Pencil This In: Mercat A La Planxa Hosts A Paella Cook-Off

By Melissa McEwen in Food on Jun 23, 2014 5:30PM

Mercat a la Planxa's Paella Valenciana (Anthony Tahlier Photography)

Seven Chicago chefs are facing off in a paella cooking competition tonight at Mercat a la Planxa (638 S. Michigan Ave.). Paella is a classic pan-cooked rice dish from the Valencia region of Spain that typically contains meat, beans, green vegetables and spices like saffron. Tickets to the competition are $75 and attendees get to taste each paella and enjoy a sangria bar..

The competing chefs are Zoe Schor from Ada Street, Brian Jupiter of Frontier, Jess DeGuzman of Sunda, Guillermo Tellez of Mercadito, Aaron Thebault of Girl and the Goat, Tom Van Lente of Two and Kevin Hickey of Bottlefork. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Illinois Restaurant Educational Foundation, a charity that awards scholarships to those planning on a restaurant career.

If you have an event for inclusion in "Pencil This In," please contact Tankboy (for A&E-related listings), Melissa McEwen (for tastings, dinners and food and drink-related events) or tips[at]chicagoist[dot]com.