The Illinois Restaurant Association (IRA) launched Chicago's inaugural gourmet food and wine festival, Chicago Gourmet, in September. This took place only 10 weeks after The Taste of Chicago, a food festival co-hosted by the IRA and Chicago mayor's office.
In its first solo endeavor, the IRA sought for Chicago Gourmet to be positioned as a premier national food and wine event. But the challenge was to show it was on par with the top food and wine shows in the ...