The Culinary Institute of America Takes "Worlds of Flavor®" to the Windy City for First-Ever Chicago Gourmet Celebration

Popular CIA Thought Leadership Conference is Adapted for Consumers; Features Leading Latin American Chefs

The world's premier culinary college has partnered with the Illinois Restaurant Association as part of the premiere Chicago Gourmet event on September 26-28, 2008. Chicago Gourmet is America's only urban gourmet food and wine showcase with tastings, demonstrations and hands-on workshops open to the public. A distinctive new food and wine show, the event celebrates top culinary experts.

As part of the celebration, the college will present the CIA Worlds of Flavor Pavilion, inspired by its long-running Worlds of Flavor International Conference & Festival. Held every year at the CIA's Napa Valley, CA campus, the legendary program regularly attracts the world's leading chefs and cooks to share their talents and traditions with attending American chefs.

The CIA Worlds of Flavor Pavilion at Chicago Gourmet will highlight the best in Latin flavors and traditional Latin cooking, with artful tastes prepared by top chefs such as Enrique Olvera, chef/owner of Pujol Restaurant in Mexico City; Norman Van Aken, chef/owner of Norman's in Miami; and Coque Ossio, chef/owner of a consortium of restaurants in Peru.

The Pavilion will be a colorful marketplace evocative of the sights, smells, and sounds of Latin cityscapes and regional food cultures from Mexico City to Lima, Peru. Market food stalls, delicious tastings of food and wine, music and dance performances, cooks and chefs talking informally about their food, and cooking demonstrations--all will contribute to this rich culinary experience.

The CIA Worlds of Flavor Pavilion will be open from noon-2:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 27; and noon-2 p.m. on Sunday, September 28. Tickets for admission to the Pavilion are $95 per person, and are purchased separately from the general admission to Chicago Gourmet. To buy tickets for all festival events, please visit www.chicagogourmet.org.