Loaves & Fishes Community Services Chef Showdown will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 17, 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 Entourage and Meson Sabika. 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 & 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, Adam Fuchs of Wintrust Commercial Banking, Kristen Refness of Endeavor Health, Karen Wells of Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Dustin Wilson of Duly Health and Care. Dishes will be voted upon by a panel of judges, including “Chopped” celebrity, Chef Alonso Beckford from The Matrix Club, John Diederich from Rush Copley Medical Center, Dr. Susana Rivera-Mills from Aurora University, and Scott Wehrli, Mayor of the City of Naperville. The evening will be emceed by Nicki Anderson, Director of Strategic Partnerships at DuPage Foundation and Loaves & Fishes Board Member.
Throughout the evening, guests will enjoy delicious food provided 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, are on sale now, and can be purchased by visiting loaves-fishes.org. This event sells out quickly, so buying your tickets now is highly advisable.
—Loaves and Fishes Community Services