Meals On Wheels 2009 Celebrity Chef Ball

If you didn’t make it to the Meals on Wheels 2009 Celebrity Chef Ball Friday night, then too bad so sad. The real celebrities of the evening were the guests; my girlfriends and I felt honored as the best chefs of Chicago’s premier restaurants cooked for a cause while serving us their sexiest dishes and delicious desserts. Celebrity chef hosts included Jimmy Bannos (Heaven on Seven), Stephanie Izard (Drunken Goat) and Tony Priolo (Piccolo Sogno). The annual event, held at Macy’s on State Street, benefits Meals on Wheels “to ensure Chicago’s seniors and disabled population retain a lifestyle of independence and dignity.” DSC00462

While tickets to the Chef’s Table sold out before Friday night, most guests came afterward for four hours of the fabulous Chef Tasting Party. Cocktails, gambling and music ensued on the seventh floor of Macy’s, and I spotted dresses and suits covered in guacamole, pork rib and lobster bisque soup before the night’s end. Favorites dribbling down my dress included the pequeno peppers stuffed with goat cheese from Tizi Melloul, butternut squash ravioli from Socca, sushi from Sunda, and ceviche from Adobo Grill.

Other featured restaurants included Boka, Vermillion, Lockwood at the Palmer House Hilton, Osteria Via Stato, Terragusto and the Gage. If you missed Friday night though, The Local Tourist says you’re in luck: there’s another, smaller ball in Ravenswood tonight, benefiting the Scleroderma Foundation.