Why is the New York Times doing a food story about Chicago's mayor? Anyway regardless of your political leanings, "The Mayor" is truly the city biggest cheerleader.
On Tuesday, he joined about 50 chefs from many of the city’s fanciest restaurants at a news conference to promote the third annual Chicago Gourmet event, which will be held Sept. 25 and 26 at Millennium Park, a sort of Taste of Chicago for connoisseurs. Admission to the event, which attracted 3,000 people last year, is $150 a person.
“These chefs, to me, represent the creative class of society,” Mr. Daley said. “We have to realize how important they are to the city.”
The mayor clearly shares the theory, expounded in Richard Florida’s 2002 book “The Rise of the Creative Class,” that cities must attract people whose livelihoods involve imagination and innovation.
The culinary convention, Mr. Daley said, fits well with the city’s strategy of promoting itself as a destination for those seeking fine food and wine.
