Last Minute Plans: Corks & Crayons
By Julia Weeman in Food on Aug 23, 2014 7:00PM
This Sunday, August 24, bring the whole family to Corks & Crayons, an annual chefs' tasting and sustainability-focused, all-ages celebration to benefit Purple Asparagus' nutrition education programming.
The event will take place at Greenhouse Loft and will featuring tastings from some of Chicago's top chefs. Kids can enjoy a mini farmer's market, a photobooth, and an art experience from A Muse. There will also be an opportunity to tour the LEED Certified Green Exchange, a silent auction, raffle prizes, specialty cocktails from Templeton Rye, wine from Candid Wines, and local beer from Ale Syndicate.
Participating restaurants include Big Jones, Honey Butter Fried Chicken, Farmhouse, Uncommon Ground, White Oak Gourmet, Max's Wine Dive, Saranello's, Le Pain Quotidien, Crew Bar + Grill, All Natural Chicago, Floriole, and Katherine Anne Confections. The event will be hosted by The Centered Chef, Ryan Hutmacher, CEO & Co-Founder of Centered Chef Culinary Studio. He is renowned for his focus on what he describes as "clean, simple, and sexy cuisine."
The silent auction is online, and features everything from dining and drinking gift certificates to yoga and fitness packages to kid-friendly activities. Early online bidding closed this morning. The highest bids will be transferred to the bid sheets at the event where the bidding will continue. Winning bidders will be notified the week after the event via email. All proceeds will benefit Purple Asparagus.
Purple Asparagus educates kids, families, and the community at large about how to choose foods that benefit both the body and the planet. They do so by bringing hands-on activities to schools, community organizations and farmers' markets in the Chicagoland area to teach sustainable, healthy eating. Their focus is on fighting childhood obesity and teaching kids that healthy eating can be both fun and delicious. Their flagship program, Delicious Nutritious Adventures, won them the 2012 International Association of Culinary Professionals Culinary Youth Advocate Award, and has helped thousands of school children in Chicago learn better eating habits.
Corks & Crayons takes places this Sunday, August 24 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Greenhouse Loft, located at 2545 W. Diversey Ave. in the Green Exchange on the 2nd floor. Tickets are $75 for adults 19 and over, $15 for children ages 5-18, and free for children under 5. They can be purchased here.