The Festival Is Back!
Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine and the Chicago French Market is proud to announce the 3rd Annual Pastoral's Artisan Producer Festival at the Chicago French Market from 11 AM to 3 PM on Saturday, April 27, 2013. This a FREE tasting and meet-the-maker event featuring producers of artisan cheese, bread, beer, wine, charcuterie, confections, and other food stuffs. Each year we are blown away by the support and enthusiasm of not just the producers that we and the other Chicago French Market vendors are proud to represent, but by the tremendous turn out by you, our loyal and wonderful customers. Watch last year's sneak preview below!
This year's festival features scores of producers in addition to tastings and demonstrations from a wide variety of your favorite Chicago French Market vendors.
We’re excited to be able to include cheese-makers from across the country, such as Capriole Goat Cheeses in Indiana, Alemar Cheese Company in Minnesota and Beecher's Handmade Cheese in Washington State!
In addition to cheese-makers and mongers from around the world, there will also be producers of beer, wine, and accoutrements. You'll meet confectioners, beer and spirit makers from right here in Chicago and around the world. The event will also feature artisan producers featured at Pastoral’s neighboring Chicago French Market vendors.
Event Schedule
North Concourse Stage Schedule
11:00 - 11:30: Welcome! Greg O’Neill co-owner and founder of Pastoral
11:30 - 12:00: Ari Weinzweig, Zingerman’s Founder: Cheese, Bacon & more!
12:00 - 1:00: ‘Butchering for a Better Barbeque’ featuring Charlie McKenna from Lillie’s Q, Rob Levitt from Butcher & Larder and Brady Lowe founder of COCHON 555 breaking down a Heritage pig
1:00 - 1:30: Remarks by Chicago French Market owners/founders Pascale Bensidoun (Bensidoun USA) & Bob Wislow (US Equities)
1:30 - 2:00: Bello Tea “Art of Matcha” demonstation. Come learn how to make your favorite, heart healthy, memory boosting, cancer fighting and antioxidant rich tea
2:00 - 2:30: Culture Magazine ‘Best of Fest’ winners announced
2:30 - 3:00: Farewell!
Pastoral created its Artisan Producer Festival as part of the company’s mission to make buying and eating great food and wine a fun, inviting and educational experience for everyone. Many of the products featured at Pastoral’s Artisan Producer Festival are sold in the Midwest exclusively at Pastoral.
Pastoral would like to thank the Chicago French Market for their continued support co-producing this event. We would like to thank our sponsors including the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, the Specialty Foods Association, Superior Knife , and Alliance as well as our media sponsors Culture Magazine and Edible Chicago .
Check out the list of attending producers this year here.
We look forward to celebrating with you in April!