Celebrations for James Beard Awards in culinary happening this weekend ahead of ceremony
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's considered the Oscars of the foodie world.
The annual James Beard Awards - recognizing exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts will be held on Monday.
Ahead of the ceremony, Choose Chicago and the Illinois Restaurant Association are teaming up to host several celebratory events this weekend.
Sam Toia, president, and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association spoke with CBS 2's Ryan Baker on some of the events taking place.
The weekend will feature nearly 20 events celebrating the awards, and anyone can participate.
"There's going to be intimate tastings, concerts, special collaborations, education sessions, and much more," Toia said.
"We've had some great winners in the past from Chicago… We're looking for more winners here in the City of Chicago cause we are one of the culinary capitals of the United States."
The event moved from New York to Chicago in 2015. What does it take for a city to host such an event?
"It's just a lot, right, cause we get exceptional talent in the culinary, food media industry that come to the City of Chicago hoping to win a James Beard Award. The James Beard Foundation is in charge of the process of nomination, winners for each category," Toia said.
The James Beard Awards not only recognizes chefs and restaurants but further enhances the culinary scene – especially in Chicago.
"We have a lot of food media people from the industry coming into the City of Chicago, and they visit our great, vibrant restaurants. Not just in the West Loop or River North, but like Logan Square, Hyde Park, Pilsen to name a few neighborhoods. We've got some great culinary hubs right here in our 77 communities throughout the City of Chicago."
Toia says more of the restaurants that win the awards bring more people into the city that's big on conventions and tourism.
Chicago has five finalists on the list for the award. The winners will be announced Monday.
More information about the festivities and the awards can be found on the Choose Chicago website.
