interesting concept, and I wish you success.  I notice on your website that you seek to emphasize local, seasonal food, but that the June menu highlights tomatoes, corn, red peppers and root vegetables.  Any explanation for the apparent disconnect?

As it turned out, this was a charming event that did, as promised, focus on local, seasonal ingredients. The chef is very young and very excited about what he does (which goes a long way toward explaining his over-the-top effort to reach the entire Chicago food community). Because everything was purchased that morning (mostly at Green City Market), the actual menu differed from what was posted — as seems appropriate, given the stated goal. The food was generally quite good, with a few mis-steps. The incredibly fresh veggies, as well as some of the beautiful local cheeses, were highlights.

I might add that the new Kitchen Chicago space is, itself, another good reason to check out one of these dinners — a stunning venue that makes the most of bare brick, high ceilings, and huge windows (including amazing views of the city from the spacious, well-equipped kitchen).

Those of us who attended came away with varying levels of pleasure in the food, but with a universal appreciation for the energy, enthusiasm, and goals of the cook, and delight in the level of love and devotion of the friends and family who pitched in to help.

Andrew has a few lessons to learn — and who of us didn't at 23 — but he is clearly talented and excited about local ingredients, and I think it will be interesting to see how this develops. Of course, if you happen to also be an artist or musician, you might even want to participate, as the goal is to develop a community-building, all-in-one event with conversation, music, art, and more.

Don't go expecting Alinea. Do go expecting fresh local ingredients generally competently and sometimes quite imaginatively prepared, along with art, music, conversation, and a cheerful atmosphere. At $50, and byob, it's a good value.

Thanks for that bit of background, Melissa. I think the real problem was that LTH is not really the right audience for Andrew. He's looking to introduce people to stuff that is new and exciting if you're 23, but there aren't a whole lot of folks on LTH, at least not among those who regularly participate in discussions, who aren't already really familiar with (and possibly even using) most of the techniques he uses. Sous vide and maltodextrin are much more likely to be unfamiliar to diners in the age range of Andrew and his friends — people who are just beginning to get interested in something a bit more sophisticated. In other words, Andrew needs to attract new recruits, not veterans.

Maybe he could put up announcements at local business schools — that way he'd reach people who are still young, probably on a budget, but thinking that knowing something about food would be an asset when they hit the corporate world. And maybe at art schools, where they'd not only be young, but have something to contribute to the arts side of the evening. The city colleges might be a good choice, too.

When Gourmet and Food&Wine talk about “best young chefs,” they're talking about guys in their 30s. So Andrew has a way to go before he's going to impress people with a lot of food experience. However, I do think he has something to offer those who are just starting down the road to fine dining — a tasty, fun experience at an affordable price that can help them understand what's happening in the high end kitchens.