I arrived at the International Home Housewares Show (IHHS) hoping to get a few celebrity chef autographs and see a lot of intersting cooking products. 

After spending 2 days meeting several culinary icons and watching their live cooking demos I left smiling from ear to ear (like a boy eating his first bite of bacon).  I also checked out a lot of amazing cooking products and gourmet foods.

While walking into the show on Sunday, I realized it was quite bigger than I imagined. I spyed cookware and bakeware displays as far as my eyes could see, miles of shiny knives and cutlery, countless gadgets and culinary gizmos, kitchen appliances by the thousand, and several new products just hitting the market.

The IHHS is sponsored annually by the International Housewares Association and boasts 60,000 professional attendees, 2,000 exhibitors from over 35 countries, 15,000 U.S. buyers, and 6,000 international buyers from 100 countries on 6 continents.

The show was held at McCormick Place which is located only minutes from downtown Chicago. It is the nation’s largest convention center and attracts more than 3 million visitors annually, with four buildings and a combined total of 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space. 

The IHHS was divided into 4 expos:

• dine + design - cookware & bakeware, gourmet speciality foods & products, home decor, tabletop, kitchen accessories, industry service providers, and inventor’s corner
• wired + well - floor and carpet care, home healthcare, household electrics, kitchen electrics, major appliances, and personal care
• clean + contain - bath & shower accessories, children’s accessories cleaning products & supplies, furniture, hardware supplies, outdoor living, pet supplies, space organizaers & clothing care,
• global crossroads - international pavilions

I spent most of my time at the ” goho cooking theatre” fascinated by the cooking demos and chance to meet many of my favorite celebrity chefs.  

The cooking theatre was intimate and cozy, allowing spectators to see and smell everything that was going on while these incredible culinary icons showed off their talents and talked about their favorite food topics. 

A mirror stretched the length of the counter so I could see everything that was happening on top of the counter while they prepped and cooked.  Check out this “mirror view” of Todd English plating risotto made with beet juice…

The first cooking demo I eagerly watched was by Dale Levitsky demonstrating the finer points of carefully creating delicate gnocchi Parisienne.  Once a formidable opponent on Top Chef Season 3 Miami, he is now the Executive Chef at Sprout Restaurant in Chicago.

After his demo, I was able to meet Dale and he signed my copy of Top Chef The Cookbook inscribing “Brad, cook with love”. 

 I’ll definitely have to try Sprout Restaurant where Dale is creating soulful yet sophisticated comfort foods. 

Next I headed out to see Guy Fieri who was promoting his new line of Knuckle Sandwich Series Knives.

These stylish ergonomic knives debuted last fall on his Food Network show Guy’s Big Bite.  They have a black handle with a flame and star design, to cool!

Guy signed a picture inscribing ”Brad, off da hook” and I proudly told him that I had just bacon poached some creole spiced chicken wings.  He looked at me and said “that sounds really tasty!” before I thanked him and then I was swallowed by the excited crowd of gawkers trying to get a photo

I was able to get this picture when he first arrived.  My picture with Guy should be posted soon at Guyfieri.com

So much happened at the IHHS and I will write more soon about meeting Ming Tsai and how he fearlessly ate pork sashimi in Japan…

…getting an autograph from Cat Cora who has a new book coming out where she does classic recipes with a twist…

…watching Todd English cook carrots in carrot juice with ginger and honey…

…Morimoto filets a large fish in no time then creates fish noodles with fish bone broth..George Duran’s idea of comfort food with a twist…eating perfect fried chicken with Emeril’s zesty BBQ sauce made by Emeril himself…watching Rick Bayless create fresh chorizo verde with corn tortillas & tomatillo salsa…and much more.

Now it’s time to take the cover off my grill on this beautiful 60 degree day and get grillin’ again. 

Thanks for reading my blog!

Brad