Last week, the City of Chicago announced the musical headliners for the 44th annual Taste of Chicago, which will be held from Friday, September 6 through Sunday, September 8 at Grant Park. CeeLo Green (September 6), Yahritza y Su Esencia (September 7), and Atlas Genius (September 8) will draw their fandoms for the free festival that has been displaced from its customary late June and early July run time due to the city’s deal with NASCAR.
There aren’t any major changes to the format this year. Admission to the three-day festival is free, and attendees can shop from 40 vendors at individual stalls. The city will host scaled-down pop-ups in two neighborhoods — one took place on Saturday, July 27 at Marquette Park. Another will take place on Saturday, August 17 at Pullman Park. The city didn’t list the food vendors for either pop-up in its news release. Sixteen vendors, including Whadda Jerk, Tandoor Char House, and Robinson’s No. 1 Ribs, attended in Marquette Park. Vendors aren’t yet listed for Pullman Park.
It appears the Taste of Chicago website listed in the news release isn’t online. That’s where information on food vendors is supposed to be available. It’s almost an annual cliche, but the city still lacks direction for the festival, and a year after the calendar adjustment — amid rumors that the city was close to canceling the event — the 2024 edition doesn’t bring that jolt of electricity. The pandemic year of 2020 hurt many festivals and Taste was no exception. In 2017, nearly 70 vendors participated.
Labor is one reason that restaurant owners say they avoid festivals in general. During the last two years, many didn’t have enough people to work at the restaurants and off-premises. But, at least anecdotally, the employment picture has improved in 2024. Theoretically, there are more workers to spare. Perhaps that’s why The Bear didn’t have a marketing activation at the Taste — not that The Bear represents Chicago. The show popped up at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend.
However, by pushing Taste of Chicago to September, the city has forced it to compete with Chicago Gourmet (September 22 to September 24). Though the target audiences are different — Taste is neighborhood-minded, while Chicago Gourmet aims to bring in upscale restaurants — there has been crossover in past years. Not so in 2024. Restaurants have to make a choice. It’s one thing if it’s for a charity event, it’s another to do a favor for the city by appearing at Taste; especially in a city that’s perceived as not doing enough on behalf of local restaurant owners, including keeping burglaries down.
Still, Eli’s Cheesecake will cut a giant cheesecake on Saturday, September 7, and produce frozen cheesecake on a stick (a chocolate-covered tradition) for Taste attendees. Still, the chefs who fill the Lyric Opera of Chicago for the James Beard Awards Gala are absent from the Taste. Major Brandon Johnson spoke at the June event, touting a vegan macaroni and cheese recipe, an anecdote he repeatedly deploys when talking to local chefs. A handful of restaurants — Yvolina’s Tamales, Eli’s, Chicago’s Doghouse — have had vegan options in years past, but beyond sorbet-maker Banato, there are zero dedicated vegan vendors in the lineup. The city also promises food trucks to supplement the 40-vendor lineup. Check out the list below.
- 90 Miles Cuban Café
- African Food Palace
- Arepa George
- Arun’s Thai Restaurant
- Badou Senegalese Cuisine
- Banato
- Billy Goat Tavern
- BJ’s Market & Bakery
- Chicago Eats Market
- Chicago’s Doghouse
- Churro Factory (Xurro)
- Connie’s Pizza
- Cumin Club Indian Kitchen
- Donut Dudes
- Doom Street Eats
- Eli’s Cheesecake
- Esperanza Kitchen Delights
- Franco’s Ristorante
- Frannie’s Café
- Gaby’s Funnel Cakes
- Harold’s Chicken
- JJ Thai Street Food
- Josephine’s Cooking
- Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria
- Mano Modern Café
- Moore Poppin Chicago Gourmet Popcorn
- Oooh Wee It Is Restaurant
- Ponce Restaurant
- Porkchop
- Robinson’s No. 1 Ribs
- Sapori Trattoria
- Seoul Taco
- Star of Siam Thai Restaurant
- Tacotlán
- Tandoor Char House
- The Original Rainbow Cone
- The Sole Ingredient Catering
- Yum Dum
- Yvolina’s Tamales
- Zeitlin’s Delicatessen
This article was originally published by a chicago.eater.com . Read the Original article here. .