It’s no secret to anyone that knows me that I have a huge Chipotle addiction, I eat there several times a week. It’s the freshest “fast food” that you can find when you’re in a rush in the middle of the day, and it’s absolutely delicious. Those first two sentences didn’t really have anything to do with the Chipotle news I’m here to deliver, but I couldn’t resist declaring my love. Now down to business, I actually have two Chipotle-related announcements. The first is that on Saturday, April 27, 2013 Chipotle will be having a fundraiser at all 87 Chicagoland restaurants that will benefit Chicago’s Green City Market. The restaurant chain will be donating up to $20,000 to support the local farmer’s market. It will be the first of several fundraisers the two will partner on this summer, all to promote fresh, sustainable eating.
The second big announcement is the locations for its 2013 Cultivate food, music and ideas festival series. Chicago will be one of the three chosen cities, along with Denver and San Francisco. The events planned for the festival include celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, live music, local food artisans and other activities emphasizing fresh and affordable food made with sustainable ingredients. There will be several of Chicago’s hottest chefs lending their talents to the festival including Graham Elliot, Tony Montuano, Paul Kahan and more. Cultivate Chicago will be held on Saturday, September 7 in Lincoln Park and admission is free. For more information and to learn about the contest Chipotle is holding to give customers living outside of the three cities a chance to attend the festival of their choice visit www.chipotle.com/cultivate.
