On Tuesday, April 15, our CEO Herb Washington and CEL Member Jay S. made an appearance on the “Midday Fix” segment of WGN News to talk about our Chefs’ Night fundraiser and Car Raffle coming up on May 5!

“I love CEL and I love Chefs’ Night,” Jay said. “I had so much fun being on TV to talk about my friends and all the best people at CEL. They’re so unbelievably good to me.”

Jay, who has been a CEL member since 2007, enjoys programs ranging from annual dances to the REACH Day Program and excursions all over Chicagoland. He gave a shout out to his best friend Jeff S. (also a CEL member) and to his friends in REACH, who were watching back at CEL and cheering him on.

The visual highlight of the segment was a scrumptious selection of food from some of our Tasting Partners who will be present at the event. Three Tarts Bakery provided an assortment of sweets, Hirsch’s North Shore Private Chef and Catering shared their Chicken Milanese Sliders, Grill House Northbrook provided Chicken Skewers and Spinach Pie Spanakopita, Toasty Cheese Mobile Eatery had their beloved Grilled Cheese Tomato Bisque Shooters, North Shore Distillery shared Twisted Citrus Vodka and Gin No. 6, and West Town Bakery / Fifty/50Group had a bright pink cake, cake balls, and bruschetta. We thanked the WGN Newsroom with the treats after the segment wrapped and they loved it all.

If you think everything looked good, you should taste how right you are! Be sure to come to Chefs’ Night to try it all along with 20 other great Tasting Partners, all listed here, and all of whom donate their food and time to the event:

Also donated are several silent auction items, including a Food Truck Party from Toasty Cheese Mobile Eatery, Chef Tasting at Bar Siena North Shore and Skyline Flight, Paintings done by CEL Members, a Firehouse tour, vacation to Breckenridge, Basket of gift cards and items from tasting partners, and a Bears game with tailgating, among other things.

“Chefs’ Night is a celebration of our entire community,” said CEO Herb Washington. “Sponsors make a huge difference for CEL, as Chefs’ Night is our biggest fundraiser. The restaurants show their support by donating their food and time to CEL to support people with disabilities, and everyone who walks through the door is supporting the important programs and services that CEL provides. Together we break down barriers so everyone can experience true belonging.”

One of the most exciting moments at Chefs’ Night is the drawing of our grand prize winner from the Car Raffle for a 2025 Ford Mustang EcoBoost Fastback or $30,000 cash, provided in partnership with Gillespie Ford. Only 1,299 tickets will be sold and can be purchased here for $100 each or 3/$275.

We are grateful to WGN for having us to discuss CEL and Chefs’ Night. Our CEL group felt very welcomed by Krissy the producer and Midday Anchors Patrick and Dina, and we had a blast with all of you!

As Herb said on the show, “When you come to Chefs’ Night, you’re guaranteed to leave the night with a full belly and also full of hope.”