Grace Restaurant Hosts A Star-Studded 'Chef Social'

Grace chef Curtis Duffy hanging with EL Ideas chef Phillip Foss. (Photo via GrubStreet Chicago/Huge Galdones Photography)

There was a party Sunday night at Grace.

But this wasn't just any party. it was the Chef Social for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's annual Grand Chefs Gala. The Jean Banchet awards, which honors local culinary stars, are a big part of the black-tie event. The Chef Social is when the industry elite gets together and casts votes in categories such as Chef of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year, Best New Restaurant and Best Mixologist.

To be honest, the Chef Social is typically a bit dry and turnout has been low in the past. That was not the case Sunday as the house was filled with some of the biggest names in the biz, including the likes of Bill Kim (belly Q), Ryan McCaskey (Acadia), Phillip Foss (EL Ideas), Homaro Cantu (Moto), Lynn House (Blackbird), Benjamin Schiller (Boka), Stephanie Izard (Girl and the Goat) and Paul Virant (Perennial Virant).

Grace chef/owner Curtis Duffy, who is on the board for the Grand Chefs Gala, as well as Grace partner Michael Muser (who will emcee the event), were the most gracious hosts.

During the Chef Social, they provided guests with decadent bites of oysters, foie gras and fish jerky. And if you stayed for the after party, held on the restaurant's lower level, there was beer pong, kegs, and a late-night delivery of cheeseburgers from McDonald's.

Peep the action captured by Huge Galdones Photography for GrubStreet Chicago.