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Tag: launches

  • Chicago Gourmet 2024 Launches Ticket Sales and With Chef Pickleball Tournament

    Chicago Gourmet 2024 Launches Ticket Sales and With Chef Pickleball Tournament

    Fancy downtown food fest Chicago Gourmet, the annual fete that gathers together some of the city’s best-known chefs and restaurants, has launched ticket sales for the 2024 event that will run from Saturday, September 21 to Sunday, September 29 at the Harris Theater rooftop in Millennium Park.

    The Grand Cru, arguably the main attraction, will return with two sessions on September 28 to the Harris Rooftop with wine and bites from Chicago chefs. But 2024 won’t be the year for those hoping for a pre-pandemic return when the festival occupied most of Millennium Park. This year, organizers at the Illinois Restaurant Association are weaving together sartorial and culinary art forms with the theme “Fashion, Plated,” and encouraging attendees to come dressed to impress in specific colors and styles for each event. “Fashion and food both tell stories, sharing history, traditions, and cultures of people,” association President Sam Toia writes in a press release.

    Chicago native and Food Network personality chef Jeff Mauro is set to host Chefs Get Pickled, a new kickoff event set for Saturday, September 21, that will include an inaugural Chicago Gourmet Chef Pickleball Tournament featuring bites, drinks, and the chance to watch chef competitors such as Tigist Reda (Demera), Art Smith (Reunion), Sarah Mispagel-Lustbader (Loaf Lounge), and Kevin Hickey (The Duck Inn). On Wednesday, September 25, fellow food media star Mario Rizzotti will host a House of Gourmet Italian Dinner, another first-time event, inside the Chicago History Museum. Organizers promise an “extravagant” multi-course meal from chefs Tony Priolo (Piccolo Sogno), Fabio Viviani (Siena Tavern, Bar Siena), Diego Puddu (Eataly), José Sosa (who recently departed Ummo in River North for Greggory Hearth & Tavern in suburban South Barrington), and Casey Doody (Boka Restaurant Group).

    Despite being bumped from its usual slot at the onset of Chicago Gourmet, Tacos & Tequila will return on Thursday, September 26 on the Harris Theater Rooftop. Attendees are encouraged to don bright colors for the event, hosted by celebrity chef Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill, Topolobampo) and Marcos Carbajal (Carnitas Uruapan), where they’ll find tacos, agave spirits, cocktails, and more from chefs including Diana Dávila (Mi Tocaya Antojería), Carlos Gaytan (Tzuco), and Danny and Jhoana Espinoza (Santa Masa Tamaleria).

    On Friday, Top Chef alums Joe Flamm (Rose Mary) and Adrienne Cheatham will host the popular Hamburger Hop competition on the Harris Theater Rooftop with a “streetwear” dress code, which leaves plenty of room for stylistic interpretation. The Grand Cru, the fest’s luxurious and pricey ($255 per person) VIP-style party featuring exclusive winemakers and prominent chefs, will return with two sessions on Saturday, September 28. Hosted by chef Paul Kahan (The Publican, Avec), the sessions are inspired by the “elegant simplicity of a fashion sketchbook,” thus afternoon attendees are urged to dress for a “blackout party,” and evening visitors can expect a “white party” theme.

    Smaller events will also dot the festival, including a Somm Session on Friday, September 27 at splashy Italian restaurant Adalina. Organizers expect to see crowds at a Rise & Shine Gourmet Brunch on Sunday with friends Art Smith, Lorena Garcia, and Jernard Wells, and a Late Night Gourmet after-party on Saturday, with small bites and cocktails at Tao Chicago.

    Chicago Gourmet tickets are on sale via Eventbrite and all the details are available online.

    Naomi Waxman

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  • A West Town Pasta Maker Launches Lunch Service

    A West Town Pasta Maker Launches Lunch Service

    The pandemic transformed restaurants in several ways including a spike in the popularity in comfort foods like pizza and pasta. The owners of Gemma Foods in West Town are hoping that the charge for carbs will continue. For two years, Gemma has sold fresh pasta to customers who take home their noodles to boil in their own kitchens. But home cooks don’t have to stress. Next week, Gemma is expanding operations by offering a full ready-to-eat lunches — no cooking required.

    Tony Quartaro says Gemma has always been about sharing their passion for pasta in new and different ways. Gemma did tours of duties at Revival Food Hall in the Loop and Time Out Market Chicago in Fulton Market. That helped grow the brand and better showcase Gemma. Quartaro says it’s sometimes a challenge to explain their mission as a pasta maker to passersby on Grand Avenue, across from D’Amato’s Bakery and Bari Foods.

    Gemma Food will now serve hot meals at this counter.
    Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

    Lunch service is a prelude to eventually offering dinner, as Gemma will offer a rotating batch of pasta specials, focaccia, and entree salads like a kale Caesar. Seasonality is essential. Quartaro already has a pair of specials with ramps (carrot gnocchi with ramp, lemon, and mascarpone; plus radiatori alla ramp carbonara).

    Another specialty is the meatballs, which the chef admits he “thinks deeply” about — he’s been perfecting the ratio for years. They’ll also offer a Sunday special — pork neck ragu. Look for other treats like lasagna — a meaty red sauce version and vegetarian options like a mushroom ragu or a light one with layered eggplant. Vodka sauce is another item that Quartaro makes with pride. Other options include cacio e pepe, canestrini, and paccheri. Most of the pasta is hand-cut, though a few are extruded.

    The pandemic transformed habits as the work-from-home culture grew out of necessity. Quartaro says that wasn’t the sole driver behind offering cooked meals at Gemma, but knowing that potential customers are held captive in their nearby homes by work provided a little motivation to naked use of their counter. Those poor souls need quality afternoon meals. Quartaro has worked at pasta palaces like the dearly departed restaurants Balena in Lincoln Park and the Bristol in Bucktown, plus Formento’s in West Loop. He’s also worked at San Francisco’s celebrated A16. When Gemma opened in March 2022, it was part of a pasta revolution in the area, a push that included the debuts of Tortello in Wicker Park and Flour Power in West Town. Each brings a different spin to the game.

    “There’s no shortage of amazing pasta makers in our city,” Quartaro says. “There’s no reason each neighborhood can’t have their own.”

    Gemma Foods, 1117 W. Grand Avenue, lunch debuts Wednesday, April 17.

    Ashok Selvam

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  • SpaceX plans 2 launches from Florida’s Space Coast over weekend

    SpaceX plans 2 launches from Florida’s Space Coast over weekend

    BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – SpaceX is gearing up for two launches off of Florida’s Space Coast on Saturday, according to the company’s website.

    The first launch — a EUTELSAT 36D mission — is scheduled to take place at the Kennedy Space Center.

    A nearly four-hour launch window opens at 5:52 p.m., though a backup opportunity will be available on Sunday in the same window.

    Meanwhile, another launch is planned to take place at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

    [EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]

    This second launch is expected to send a batch of 23 Starlink satellites into orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, with the launch time targeting 9:02 p.m. Backup opportunities will extend to 10 p.m. on the same night.

    If needed, additional backup opportunities will be available on Sunday starting at 7 p.m., SpaceX says.

    According to the 45th Weather Squadron’s forecast, the chance of weather interfering with either launch is less than 5%.

    News 6 will stream both launches live at the top of this story when they happen.

    Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily:

    Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.

    Anthony Talcott

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  • Smite 2 is coming, won’t replace the original Smite

    Smite 2 is coming, won’t replace the original Smite

    Hi Rez Studios and Titan Forge Games will release a sequel to Smite, the third-person MOBA that was first released in 2014 and has drawn 40 million players since, the companies announced Friday. Smite 2 will bring with it an Unreal Engine 5-powered upgrade, and promises full cross-play and cross-progression.

    Smite 2’s developers say that the move from Smite’s Unreal Engine 3 to Epic Games’ newest game engine will give the sequel more “godlike impact” — meaning graphical upgrades and more dazzling effects. But Titan Forge and Hi Rez are also promising gameplay improvements, including an updated user interface and better matchmaking. Developers also say that Smite 2 will be built with multiple control schemes in mind from the start: keyboard and mouse, controller, and even SteamDeck.

    The original Smite isn’t going away. Titan Forge and Hi Rez say they plan to keep the original running as a stand-alone title, and the game “will continue to receive regular updates and servers will remain available for the foreseeable future.” But not all cosmetics from Smite will carry over to Smite 2, given the undertaking of bringing 10 years of content to the sequel.

    “There are currently over 1,600 skins in Smite, excluding Mastery skins,” Titan Forge and Hi Rez said in an FAQ on the Smite 2 website. “To just port every skin to Smite 2 would take about 246 person-years of work. And we couldn’t both do that, and make Smite 2 as amazing as we knew it could be if we focused on starting anew.”

    An alpha playtest of Smite 2 is planned for the spring. Smite fans interested in giving the sequel a go can register to take part at the game’s official website.

    Smite 2 will be playable on PlayStation 5, SteamDeck, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. Like the original Smite, it will be free to play.

    The original Smite launched on PC in 2014, and has since been ported to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. That game has more than 130 playable gods from more than a dozen pantheons, but the playable roster also included guest appearances from painter Bob Ross, metal band Slipknot, and characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.

    Michael McWhertor

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