Lite Bites: What Your Favorite Chefs & Mixologists Are Up To Around Town This Week

Michael Carlson photo via the Chicago Tribune

Hot shots on the move . . .

• A number of top-notch toques are getting together to help raise funds for a learning garden for Cesar E. Chávez Multicultural Academic Center on the South Side. The likes of Michael Carlson (Schwa), Andrew Zimmerman (Sepia) and Cary Taylor (The Southern) are whipping up the vittles and Chris Gerber, general manager of The Aviary, is hosting. The event takes place 6-9pm Jan. 28 at Cesar school (4747 S. Marshfield Ave.). Suggested donation is $75 and may be purchased by emailing Aaron McKay. Your ticket includes non-alcoholic beverages from Rare Tea Cellar, Peace Tree Brewery and European Imports.

• Get ready to squeal. The entire chef lineup for Baconfest has been revealed.

• Here's iNG/Moto chef Homaro Cantu on Good Morning America plugging his miracle berry diet.

• This is exciting news for the home cook. According to Time Out Chicago, you can now take home sauces created by the chefs of Girl & the Goat, Big Star and Pecking Order.

• The Gage Executive Chef Dirk Flanigan has resigned to work on his own project.


Husband and wife chef duo Beverly Kim and John Clark.

• For Lula's first Collaborative Monday Night Farm Dinner, former Top Chef competitor Beverly Kim (aria, Charlie Trotter's) and her husband, John Clark, cook with another husband/wife duo, Evan and Sara Rich of rising San Francisco restaurant, Rich Table. It goes down on Jan. 21 for $45 per person (wine pairings extra $25), with highlights being roast chicken with rutabaga and bacon and a Kaffir lime shortcake with frozen yogurt, white grapefruit, coriander and cocoa.

• Eater Chicago informs us that Michael Kornick is bringing DMK BBQ to Taylor Street in the spring.

• Former Nightwood chef Enoch Simpson is set to open shop in Roscoe Village with endgrain in mid-February. Top priority on the menu are the drool-worthy bacon butterscotch doughnuts he made famous at the Pilsen eatery. Add to that list the fried chicken biscuit sandwich and beef short rib pot pie.

• David Burke's Rick Gresh demonstrates salt block cooking at The Chopping Block in Merchandise Mart. It happens 6-8:30pm Jan. 29 and is $60 per person. You can sign up here for a reservation.

• Bristol's Chris Pandel brings back Saturday brunch. GrubStreet has the menu. Sign me up ASAP for the smoked ham Benedict with mustard Hollandaise and potatoes or braised pork chilaquiles.