Mod Mex & Mod Mix With Rick Bayless

I’m no Chef and it’d be a cold day in hell before anyone considered me a ‘foodie’ but I’ll be damned if I’m going to turn down the opportunity to attend what I know to be Chicago’s best kept (practically) secret culinary event.
This was my second year attending this astoundingly intimate educational course and tasting event hosted by Rick Bayless himself with help from a handful of renowned Chefs that changes each year from Mexico, NYC, and Chicago as back-​up.
The once a year event takes place at Kendall College and utilizes one of their extraordinary demo classrooms with auditorium-​style seating, as well as a large banquet area where post-​demos you get to taste all of the demo recipes and drink yourself silly with some very strong and very scientific cocktails.
My Dad is a big Bayless fan, so he does all the legwork to secure tickets to this event, which are unbelievably nominal for an event of this caliber, which runs a full 8-​hours from breakfast, to demos, to tasting, to Q&A and only holds somewhere between 75 – 100 people with everyone leaving with comfortably full stomachs and a delightful buzz (and then some) from the booze.
The basic concept of the event is simple: «Four chefs. Four styles. One cuisine. At this friendly face-​off, each chef defends his vision of Mexican cooking while the event emcee referees. Includes food, beverages, cooking demonstrations, tastings of tequila, wines and more!»
As previously noted, I’m no Chef. I’m often scrutinized as the worst cook in the world, constantly have my everyday diet compared to that of an 8-​year-​old boy, and since living on my own I’d estimate that on average I consistently give myself food poisoning 4.5 times a week. In a few years I will have developed either the foremost or most fragile immune system in North America.
This information is relevant because even though I have no interest and get no joy from cooking, I always manage to stay glued to the presenters, techniques, anecdotal stories, and of course the food and beverage prepared by each of the Chefs, Mixologists, and brands represented at the event. This event appeals to all.
In addition to getting to learn a thing or two and eat and drinks all the goodies, you get meet all the Chefs and moving parts involved, take pics, and in some cases you’re even personally served by the Chef himself, which is an honor that none should take lightly.
The cost of the event is almost unbelievable. The first I’d guess around 75 – 80 people were there for the demos through to the tastings and I was told that was the sold out event. This year, shockingly, the event didn’t sell out and when the demos began that morning there were maybe 60 people there, all getting this one-​on-​one face time with every Chef and vendor. The cost of the event the first year was (are you sitting down? Because you aren’t going to believe me when I tell you)… $ 75 a person. The cost this year was slightly elevated at $ 95 a person, but still grossly below market value given the full day of demos, world-​class food, drinks, and getting to meet culinary genius’ at work in an intimate and relaxed environment.
(and I’ll be real, I never wrote a review of this before because I wanted to be sure I could secure a ticket for myself in the following years, and only now that I’ve moved out of state do I feel comfortable enough to share this opportunity to the masses… or like maybe 4 people who glance at my writes.
The first year’s event was nothing short of spectacular and yet they still found ways to improve and blow it out of the water with this year’s event, this time emceed my WGN’s Ana Belaval, who was a great addition and obviously impressed Chef Bayless to almost beyond words with her seamless segues and constant but warranted stream of comments, questions, and general banter. I wouldn’t be surprised if she became a constant for this event in the future given the level she took the event to in 2014.
The 2013 line-​up was as follows…
Rick Bayless (Frontera, Chicago)
Alex Stupak (Empellón, NYC)
Carlos Gaytan (Mexique, Chicago)
Jorge Vallejo (Quintonil, Mexico City)
Emcee: Peter Sagal, of NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!
Jordan Johnston (Frontera mixologist, Chicago)
Wahaka Espadin Joven mezcal
Wines of Mexico
The 2014 line-​up was as follows…
Rick Bayless
Curtis Duffy (Grace — Chicago)
Fany Gerson (La Newyorkina, NYC)
Pablo Salas (Amaranta Restaurant, Mexico City)
Dave Arnold (Booker and Dax –cocktails, NYC)
Joseph Mortera (Cocktail developer, Mexico City)
Jay Schroeder (Frontera mixologist, Chicago)
Emcee Ana Belaval, of WGN
The caliber of this annual event is nothing short of impeccable, full of moments made into memories with a robust cast of colorful culinary characters and priced so modestly that I felt it totally reasonable to fly back to Chicago from San Francisco for the weekend, just to attend this event. Worth every penny, plane, train, and automobile it took to get to Mod Mex with Rick Bayless.