On Wednesday, December 8, The Portage will host an exclusive Brasserie Du Bocq and St. Sylvestre Brewery Dinner to ring in the holidays. A five-course seasonal meal, paired with an array of unique Beer from France and Belgium includes: Broiled Monk Fish, Baked Ham in a Thai Peanut Broth and Arugula and Pine Nut Stuffed Quail. Featured beers will include: St. Sylvestre Brewery “Gavroche” French Red Ale, Brasserie Du Bocq “Blanche De Namur” Bottle-Fermented White Beer and St. Sylvestre Brewery 3 Monts French Golden Ale.

Robert Wolcott, Ph.D. is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Clareo Partners LLC, a corporate strategy and innovation management consultancy specializing in new business creation and growth (www.clareopartners.com). Subsidiary Clareo Capital owns equity in companies in social enterprise and luxury markets. Clareo’s headquarters, Clareo Studio, created in partnership with Herman Miller, Inc., serves as a collaboration space for special events, corporate off-sites and performances dedicated to innovation, entrepreneurship, social awareness and general inspiration. He is also the Founder & Executive Director of the Kellogg Innovation Network (KIN) and a member of the faculty of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He teaches corporate innovation and entrepreneurship for Kellogg in Evanston, Miami and Hong Kong (with HKUST). Formerly Visiting Professor at the Keio Business School (Tokyo, Japan). Advisor to NORDEN, the Nordic Innovation Center, Nordic Council of Ministers, Oslo, Norway, and a member of the Global Technology Council of Kraft Foods, Inc. His new book, with Dr. Michael Lippitz, Grow From Within: Mastering Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation (McGraw-Hill) launched in October, 2009. Wolcott’s work has appeared in MIT Sloan Management Review, The Wall Street Journal, Advertising Age, Business Week, The Financial Times (UK/ European Edition) and the New York Times. He is a frequent speaker at events worldwide. Wolcott received a BA, European and Chinese History; and an MS and Ph.D., Industrial Engineering & Management Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. He and his wife, Ada Yung, have a young daughter, Jolie, and reside in Chicago, Illinois.

If you’re anything like me and have never used a stove in your life (except maybe as an extra shoe rack), it’s about that time in the season to investigate whose going to be catering your holiday gathering. Because the first rule of being the hostess with the mostess is to make it look homemade without breaking a nail. The second rule is to keep the vino flowing. Cheers!

Beautiful Aussie actor Ryan Kwanten (Jason Stackhouse) celebrated his 34th birthday halfway around the world this weekend in Chicago hotspot the Underground. Sponsored by Grey Goose and Vitamin Water, the celeb spot was transformed into our very own Fangtasia for the night. Far from his native land of Sydney, he was surrounded by local scenesters Kelli Zink (CelebTV), Ryan Polli (Executive Chef of the Perennial), RJ Melman (Co-owner HUB51) and Jason Erkes (President, Chicago Sport and Social).

Occupying legendary Chicago architect Daniel Burnham’s historic Continental & Commercial National Bank Building in Chicago’s bustling financial district, the JW Marriott Chicago opened last weekend and features exquisite neoclassical design. Throughout the property, staff will provide every convenience guests desire. Whether it is room service after a late flight, catering in a meeting room, the use of the 24-hour executive business and fitness centers, laundry and dry cleaning services seven days a week or housekeeping always being on call—the hotel offers the highest level of personal service that guests deserve.

‘Tis the season for gifts under the Christmas tree (or Hanukkah bush) and to pay it forward. If the season moves you and you’re feeling extra charitable, here are a list of some of Chicago’s most deserving and standout organizations. After all, there’s more to contentment than just egg nog and family cheer.

If you’ve ever sat in a bar or restaurant wondering about the origins of its unique furniture and lighting fixtures–you’ve likely experienced the work of 555 designers, architects, engineers and craftspeople. James Geier is the founder of Chicago-based design, fabrication, and management firm 555 International. His success is largely credited to his engineering and design know-how, experience as a restaurant industry veteran, and former nightclub owner–allowing him to conceptualize, build, and manage all aspects of 555 International’s projects. Born in New Jersey in 1961, Geier studied engineering and business at Western Michigan University and honed his art and design skills at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned his degree in industrial design. Following college, Geier joined the team at Chicago-based Niedermaier, where he became the company’s design director and helped launch and expand their furniture business. In 2002, Geier designed the award-winning, limited-edition contemporary furniture line, Automatic Inc., for which he earned a “GenArt New Cultural Icon” designation sponsored by Hearst Magazines and Lincoln automaker. The firm’s focus has again expanded in recent years to accommodate larger-scale hospitality industry jobs. The projects encompass design, manufacturing, and installation of the complete interior environments including The Playboy Club at The Palms Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Aspen Skiing Company’s Sam’s Smokehouse in Snomass, CO, and the retail outlets and owners’ VIP lounges for the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX, among others. Karen Herold is the Vice President of Design, and a native of Ellecom, Holland. Herold graduated from the Institute of Fashion and Design in Amsterdam and holds a degree in interior fabric design. After a chance meeting in Europe with the man who would become her future husband, she traveled to Chicago for what was planned as a two-week visit. “I was planning to stop in Chicago, and then continue on to L.A. to scope out some new designs, and then go home,” she remembers. “That never happened,” she laughs. Married and settled in her new city, Herold was working at a Chicago architecture firm when a colleague introduced her to James Geier of 555 International. Herold and in May 2000 she was hired as Creative Director at 555—a title she held until being promoted to her current position in 2007.

Last week was the kickoff dinner to celebrate two-star Michelin recipient Ria’s partnership with the Shedd Aquarium as they become the latest local restaurant to join the “Right Bite” program. The Right Bite program includes local restaurants, retailers, caterers, purveyors and culinary schools who pledge to offer at least two sustainable seafood options at all times and, if applicable, to permanently remove at least one unsustainable choice from their menus or product inventories. Other Chicago spots involved with the program include Lockwood Restaurant and Bar, Naha, Oceanique, Prarie Grass Cafe, Trattoria No. 10, Park Grill, Uncommon Ground, Wildfire, Shaw’s Crab House among others.

Mac and Cheese: as American as apple pie regardless as age. Sauce it up or down, add any number of cheese-y concoctions, and pile high with upscale toppings. These dishes are a high-end twist on an old staple and definitely not for the kids.