These Ultimate Foodie Experiences Are Up For Auction For Frontera's 30th Birthday

By Anthony Todd in Food on Apr 18, 2017 2:55PM

Chef Rick Bayless

It's Frontera's 30th birthday! And, of course, one of the leading lights of the Chicago food scene wouldn't celebrate such a major occasion without a heck of a party. But while Rick Bayless's gala event at the Art Institute looks like a great time, I'm more excited about the bonkers items up for auction.

The entire event is being thrown to benefit the Frontera Farmer Foundation and FamilyFarmed, the organization that puts on the Good Food Festival and does a ton of work to support local food and farmers, a cause close to Bayless's heart. That awesome cause makes the $500 ticket price easier to swallow. But if you can't make it to the party, you can still bid.

What's up for auction? Holy moly it's amazing. Some of the smaller (yes, the smaller) items include things like a private bacon-making class with Rob Levitt of the Butcher & Larder and Grand Cru tickets to Chicago Gourmet. Looking to spend a little more? How about a "Goat Hop"—a three-part traveling dinner from Duck Duck Goat to Girl & the Goat to Little Goat, all in one night.

Then things get a little insane. How about a Frontera pop-up dinner for you and 29 of your closest friends, where Bayless and his staff will come create the perfect dinner party for you? Or, if you are the traveling type, hope on a plane to Mexico with Rick Bayless for a tour. Not in the mood for Mexican? Greg Gunthorp will roast a pig for 100 of your friends, or you can head to Chez Panisse for an impossible-to-get kitchen table experience.

I've seen lots of foodie auctions, but this might be the best yet. Prices are sure to go pretty high, so bookmark the page and get ready for some serious bidding.