Happy Holidays! Support CEL with your year-end giving!   CEL will be closed Dec. 22 – Jan. 4.

Chefs’ Night 2024

CEL members and staff posing at Chefs' Night.

Thank you to the hundreds of guests who joined us to support CEL members at our biggest fundraiser of the year!

We are thrilled to share that the event was a spectacular success. Your generosity and support helped us raise $574,760.38 plus $50,000 matching dollars from Jennifer and Vaughn Moore, for an impressive total of $624,760.38! This will fund CEL programs where people with developmental disabilities can experience all of life’s possibilities.

A heartfelt thank you to our benefactors, sponsors, donors, event committee, board of directors, and to Rob, Suzanne, and Thomas Aaron for sharing their story of how CEL has helped them navigate challenges and support Thomas in achieving multiple goals in his life.

If you didn’t have the opportunity to make a donation, you still have a chance to give.

Click to review a recap video of Chefs’ Night 2024!
A group of Chefs' Tasting Partners posing with CEL members.

Our amazing staff and volunteers created a powerful showcase of CEL’s impact at this event, and we appreciate the volunteers from CDW and AIT who show up every year to ensure that the space is beautiful and everything runs smoothly. We also want to extend our gratitude to our wonderful restaurants and drink purveyors who donated their time and costs as Tasting Partners, making the evening truly unforgettable. You can see all of our amazing supporters in our digital benefit book.

Finally, a big congratulations to D.M. with ticket #1090 for winning this year’s car raffle!

2024 Tasting Partners

Featured Chefs’ Night Videos:

Watch our video showcasing the impact you make by supporting CEL!

When someone with an intellectual/developmental disability reaches age 22, the support they received through the school system disappears. CEL is bridging that gap by providing programs and services that start at age 13.

Thank you to our generous Sponsors & Benefactors:

Platinum Sponsors

AbbVie logo
Arrow Logo
BlueStar Logo
Cleary Gottlieb Logo
The Slotnick Family Logo
White and Case logo
William Blair Logo

Gold Sponsors

  • Lane and Barbara Albanese
  • AMLI Residential
  • Barbara & Steve Anderson
  • Baker McKenzie
  • Barnes & Thornburg LLP
  • Blitt & Gaines, PC
  • Carolyn & John Borta
  • Cisco
  • Climb Channel Solutions
  • ELO Touch Solutions
  • Deb & Byron Holden
  • Ingram Micro
  • Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC
  • Lenovo
  • Morgan Lewis
  • Northbrook Bank & Trust Company
  • Palo Alto Networks
  • Jim & Patty Shanks
  • Sophos
  • TD SYNNEX

Silver Sponsors

  • AB Distributing, Inc.
  • Barilla America, Inc.
  • Joel & Sue Bersh / AIS
  • Betis Group
  • The Brody Family
  • Joan & Bradley Cannon
  • CEVA Logistics
  • Cozen O’Connor
  • Deloitte
  • Howard & Cheryl Diamond
  • Rob & Angela Dorsey
  • The Family of Jacob Epstein
  • First Bank of Chicago
  • Liquid PC LLC
  • Ma Labs, Inc.
  • Mayer Brown
  • Ray Nair
  • Akash Pathak & Molly Joyce
  • Peerless – AV
  • Polsinelli PC
  • Schneider Electric
  • Stetson Insurance Funding
  • Mike & Joyce Suchsland

Photography Sponsor:

Mindy Photographer Sponsor