Food and wine lovers from all over the city of Chicago, IL, and the suburbs came out by the thousands to attend the biggest high-end food and wine event of the year on Sept. 28-30—Chicago Gourmet. “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner” was prominently displayed as an event sponsor through a partnership with the Illinois Beef Association Checkoff Division (IBA) and the Iowa Beef Industry Council (IBIC).
This event, situated on the lawn of downtown Chicago’s Millennium Park, extended the “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner” campaign’s content and features, educating and exciting Chicago-area consumers about the many benefits beef provides to their lives. Most of the attendees were between the age of 25 to 40, which is a target audience for the Beef Checkoff Program.
Dave Zino, executive chef, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff who developed the recipes, was on hand to talk to attendees about the flavors, preparation tips and to answer questions about cooking with beef.
“We were excited to be part of the Chicago Gourmet event. Cattle farmers and ranchers care deeply about the beef they produce, and it is an honor to showcase beef in a format that highlights beef’s great taste,” said Jill Johnson, IBA executive vice president.
“Reaching a large volume of consumers with Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. messaging with one jam-packed weekend event in downtown Chicago is a great accomplishment for the beef industry. It was humbling to hear people sample the recipes, make a connection with Chef Dave, and walk away telling their friends how tasty the recipe was and that they plan to make it home.”
Chris Freland, executive director for the Iowa Beef Industry Council, added, “As we focus efforts in population-dense areas like Chicago, we discovered a vital market for the beef checkoff. Partnering with the Illinois Beef Association and using the resources of National Cattlemen’s Beef Association was instrumental in the success of the event.”
