On Wednesday, April 4, nearly 200 guests came together for the 5th Annual Passport to Chicago event in support of the Chicago Bar Foundation. Set at Kendall College with a picturesque view of the city’s skyline, guests enjoyed dishes representing different Chicago neighborhoods, conceived and prepared by members of the Kendall College Competition Club. The creations were paired with a selection of local beers and regional wines, with special tastings provided by KOVAL Distillery and Compass Wines and Spirits.
The event, co-chaired by Nancy Linder of Linder Legal Staffing and Jeanne Doran of LexisNexis, culminated in a competition for the Top Chef judged by both the guests and a Culinary Professional Panel. This year, the student chefs were competing for one of two $1,000 scholarships one from the CBF and the other generously sponsored by Linder Legal Staffing. The Culinary Professional Panel chose Nikhil Bendre for his Chicago Style Tostada de Pulpo ceviche dish (Little Village), and Maria Jaqueline Granados Rivera won the People’s Choice Chef honors for her chipotle sweet potato tater tots topped with honey butter chicken and avocado (Roscoe Village). An additional thanks goes to Curtis Linder for the event photography and to Aaron Cuschieri, Anthony Martorina, and Taylor Hammond for serving on the judges’ panel.
Once again, the event featured some of the CBF’s grantee organizations and the great legal aid work being done in each of these communities. These highlighted programs are just a taste of the impactful work that pro bono and legal aid organizations are doing every day across the city. Thanks to the generosity of our guests and sponsors, Passport to Chicago will again help the CBF continue its work to increase access to justice for people in need and make the legal system more fair and accessible for everyone.