like Kady Yon (Boka, GT Fish and Oyster, Perennial Virant), Amanda Rockman (The Bristol), and Ben Roche (Moto) and more.

Tickets this year are $95 for presale General Admission, and $150 for VIP—but VIP sales have gone so well that today is the very last day to buy them. No joke, after today, individual VIP tickets will no longer be available. Get on the phone with your wife, husband, sister, or whoever and get that planning moving if you want to jump in on the VIP action, because you'll be kicking yourself later on if you miss out—and buy them here.

What to expect via Laura Meyer.

We'll have loads more of news to report back on soon, including the return of the chef ride-a-longs with Matt Maroni of Gaztro-Wagon—which means ticket give aways, a kick off party at La Colombe's yet-to-open West Loop cafe, big news about the event itself, and a couple other tricks we have up our sleeves leading up to the event itself. Be sure you're following us on twitter and Facebook, and check the blog regularly for updates from myself and Elizabeth Hamel of the Sun-Times, new this year to the Taste of the Nation committee!

Navy Pier, guys. I mean, come on. Not sure it gets much better than that...