Chicago Gourmet: A Can't Miss Culinary Celebration | Serious Eats
"Chicago Gourmet is much more than an all-you-can eat gourmet food fest." [Photographs: Daniel Zemans and Lori Torres] When Sheila O'Grady became the new head of the Illinois Restaurant Association (IRA) in 2007, better days for Chicago's already thriving restaurant scene were inevitable. The year before, the IRA was so weak that it was powerless to stop the Chicago City Council from infamously banning foie gras. But O'Grady, who previously spent over four years as chief of staff to Mayor Richard Daley, brought the organization instant credibility and influence. A year into O'Grady's tenure, the ban was lifted, but she and Mayor Daley had a lot more in mind. Early in her tenure at the IRA, she and the mayor...