The Taste of Chicago shrinks in the summertime
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Kelli Conkey/MEDILL
When foodies don’t have the pleasure of summer weather, finding good winter cuisine is even more important to the palate. But the same way a frosty wind drives people indoors, Chicago’s premiere food experience, The Taste of Chicago, is suffering in warmer climates.
During the sultry summer days, restaurants from all ends of the city gather in Grant Park for a highly anticipated one-stop dining experience. “The Taste,” as it’s known to locals, epitomizes Chicago’s identity as the ultimate foodie destination. But this year will bring changes to the Taste due to consistently declining attendance, cutting the length in half in hopes of maintaining profitability.
TASTY PROFIT
In the last 10 years an average of 3.3 million visitors attended the Taste of Chicago food festival during its 10- or 11-day run each year. This year the Taste will be cut in half, running only five days from July 11 through July 15, according to a press statement by Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events last month.
One of the largest food galas in the world, the Taste showcases classic Chicago food favorites including deep-dish pizza, Chicago-style hot dogs, Maxwell Street Polish Sausage, barbecued ribs, Eli’s Cheesecake and various ethnic cuisines. It also features performances from local and international musicians, along with visits from players from the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bears and Chicago Cubs.
“Taste in the last few years has had some financial difficulties in terms of covering its expenses,” said Cindy Gatziolis, spokeswoman for Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, in a phone interview.
Adding days to the festival adds expenses, and the department is committed to be fiscally responsible of taxpayers’ money, Gatziolis said. “Additionally, we are also seeing this new model as possibly opening up the restaurant participation because certain restaurants may feel 10 days was a tough act to do.”
A deficit of $635.7 million in the city’s budget has resulted in spending cuts for many public programs. Mayor Rahm Emanuel defended the move to cut five days from the Taste this year: “I have all the confidence that people will continue to enjoy it,” he said in a press conference last week.
TASTY HISTORY
Ali Hashmi/Chicago LoopsterCrowd estimate for the Taste of Chicago (Source: Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events)
The first Taste was held on July 4, 1980. The event was greatly successful drawing an estimated 250,000, surpassing its modest goal of 75,000 people. The festival drew record attendance of nearly 3.7 million in 1999.
In the past, Grant Park fireworks have been a regular part of the Taste activities, drawing nearly a million people to the festival, Gatziolis said. Mayor Emanuel shelved the fireworks program in 2010, resulting in a drawdown of crowds. In contrast to the 2009 attendance of 3.4 million, crowds of 2.7 million and 2.4 million came to the Taste in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
The whole idea of Taste is to market local Chicago restaurants and cuisines, Gatziolis said.
“Someone who never goes to south side might try mustard-fried catfish of a South-Side restaurant,” Gatziolis said.
Despite its shrinking attendance figures and fiscal difficulties, the Taste has become a unique feature of Chicago’s cultural life. It is a celebration of people that ignores social hierarchies and geographical boundaries, and seeks what is common to all people.
“I would be sad if they got rid of it,” said Amelia Mutso, a resident of Wrigleyville, who has attended the Taste for the past three years. “[The Taste] lets me try restaurants that are not from my neighborhood that I would never get a chance to try otherwise.”
Chicago museums: Get cultured on a budget
No money? No problem. Check out our map of Chicago-area museums that offer free admission during “discount days” throughout the summer and fall. Art museums are marked in pink, history in yellow and the rest in blue.
Mark your calendars: Unique Chicago food events to liven up your summer
Chicago has risen to become a haven for foodies from all over the world. Food festivals, unique dining events and restaurant specials are offered throughout the year and this summer is no exception. Scroll through this interactive slideshow to get a glimpse of just some of the city’s upcoming food events.
For more events, check out this article by Stephanie Lu Jokich for CBS Chicago and this detailed list by Metromix Chicago. You can also submit new food events to Chicago Reader’s event calendar.
Find the food tour that’s right for you
Chicago is a foodie paradise if you know where to look. Luckily, there are tour guides for that!
Photo by tpbrown
1. Taste of Chinatown:
Who: Chicago Food Planet
What: The Chinatown food tour visits five sit-down tasting locations in the historic Chinatown community: Triple Crown, Lao Sze Chuan, Ten Ren Tea & Ginseng Co., Saint Anna Bakery and Lao Beijing.
When: Mondays, April through November, 11 a.m.
Why: To try Chinese food delicacies from the Canton, Mandarin and Szechuan regions.
How much: $60 adult | $35 adolescent & child. All food tastings are included in the ticket price.
Photo by bubzillion
2. Fork and the Road:
Who: Fork and the Road
What: If you’re a cyclist, foodie or just want to see the city, this tour is for you. The shortest route is 13 miles and the longest tour is 22 miles, but each has three or four stops. Everyone can find a tour to fit their taste buds: the Deli-cious, Ice-cycle, Latin Meat Lovers, Mediterranean Cruise, Tour of Asia or ‘Wich Way.
When: Weekends through Sept. 26
Why: To work off all the delicious food you’re eating.
How much: Tours range in price from $50 to $60 a person.
Photo by gtrwndr87
3. Pizza Tour
What: Sample pizza from four of Chicago’s greatest pizza venues and decide which to pledge your allegiance to. The tour visits two deep dish and two thin crust restaurants including Gino’s East, Giordano’s, La Madia, Pizzeria via Stato and State Street Pizza.
When: Every weekend
Why: Because everyone loves pizza.
How much: The tour is $48 for adults, $32 for college students and $24 for children 8-18 years old. Children 7 years or younger are free with the purchase of an adult ticket.
Photo by jumbledpile
4. Bucktown and Wicker Park Food Tour
Who: Chicago Food Planet
What: Discover the unique artists’ colony that has slowly evolved into a hidden foodie paradise as you enjoy delectable food and drink samples from six authentic mom-and-pop restaurants and ethnic eateries in the Bucktown and Wicker Park neighborhoods including George’s Hot Dogs, Hot Chocolate, Goddess & Grocer, Sultan’s Market, Piece and iCream.
When: Tuesday through Saturday, April through November starting at 11:30 am.
Why: To support “mom and pop” specialty restaurants and one-of-a-kind local cafés.
How much: Ticket price of $45. All food tastings, enough for lunch included.
Photo by srqpix
5. Near North Food Tour
Who: Chicago Food Planet
What: The Near North Food Tour visits seven of Chicagoan’s favorite eateries in the tasty Gold Coast, Old Town and Lincoln Park neighborhoods, including Bacino’s Pizzeria, The Spice House, Delightful Pastries, Ashkenaz Deli, Old Town Oil, Tea Gschwendner and The Fudge Pot.
When: Seven days a week, March through November starting at 11:30 a.m.
Why: To see architectural gems, beautiful gardens, historic mansions, backdoor venues, hidden parks and of course, to eat.
How much: $45 adult | $30 adolescent | $15 child. Tasting included.
Photo by antwerpenR
6. Coffee & Pastry Tour
Who: Chicago Savvy Tours
What: Chicago Savvy Tours offers an eye opening, sweet fest with our Coffee & Pastry Tour of Andersonville and Little Saigon including three coffee shops and three sweet venues for a delectable balance of sugar and caffeine. Also includes a visit to the Andersonville Galleria for shopping.
When: Saturdays and Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
Why: Because you’ll stop at Anne Sather‘s Swedish restaurant, where you’ll taste the best cinnamon roll ever.
How much: $27
Photo by Kirti Poddar
7. Chocolate Tour
What: Enjoy a guided walking and tasting tour to select chocolate shops, bakeries, and cafes, including secret chocolate treasures and famous favorites.
When: At least one tour a day. Times vary.
Why: Because you’ll learn about the history of chocolate, while eating it.
How much: The tour is $40 per person.
Best Chicago ice cream cones
Where are Chicagoans enjoying icy treats this summer? Here’s a map of popular parlors around town.
You’ll find Italian gelato marked in green; custard in blue; and frozen yogurt in pink. Everything else is just plain, old ice cream. It’s National Ice Cream Month so have a lick–I mean, look!
Chicago ranked the most road congested city
Google map showing real time traffic on a Thursday morning. The red indicates near bumper to bumper traffic.
The traffic study that was released last week will be a surprise to no one who travels around the Chicago area in a vehicle. It confirms what many drivers had long thought was true—Chicagoland ranked at the top of the list as the area with the most congested roadways in the country.
The new 2010 Urban Mobility Report issued by the Texas Transportation Institute measures congestion in 439 urban areas in the U.S. in an attempt to identify the problems facing urban travelers.
The study found in Chicago commuters spent an extra 70 hours a year in their cars in 2009. The national average was 34 hours.
According to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago commuters now have the longest delays, a distinction has Los Angeles long held.
But it’s more than just time being wasted in our cars. Money is too. Congestion costs each commuter and extra $1,738 on average in 2009, reports the Tribune.
All this may ring very true with Chicagoland drivers, but although the Urban Mobility Report receives a lot of media attention it is by no means a comprehensive study on overall mobility.
“The report is actually a very crude way of looking at congestion and is quite arbitrary. It just measures traffic and not public transit and mobility in the broad sense,” says Hani Mahmassani, director of the Northwestern University Transportation Center. “What I’m more concerned with is the ability to move trucks and freight and merchandise and the logistics of that.”
Chicago has long been a hub of freight transit, and congestion can be detrimental to the city’s status in this arena. That may not seem like a big concern to the average Chicagoan, but according to Mahmassani, when Chicago becomes too incompetent to move freight around efficiently it effects the city’s overall economy all the way down to consumers who have to pay more for goods.
Traffic, of course, effects freight mobility, but so does aging bridges, construction and a host of other complexities. The Federal Highway Administration has studied the freight transit issues in Chicago in hopes of combating them. There’s also an initiative called CREATE, a massive undertaking to improve and increase the efficiency of the region’s rail infrastructure and quality of life of Chicago-area residents. The overall goal is to reduce traffic congestion, deliver shorter commute times, better air quality and increased public safety. You can read more about the initiatives here.
Plans for the near future and beyond are also in the works. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning recently debuted “Go to 2040,” a regional plan with recommendations for officials and local businesses to improve quality of life in Chicagoland. You can learn about the comprehensive regional mobility plan here.
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CTA Prepared for Cold Weather
Keeping the trains and buses running is a year-long job for the Chicago Transit Authority. During the winter months, its difficulties are compounded by freezing temperatures and varied snowfall.
“Cold weather ages transportation infrastructure at a troublesome rate in a difficult way,” said Joseph Schwieterman, professor of DePaul University. “Especially the chilling and thawing process is extremely hard on roads and railroad tracks.”
The CTA prepares for the winter months in advance, said CTA Spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney. Many of these preparations include ensuring that the proper tools and equipment are available should the need arise. The CTA garages stocks are updated in case equipment or machinery needs to be replaced and conducts regular inspections, she said
In addition to preparations, the CTA constantly checks current conditions.
“There’s a lot we do in advance of winter that we just we’re going to need to have done,” said Gaffney. “But we also monitor the weather and if there is sleet or snow forecast, we respond accordingly with making sure the proper resources and staff are in place when snow does come.”
Trains are outfitted with sleet scrapers that remove ice from the rails as trains pass. Additionally, de-icing fluid is sprayed onto the rails when ice builds up. Snow plows are placed on the front cars to handle any snow banks that might pose a problem, Gaffney said.
Additionally, in case of difficulties that normal train operations can’t handle, CTA workers are on call to fix winter-related problems using special heavy equipment, she said.
“The other thing for trains when it gets really cold, switches freeze and that’s a huge problem for the CTA and Amtrak, especially when you have snow mixed in,” Schwieterman said.
Snow would become caught in the switches, preventing movement. Sometimes the electrical circuitry controlling the switches would freeze as well, but is not as common, Schwieterman said. To handle this particular problem, the CTA has heaters at switch locations which are activated by track workers allowing operations to continue and prevent derailment, Gaffney said.
The CTA doesn’t forget about the customers either. The station heaters are checked before the season and during times of snowfall, the CTA staff and outside firms are sent to shovel sand to prevent people from slipping, Gaffney said.
Ultimately, when it comes to cold weather, it depends on the conditions. How heavy or light the weather is and how long it lasts determines the CTA’s response, she said.
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