Unique Pairings dinners provide perfect holiday gift
Give your family and friends a gift they'll remember the rest of their lives this holiday season. Purchase tickets to Unique Pairings for a one-of-a-kind dining experience that includes interaction and insight into the genius of some of Chicago's top chefs.
Scheduled for Feb. 1 and March 15, the dinners will feature the pairing of two top Chicago chefs who will incorporate their individual styles into a unique, multi-course dining experience.
“This is a rare opportunity to experience the exquisite cuisine of Chicago's top chefs in an intimate dining experience,” said Sharon Mellor, associate vice president of Development at College of DuPage and Executive Director of the COD Foundation.
Each evening starts with a reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. in the College's top-level Escoffier Dining Room. Upcoming dinners feature chefs Jackie Shen of Red Light and Randy Waidner of Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse on Tuesday, Feb. 1, followed by Tony Hu of Lao Sze Chuan and other restaurants in Chicago's Chinatown and Dominique Tougne of Bistro 110 on Tuesday, March 15.
Throughout the evening, the chefs will interact with diners, sharing their food selections and approach to the preparation behind each course. The evening also includes professional wine pairings provided by Gallo's International Boutique Wineries. Each course will be paired with unique wines, and experts are on hand to explain their choices.
The first Unique Pairings dinner was held on Nov. 16 and featured top chefs Michael Garbin of the Union League Club and Jose Luna of Salsa 17 Grill. Dwight Blake, vice president of Power Construction Company in Schaumburg, attended the dinner with his wife. The couple was extremely impressed with the interactive atmosphere of the event.
“What was really interesting and fun was the fact that the chefs came out and explained the preparation of each course,” Blake said. “It was interesting to see how each chef could make something different using the same or similar ingredients. We could clearly understand what the chefs had in mind when they were preparing each course. In addition, the wine expert was so knowledgeable that it increased our enjoyment and understanding of the wines.”
Diners also can purchase an opportunity to go behind the scenes and share the kitchen experience with the selected chefs and COD culinary students. Emily Oehler of Elmhurst did this during the Nov. 16 event.
“It was a wonderful opportunity to meet the hard-working culinary students of College of DuPage. They were spectacular,” she said. “I got to see firsthand the precision and art the students used to prepare our delicious meal. Working with Chef Luna was challenging and exciting.”
Brandy Harrington, partner at the Trust Company of Illinois in Downers Grove, said the Nov. 16 event went beyond expectations.
“It was an absolutely lovely evening,” she said. “The food and chefs were superb, and I even found a red wine that I like.”
Tickets cost $250 per person for one dinner or $450 per person for both dinners. To share the kitchen experience with a chef before a dinner, tickets cost $500 per person (including the meal), with limited spots available. Proceeds from Unique Pairings go to the new Culinary & Hospitality Center currently under construction at College of DuPage. The Center, scheduled to open for fall semester 2011, is being built to become the first green, LEED-certified culinary institute of its kind in the nation.
For more information, visit www.uniquepairings.com.