Loaves & Fishes Community Services is excited to announce that Chef Showdown will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 16, at the Linnea Eleanor Rutkowski Food Distribution Hub, 580 Exchange Court, Aurora. The popular event will raise funds for essential services for struggling families in DuPage, Kane, Kendall, and Will Counties.
This year’s competition will showcase executive chefs from local restaurants Vistro Prime of Hinsdale and Hugo’s Bar & Fish House of Naperville. These talented chefs will compete to create unique dishes in a professional stadium kitchen assembled for the competition.
“We are excited to host Chef Showdown and incredibly grateful to our partners, sponsors, and guests for their support,” said Mike Havala, president and CEO of Loaves & Fishes. “With these talented chefs bringing their creativity and passion to the kitchen, this will be a fun and impactful event that will make a meaningful difference for the families we serve.”
The competing chefs will be assisted by celebrity sous chefs and Loaves & Fishes supporters, Jacque Clermont, director of community relations at Naperville Community Unit School District 203; Casey Cuevas, City of Aurora deputy mayor; Jorge Ibarra, market president at BMO U.S.; and Chris Phalon, financial advisor at Edward Jones.
Dishes will be voted upon by a panel of judges, including Julie Christman, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley, Paula Deacon Garcia, DuPage County Board member, and Yvette Saba, president of Endeavor Health Edward Hospital and System executive for the Endeavor Health Cardiovascular Institute.
This year’s Master of Ceremonies will be 2025 winning sous chef, Karen Wells, COO of Make a Wish Foundation.
Throughout the evening, guests will enjoy delicious food catered by event partner My Chef Catering. There will be a moment to raise the paddle to support families in need in our community.
Tickets are $125 and can be purchased by visiting loaves-fishes.org. This event sells out quickly, so buying your tickets now is highly advisable.
For more information, contact Tracy Katschke-Goss at tkgoss@loaves-fishes.org.
—Loaves & Fishes Community Services