Celebrate the city’s award-winning culinary community at the highly anticipated preview to Choose Chicago’s 19th Annual Chicago Restaurant Week
Choose Chicago Media Relations Contacts:
Michelle Gonzalez, mgonzalez@choosechicago.com
Janet Isabelli, janet@isabellipartners.com
Dana Pontarelli, danapcomm@gmail.com
Linked Assets:
Choose Chicago’s First Bites Bash Photography
Credit: Courtesy of Choose Chicago
CHICAGO – December 3, 2025 – Choose Chicago, the city’s official destination marketing organization, announced tickets are now on sale for First Bites Bash, the kick-off event for the 19th annual Chicago Restaurant Week. Produced by Choose Chicago, this historically sold-out event will be held Thursday, January 22, 2026, at Chicago’s Field Museum from 6 to 9 p.m. Attendees will experience tasting portions from over 70 restaurants spanning two floors showcasing their respective Chicago Restaurant Week menus, as well as wine, beer, spirits, entertainment and more.
“Choose Chicago’s First Bites Bash has become one of Chicago’s signature winter traditions,” said Kristen Reynolds, President and CEO of Choose Chicago. “The unmatched talent of our local chefs and the incredible range of cuisines and neighborhoods they represent showcase exactly why Chicago is a city that’s Never Done & Never Outdone in the world of culinary excellence.”
Award-winning chef Jonathon Sawyer of Kindling – located in Chicago’s Loop neighborhood, will serve as the Host Chef for First Bites Bash.
“I’m honored to serve as the 2026 host chef for First Bites Bash,” said Chef Jonathon Sawyer. “This event is a terrific way for Chicagoans to join hundreds of fellow food lovers as they preview the incredible flavors in store during Chicago Restaurant Week – the most exciting two weeks celebrating the city’s vibrant culinary scene! Attendance at this event also supports the important work of charitable beneficiaries changing lives. I can’t think of a better reason to come out!”
Choose Chicago is pleased to continue its longstanding support of high-impact organizations and will make a financial contribution to benefit No Kid Hungry, a charity chosen by host chef Sawyer. No Kid Hungry works with food banks, schools, and other partners around the country to make sure children and families have the food they need.
“Every kid needs three meals a day to grow up healthy, happy and strong. But too many children in America today are missing those meals. Kids deserve better. Ending childhood hunger is our goal, and we have mapped out the path to achieve it. By supporting our work, you can help us reach our first milestone: cutting childhood hunger in our nation by half by 2030, ” said Courtney Smith, Managing Director of Culinary Partnerships and Events at Share Our Strength, the organization behind the No Kid Hungry campaign.
Additionally, as the official destination partner of the James Beard Foundation Awards, Choose Chicago will also contribute to the James Beard Foundation, a long-time partner, furthering its 40+ year commitment of leading chefs and the broader culinary industry toward a new standard of excellence.
“We’re honored to be a beneficiary of First Bites Bash and deeply grateful to Choose Chicago for supporting our Good Food for Good mission,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation. “This event celebrates the extraordinary culinary talent that makes Chicago’s dining scene truly exceptional, while supporting our work to champion a more sustainable, equitable and thriving independent restaurant industry.”
Participating restaurants in First Bites Bash include both longtime Chicago Restaurant Week participants and newcomers alike representing Chicago’s vibrant communities and an array of global cuisines. The complete list of First Bites Bash participants is available here.
A limited number of Flash Sale tickets are now available for $120 per person at firstbitesbash.com until tickets in that category runs out, and then General Admission tickets to First Bites Bash will become available for $155 per person until event capacity is reached or until 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 22, 2026.
Choose Chicago’s First Bites Bash 2026 is generously sponsored by Today’s Variety, 101.9 THE MIX, 97.1 The Drive – Chicago’s Classic Rock, Throwback 100.3 – All the Hits of The 90s & 2000s, Hubbard Inn, the James Beard Foundation, Pepsi and Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits.
First Bites Bash serves as the kick-off for Chicago Restaurant Week 2026, taking place January 23 – February 8, 2026. A full list of participating restaurants, along with menus and reservation information, will be released December 10.
Enthusiasts are encouraged to follow @ChooseChicago on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Get social using #FirstBitesBash and #ChicagoRestaurantWeek.
# # #
About Choose Chicago
Choose Chicago is the official sales and marketing organization responsible for promoting Chicago as a global visitor and meetings destination, leveraging the city’s unmatched assets to ensure the economic vitality of the city, its residents and our partner business community. Follow @choosechicago and tag #NeverOutdoneChi on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and X/Twitter. For more information, visit choosechicago.com.
About Chicago Restaurant Week
Taking place January 23 – February 8, 2026, Chicago Restaurant Week 2026 offers visitors and local foodies a meaningful opportunity to experience some of the area’s most sought-after restaurants. For 17 consecutive, dining-packed days, participating dining establishments will showcase specially curated prix fixe menus with prices set at $30 for brunch and lunch and $45 and/or $60 for dinner (excluding beverages, tax, gratuity). Lending an ideal reason to explore Chicago’s nationally lauded culinary scene, diners can experience new, showstopping restaurants and familiar favorites alike throughout the city’s vibrant communities. Visit chicagorestaurantweek.com as of Wednesday, December 10 to view participating restaurants, menus and make reservations online.
About Chef Jonathon Sawyer
Chef Jonathon Sawyer is the Chef Partner of Kindling Downtown Cookout & Cocktails owned and operated by Chicago’s Fifty/50 Group. In this role, Chef Sawyer contributes his culinary expertise and passion to the development and creation of the menu, brand, and vision behind Kindling.
Prior to joining The Fifty/50 Group, Chef Sawyer owned and operated three nationally recognized restaurants in Cleveland, Ohio. Before Chef Sawyer rose to culinary fame in Cleveland, the Chicago-native embarked on a much different path in pursuing an engineering degree that left him bored and uninspired. He was able to escape the world of mathematics thanks to his job at a local Dayton Ohio restaurant, where he would cook wood-fired dishes every night after class, which reminded him of when he first fell in love with cooking at the age of 13. Throughout Chef’s career, he’s won a roster of notable awards for his work. In 2010, Chef Sawyer won Food & Wine’s “Best New Chef” award. In 2015, Chef Sawyer won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes. In 2021, after relocating back to his hometown of Chicago, Chef Sawyer’s restaurant, Adorn Bar & Restaurant, was included in the 2021 Michelin Guidebook.
Chef Sawyer has also become a fan-favorite TV personality, appearing on national programs such as The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Chopped, Top Chef, The Dish, Bobby Flay’s Triple Threat, Tournament of Champions, Wild Card Kitchen, and 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing, where he was crowned the 2025 winner.
About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But millions of kids in the United States live with hunger. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty. Join us at NoKidHungry.org.
About the James Beard Foundation
The James Beard Foundation® (JBF) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to leading chefs and the broader culinary industry toward a new standard of excellence. Our guiding principle, Good Food for Good®, informs our vision of a vibrant, equitable, and sustainable independent restaurant industry that stands as a cornerstone of American culture, community, and economy, and drives toward a better food system. For 40 years, JBF has been instrumental in recognizing, amplifying, educating, and training the individuals who shape American food culture. Today, our mission comes to life through the prestigious James Beard Awards, industry and community-focused programming, advocacy and policy initiatives, and culinary events and partnerships nationwide—including at Platform by JBF® and the James Beard House in New York City. Learn more at jamesbeard.org, sign up for our emails, and follow @beardfoundation on social media.
