Mariano’s, Metro Market and Chicago Chefs Cook launch “Who’s Coming to Dinner?”, a cookbook featuring 50+ Illinois and Wisconsin chefs, with donations supporting four hunger-relief organizations.
If the answer includes Rick Bayless, Sarah Stegner, Tony Priolo, Belinda Chang, Lamar Moore, Ken Polk and Tigist Reda, you know dinner is going to be good. Mariano’s and Metro Market, in partnership with Chicago Chefs Cook, are inviting home cooks to pull up a chair with the launch of Who’s Coming to Dinner?, a new cookbook featuring more than 50 recipes from acclaimed chefs and culinary talents across Illinois and Wisconsin. And while the recipes are designed to make entertaining a little more delicious, the cookbook’s greater purpose is helping neighbors facing food insecurity.
The community-focused cookbook will officially launch with a special event Saturday, Oct. 3, from noon to 3 p.m. at Mariano’s Bucktown. The afternoon will feature chef demonstrations, meet-and-greets and interviews with participating chefs, representatives from Mariano’s and Chicago Chefs Cook, and hunger-relief partners.
50+ chefs share recipes in a cookbook fighting hunger.
Organized around the ways people actually gather around the table, Who’s Coming to Dinner? is divided into four sections: Date Nights, Family Meals, Great Gatherings, and Special Occasions and Holidays. The recipes range from Spanish Seafood Paella and Citrus-Grilled Crab to French Pear and Almond Tart and Slow-Cooker Red Mole Chicken Tacos, offering plenty of inspiration whether the occasion is an intimate dinner for two or a table full of family and friends.
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The cookbook is also a recipe for giving back. Customers can receive a complimentary copy with a $6.99 donation at participating Mariano’s and Metro Market stores. Every cookbook donation supports four hunger-relief organizations: the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin and Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin.
“Food has an incredible ability to bring people together, and that’s exactly what this cookbook represents,” said Michael Marx, division president of Mariano’s and Roundy’s. “From talented local chefs to our customers and community partners, this project showcases the power of coming together around a shared table and a shared purpose.”
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The project builds on an earlier collaboration between Mariano’s and Chicago Chefs Cook that raised funds to combat food insecurity. This year’s edition expands the effort across Illinois and Wisconsin and brings Metro Market into the partnership.
Chicago Chefs Cook co-founder Chef Sarah Stegner said the organization was founded on the belief that chefs can make a difference beyond the kitchen.
“This cookbook allows us to share incredible recipes while helping address one of the most pressing issues facing our communities: food insecurity,” Stegner said.
With more than 50 chefs contributing recipes, Who’s Coming to Dinner? offers a decidedly Midwest answer to the eternal dinner-party question: Come hungry, stay awhile and, while you’re at it, help someone else get a seat at the table.
The launch event takes place Saturday, Oct. 3, from noon to 3 p.m. at Mariano’s Bucktown. Chef demonstrations, meet-and-greets and interviews will be part of the afternoon. The cookbook also will be available through participating Mariano’s and Metro Market locations with a $6.99 donation benefiting hunger-relief organizations.
Dining and Cooking