CHICAGO — The Chicago Food Social — once known as the Food Truck Social — is mixing things up from previous years with a Saturday lineup filled with food trucks, local restaurants and live music.
The festival, which started as a food truck-focused event in 2011, has expanded this year to include fare from brick-and-mortar restaurants like Big Star and Longman & Eagle.
It's also moved from various locations in West Town to the parking lot of Kendall College, 900 N. Branch St., closer to the Near North Side.
The move was prompted by the "nightmares" organizers encountered while trying to find a home for the fest in past years, including issues with obtaining city permits that would allow the food trucks, as well as neighbors who complained about the social when it took over their streets, West Town Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kara Salgado said.
Now, she's hopeful that a new partnership with Kendall College will allow the social to stay in one place, Salgado said, even if it's not where one might look to find an outdoor festival.
That's one of the reasons why the chamber wanted to amp up the live music lineup this year and offer somewhat bigger-name acts like Otis Clay, Salgado said.
"We figured we might need that to get people down there," she said.
Also on tap is a cocktail lounge from Tito's Handmade Vodka, operated out of a vintage 1965 trailer, which offers Bloody Marys for the morning and afternoon along with cocktails in the evening.
"I think this is the most food vendors we've ever had," Salgado said. "And the fact that we have these chef-driven restaurants ... I think it's going to be a real treat."
The social runs from 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday and costs $5, a portion of which is donated to Share Our Strength, a non-profit that works to fight child hunger.
Students and alumni from Kendall College will offer cooking demos during the fest, Salgado said.
The lineup:
Food Trucks:
5411 Empanadas
Beyond Borders
Beavers Coffee & Donuts
Chicago Cupcake
Chicago Lunchbox
Fischman Liquors Wagyu Wagon
Get Curried Away
Greek Eats
Husky Hog BBQ
Jerk
Starfruit
Tamale Spaceship
Taquero Fusion
The Slide Shoppe
Two Italians
Windy City Patty Wagon
Restaurants and other participants:
Big Star
Dia De Los Tamales
Endgrain
Longman & Eagle
Publican Quality Meats
Puffs of Doom
Red Door
Saucy Porka
Table Donkey & Stick
Live Music, programmed by West Town's own Empty Bottle Presents:
11:30 a.m. - Todaysh--s
1:15 p.m. - Walking Bicycles
3 p.m. - M.A.K.U. Soundsystem
5 p.m. - Otis Clay
7 p.m. - Maritime
8:30 p.m. - R. Stevie Moore
