Wouldn’t it be nice to hit a salon for a touch-up right before your black tie event? Where they’re ready to pour you a drink and maybe pass a nibble of caviar? Us too, which is why we teamed up with the Park Hyatt Chicago to turn the hotel’s Water Tower Suite into the ultimate green room.
That meant Merchant & Rhoades hot shaves and Mario Tricoci blowouts for chefs, writers, and food world hob knobbers, along with a bar provided by our friends at Campari and Wines from Charles Smith. The dapper team from VK Nagrani fixed up bow ties on tuxes, and Regalis Foods shared a whole mountain of caviar (really). All just the thing to prep attendees for the awards and inevitable after-parties, after-after-parties, and hungover breakfasts.
See scenes from it all in the photos below.
A mountain of caviar from Regalis Foods. Substance and CasaSmith ViNO from Charles Smith kept the party going all night long. Matt Taylor-Gross Here’s the view from the Water Tower Suite at the Park Hyatt Chicago—it’ll do. Matt Taylor-Gross SAVEUR Editor-in-Chief Adam Sachs and Sara Kearney, GM of the Park Hyatt Chicago, are all smiles. Matt Taylor-Gross Gary Metzner, SVP at Sotheby’s, and JP Anderson, Editor-in-Chief of Michigan Avenue Magazine, share a couple of spritzes at the JBF Pregame Lounge. Matt Taylor-Gross Marc and Maureen Schulman of Eli’s Cheesecake make for the sweetest couple at the JBF Pregame Lounge. Matt Taylor-Gross Barbuto manager Jen Davidson and chef Jonathan Waxman are a dashing duo. Matt Taylor-Gross The Spotted Pig partner Ken Friedman and Michael Murphy of If Only strike a pose. Matt Taylor-Gross Revelers mingle with drinks and small bites during SAVEUR’s JBF Pregame Lounge hosted at the Park Hyatt Chicago. Matt Taylor-Gross SAVEUR Editor-in-Chief Adam Sachs gets his beard trimmed by the grooming professionals from Merchant & Rhoades. Matt Taylor-Gross Zachary Golper of Brooklyn’s Bien Cuit grins while getting a beard trim from the folks at Chicago men’s barbershop Merchant & Rhoades. Matt Taylor-Gross Lilia’s Missy Robbins and Sean Feeney pause for a photo with a friend. Matt Taylor-Gross Guests were treated to an array of luxe accessories from VK Nagrani by designer Vivek Nagrani. Matt Taylor-Gross Park Hyatt New York chef Chad Brauze and publicist Lauren Young are bubbly with their glasses of bubbly. Matt Taylor-Gross Hedley and Bennett’s Ellen Bennett and Jean Armstrong of Williams-Sonoma squeeze together for a photo. Matt Taylor-Gross Jeni Britton Bauer of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, SAVEUR Editor-in-Chief Adam Sachs, and Sean Feeney are a dapper trio. Matt Taylor-Gross SAVEUR Editor-in-Chief Adam Sachs and Park Hyatt Chicago chef Edward Sura catch up at the JBF Pregame Lounge. Matt Taylor-Gross Bien Cuit’s Zach Golper and Emily Luchetti give their drinks a pause to strike a pose. Matt Taylor-Gross SAVEUR Editor-in-Chief Adam Sachs and Chef’s Club International’s Dana Cowin are camera-ready at the Park Hyatt Chicago JBF Pregame Lounge. Matt Taylor-Gross Billy Harris and SAVEUR Editor-in-Chief Adam Sachs look dapper in their finest suits. Matt Taylor-Gross From left to right: Aldo Sohm of Le Bernardin and Aldo Sohm Wine Bar, Troy Weissman of Le Coucou, Markus Puereschitz of Park Hyatt New York, entrepreneur Damian Mogavero, and Lynne Bredfeldt, Senior Director of Public Relations for Park Hyatt New York & Chicago, are squad goals. Matt Taylor-Gross SAVEUR PR director Stefanie McNamara and The Door’s Jesse Gerstein help keep the event running smoothly, and with smiles. Matt Taylor-Gross Guests feasted on this elegant meat and cheese spread at the JBF Pregame Lounge. Matt Taylor-Gross Aperol and great views make for a intoxicating mix. Matt Taylor-Gross Who doesn’t love a good selfie? #JBFPregameLounge Matt Taylor-Gross Hello, mister bartender! Matt Taylor-Gross We loved Campari’s festive red hues at the JBF Pregame Lounge hosted with the Park Hyatt Chicago. Matt Taylor-Gross Pastry chef Emily Luchetti gets a blow out from the professionals at Mario Tricoci salon. Matt Taylor-Gross Hannah Hayes, travel editor at Southern Living and Jason Caslow, publicist at Polished Pig, work the camera with cheeky smiles. Matt Taylor-Gross Mikaela Reuben, private chef, gets her hair done at the Mario Tricoci blowout station. Matt Taylor-Gross Adam Sachs and Greg Baxtrom of Olmsted come together for a photo at the JBF Pregame Lounge. Matt Taylor-Gross Look at that grooming mise-en-place. Matt Taylor-Gross Guests walked away with some Wild Turkey bourbon-filled flasks for JBFA revelry. Matt Taylor-Gross
