Dedicated to bringing food education into schools across the country, Pilot Light has announced the return of the annual Feed Your Mind Gala on Friday, November 6 at Rockwell on the River (3057 N. Rockwell St). Presented by Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, the evening will feature over 20 Chicago chefs coming together for a one-of-a-kind interactive and tableside dining experience for each guest. Individual tickets are now available for $700, as well as full Chef table buy-outs, via Pilot Light’s website.
Unlike traditional galas, Pilot Light’s Feed Your Mind Gala delivers a front-row seat to culinary craftsmanship for one-night-only. Founding Chefs Matthias Merges, Jason Hammel, Paul Kahan and Justin Large have curated a lineup spanning the city’s gastronomic landscape, including James Beard Award winners and MICHELIN-starred recipients. Culinary leaders such as Thai Dang (HaiSous), Tim Flores and Genie Kwon (Kasama), Doug Psaltis (Andros Taverna), Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark (Parachute) and others will curate a personal, tableside cooking experience for each guest, raising funds for Pilot Light’s mission of childhood food education nationwide.
“No other event in Chicago—or the country—brings together this level of culinary talent, all in one room, cooking for a cause,” said Alexandra DeSorbo-Quinn, Executive Director of Pilot Light. “This event is a celebration of the transformative power of food, in the kitchen and in the classroom.”
The full list of the 2026 Feed Your Mind Tableside Chef lineup includes:
Rick Bayless – Frontera Grill / Topolobampo (TABLES SOLD OUT)
Lena Ciardullo – Union Square Cafe
Beverly Kim & Johnny Clark – Parachute
Thai Dang – HaiSous
Curtis Duffy – Ever (TABLES SOLD OUT)
Zach Engel – Galit
Tim Flores & Genie Kwon – Kasama
Rob Levitt – Publican Quality Meats
John Manion – El Che Steakhouse
James Martin – Bocadillo Market
Oliver Poilevey – Le Bouchon / Obélix
Tony Priolo – Piccolo Sogno
Doug Psaltis – Andros Taverna
John Shields – Smyth (TABLES SOLD OUT)
José Sosa – The Greggory
Sarah Stegner – Prairie Grass Cafe
Courtney Storer – Culinary Producer of The Bear
Giuseppe Tentori – GT Fish & Oyster
Paul Virant – Vie
Lee Wolen – Boka (TABLES SOLD OUT)
Pilot Light is committed to furthering their mission of food education for school-children from ages Pre-K through 12th grade, in order to create a better food systems future. Their model incorporates learning about food, nutrition, and education in the role that food plays in one’s life, relationships, culture, communities, environment, and history and society. Through this ethos, Pilot Light educators are dedicated to inspiring students to become active and informed members of the food system.
In addition, the annual Feed Your Mind Gala offers guests the exclusive opportunity to participate in a live auction featuring travel and food experiences curated by Pilot Light’s Founding Chefs. These packages are exclusively available for all gala attendees, offering world-class experiences for the modern culinary adventurer. More details on these curated experiences to follow.
“Pilot Light works because chefs show up. When our industry comes together to support food education, we strengthen not just our kitchens, but our communities,” says Founding Chef Matthias Merges.
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Dedicated to bringing food education into schools across the country, Pilot Light has announced the return of the annual Feed Your Mind Gala on Friday, November 6 at Rockwell on the River (3057 N. Rockwell St). Presented by Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, the evening will feature over 20 Chicago chefs coming together for a one-of-a-kind interactive and tableside dining experience for each guest. Individual tickets are now available for $700, as well as full Chef table buy-outs, via Pilot Light’s website.
Unlike traditional galas, Pilot Light’s Feed Your Mind Gala delivers a front-row seat to culinary craftsmanship for one-night-only. Founding Chefs Matthias Merges, Jason Hammel, Paul Kahan and Justin Large have curated a lineup spanning the city’s gastronomic landscape, including James Beard Award winners and MICHELIN-starred recipients. Culinary leaders such as Thai Dang (HaiSous), Tim Flores and Genie Kwon (Kasama), Doug Psaltis (Andros Taverna), Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark (Parachute) and others will curate a personal, tableside cooking experience for each guest, raising funds for Pilot Light’s mission of childhood food education nationwide.
“No other event in Chicago—or the country—brings together this level of culinary talent, all in one room, cooking for a cause,” said Alexandra DeSorbo-Quinn, Executive Director of Pilot Light. “This event is a celebration of the transformative power of food, in the kitchen and in the classroom.”
The full list of the 2026 Feed Your Mind Tableside Chef lineup includes:
Pilot Light is committed to furthering their mission of food education for school-children from ages Pre-K through 12th grade, in order to create a better food systems future. Their model incorporates learning about food, nutrition, and education in the role that food plays in one’s life, relationships, culture, communities, environment, and history and society. Through this ethos, Pilot Light educators are dedicated to inspiring students to become active and informed members of the food system.
In addition, the annual Feed Your Mind Gala offers guests the exclusive opportunity to participate in a live auction featuring travel and food experiences curated by Pilot Light’s Founding Chefs. These packages are exclusively available for all gala attendees, offering world-class experiences for the modern culinary adventurer. More details on these curated experiences to follow.
“Pilot Light works because chefs show up. When our industry comes together to support food education, we strengthen not just our kitchens, but our communities,” says Founding Chef Matthias Merges.
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