Sept. 16--Something else you can do at Chicago Gourmet (Sept. 26-27, Millennium Park) without actually attending is the annual Chicago Gourmet online auction, which goes live at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
Among the treats/experiences for which one can bid: VIP tour of Coppola Winery in Sonoma, including lunch; mixology dinner for four at Rural Society restaurant; dinner for six at Dove's Luncheonette or Parachute (both Bon Appetit Top 50 New Restaurants for 2015); and numerous other wine, spa, theater, hotel and restaurant deals.
To bid, you must register at biddingforgood.com/chicagogourmetauction. Register by 5 p.m. Wednesday, and you might win passes to Chicago Gourmet; register on-site at Chicago Gourmet (there's a dedicated auction tent), and you might win passes to that day's Grand Cru premium-wine tasting.
100 percent of proceeds benefit the Illinois Restaurant Association's Educational Foundation, which provides scholarships for culinary and hospitality students.
Bidding closes at 10 p.m. Sept. 27.
Phil Vettel is a Tribune critic
