We’re big fans of the Greater Chicago Food Depository and all they do to help fight hunger. So I was delighted to hear the results of the 14th annual Girl Food Dinner, held this past Sunday night at West Town Tavern. The sold out event brought in an amazing $19,200 to the organization; 100% of the $150 ticket price paid by 85 lucky attendees went to the Food Depository, as did the proceeds of a raffle held at the event.
The annual event is called the Girl Food Dinner because the meal is prepared exclusively by Chicago women chefs. This year’s menu included Crispy Oyster BLT by Chef Karen Armijo of The Gary Comer Youth Center; Poached Halibut in a Pho Broth with Rice Noodles by Chef Nadia Tilkian of Maijean Restaurant; Pomegranate-Plum Glazed Duck Salad by Chef Jackie Shen of Red Light Restaurant; Crisp Smoked Goat Ravioli with Green Garlic Jus by Chef Stephanie Izard of Girl and the Goat; Braised Waygu Beef Shortrib with Morels, Black Pepper Risotto, Truffle and Pickled Lemon by Chef Susan Goss of West Town Tavern; and Olive Oil Gelato Sundae, Caramelized Almonds, Sea Salt by Chef Jesse Oloroso of Black Dog Gelato.
Also working in the kitchen for the event were graduates of the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s Chicago’s Community Kitchens program—a foodservice training program for unemployed and underemployed adults. Fighting poverty is a key challenge in the fight against hunger; this program helps participants develop practical work skills and find employment.
Chef Susan Goss and her husband Drew, owners of West Town Tavern and hosts of the event, have raised and donated more than $150,000 to groups fighting hunger over the past 13 years. West Town Tavern is at 1329 West Chicago Avenue. To find out how you can help fight hunger in Chicago, visit the Greater Chicago Food Depository website.
wonderful idea! good end result as well.
Isn’t it, Judy? There is some wonderful momentum building on many fronts with food these days—fighting hunger, improving nutrition, being more conscious about what we eat and where it comes from… It’s nice to be able to report on positive things like this event.
I absolutely agree. Have you seen the cookbook Edible? Along with wonderful recipes, the first half of the book tells stories of farms and farm families. It is lovely and quite a surprise as I thought I was getting a cook from your garden book.
I hadn’t heard of the book, Judy, but I just checked it out on Amazon. Looks like a great cookbook that helps tell the local food story well.