RICK BAYLESS, BROOKFIELD ZOO TEAM UP FOR COLLABORATION DINNER

RICK BAYLESS, BROOKFIELD ZOO TEAM UP FOR COLLABORATION DINNER
Celebrity chef brings Frontera Grill to the suburbs to support local farms & animal conservation
CHICAGO — Superstar chef Rick Bayless is bringing the iconic Mexican flavors of Frontera Grill to Brookfield
Zoo for a once-in-a-lifetime, family-style charity dinner benefitting the chef’s Frontera Farmer Foundation.
“We are all about the collaborative spirit, so bringing our restaurant experience to unexpected places like Brookfield
Zoo will be thrilling for us—and completely unforgettable for guests,” said Bayless, whose iconic Chicago
restaurants (Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, Xoco and Bar Sotano), cookbooks and TV show have won the culinary
industry’s top awards.
The dinner takes place 6-10:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7 at Brookfield Zoo, 8400 W. 31st St. in Brookfield.
General admission tickets cost $325 and include cocktails and appetizers, a special family-style outdoor dinner, full
bars and up-close animal experiences. VIP ticketholders ($500) will have access to a live cooking demo and meet-
and-greet with Rick Bayless, plus a signed cookbook and private up-close animal experiences.
Tickets are available by emailing: [email protected]
In addition to the benefitting Bayless’ foundation, proceeds are also headed to the Chicago Zoological Society’s
animal conservation efforts.
“Brookfield Zoo is thrilled to be partnering with Chef Rick Bayless for a night celebrating Midwestern bounty,
incredible culinary talent, and a chance to give back through the Frontera Farmer Foundation and Chicago
Zoological Society’s animal conservation efforts. The setting of the historic Brookfield Zoo, and the up close animal
encounters aim to provide a truly unique experience that one won’t find anywhere else in the city of Chicago,” said
general manager of the SSA Group at Brad Robertson.
Formed by Rick Bayless and his wife Deann in 2003, the nonprofit Frontera Farmer Foundation awards capital
development grants to small family farms in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan. Since its inception, it has
awarded nearly $3 million in grants to more than 200 farms for improvements like the installation of new irrigation
systems and hoop houses, purchase of tractors and delivery trucks and construction of barns and packing houses.
Frontera Grill debuted in 1987 in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, bringing regional Mexican cuisine to the
forefront and earning international acclaim, including the James Beard Foundation’s “Outstanding Restaurant”
award and a designation from Michelin as a “Bib Gourmand,” offering good quality at a good value.
The Chicago Zoological Society is a private nonprofit organization that operates Brookfield Zoo on land owned by
the Forest Preserves of Cook County. The Society is known throughout the world for its international role in animal
population management and wildlife conservation. Its Center for the Science of Animal Care and Welfare is at the
forefront of animal care that strives to discover and implement innovative approaches to zoo animal management.
Brookfield Zoo is the first zoo in the world to be awarded the Humane Certified™ certification mark for the care
and welfare of its animals, meeting American Humane Association’s rigorous certification standards.