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Green City Market BBQ Gathers the Entire Chicago Food World to Sweat Together

By Anthony Todd in Food on Jul 22, 2011 3:00PM

When I arrived at the Green City Market BBQ at 4:30 yesterday afternoon, the thermometer had already topped 100 degrees. My shirt soaked through in the first 10 minutes - and my plight was nothing compared to that of the chefs, standing over hot grills. But, that's not what guests to the BBQ will remember. They'll remember the entire Chicago food world, including every restaurant you've ever heard of, standing out there cooking and sweating together, to support an organization we all love.

That's not to say that some food options immediately became more ... appropriate than others. Primehouse created "liquorsicles," alcoholic freezer pops that kept me going for the first hour - between drinking it's boozy sweetness and pressing it to my neck like a heat-stricken southern belle. Mindy Segal's ice cream selections at the Hot Chocolate stand gathered a huge crowd - but for that sweet corn ice cream goodness, what's a little wait? Every Goose Island special edition beer was hiding somewhere on the grounds, and finding them all was like a scavenger hunt. Each stand only served two. Could we collect them all? Our favorite was the Paul Virant-created PVK, as its hints of tropical fruit seemed most appropriate to the weather.

Enjoy the pictures, and wish them luck for next year. Most of all, brave the heat and go to the market tomorrow!