Jimmy Bannos Jr and Jimmy Bannos Sr team up | ABC7 Chicago

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By ABC7

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

They are joining forces with more than a dozen other local chefs raising money to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The Four Stars of Chicago's 16th Annual Restaurant Extravaganza takes place on Wednesday, May 19.

Since 1994, Chicago chefs, working with the Four Stars Executive Committee, have raised than $5 million for the renowned children's hospital. Jimmy Bannos Sr ( www.heavenonseven.com) is the honorary chef and host of this year's benefit dinner. He will be joined by chefs from other local restaurants including his son, Jimmy Bannos Jr (thepurplepigchicago.com); Piccolo Sogno; RA Sushi; Russian Tea Time; Wildfire; Coco Pazzo; Shula's Steakhouse; Dinotto Ristorante; Roy's Hawaiian Fusion; Phoenix; Tocco; Café Ba Ba Reeba!; Mon Ami Gabi; Texas de Brazil, and Prosecco.

The benefit will include cocktails and a silent auction beginning at 5:45 p.m. at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers, 301 East North Water St. Chicago. The program and dinner start at 7 p.m. For tickets, call (773) 784-6704 or visit www.stjude.org/fourstarschicago.

ABOUT ST. JUDE'S

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Founded by late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tennessee, St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. No family ever pays for treatments not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization. Children from all 50 states and from around the world have come through the doors of St. Jude for treatment, and thousands more around the world have benefited from the research conducted at St. Jude – research that is shared freely with the global medical community. Working together under one roof, our physicians and scientists have pioneered treatments that have helped push the overall survival rates for childhood cancers from less than 20 percent when the hospital opened in 1962 to more than 70 percent today. The survival rate for the most common form of childhood cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, has risen from just 4 percent in 1962 to 94 percent today.

DISHES FEATURES ON ABC 7 BY JIMMY BANNOS SR AND JIMMY BANNOS JR

Farro with Spring Peas and Feta

Farro is tossed with spring peas, Feta Cheese, chopped oregano, mint, parsley, finished with lemon vinaigrette.

Salt-roasted Beets with Whipped Goat Cheese and Pistachio Vinaigrette

Red beets salt roasted tossed with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Pistachios and olive oil served in a bowl coated with the whipped goat cheese.

Fava Beans with Hard Boiled Eggs and Crispy Prosciutto

Blanched Fava Beans are tossed with grated hard boiled eggs, shaved red onion, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, topped with crispy prosciutto (sliced prosciutto that's been deep fried and broken into pieces).

Olive oil-Poached Tuna with Greek Lima Beans:

Tuna loin cut into 2 inch chunks, dusted with fennel pollen and salt, and slow poached in olive oil garlic, bay leaves, chili flakes, thyme, parsley stems, rosemary, oregano and lemon peel then combined with lima beans cooked in mirepoix (onions, carrots, celery), garlic, pancetta, sage, and rosemary tossed with shaved red onion, parsley, reserved tuna cooking oil, lemon juice, chili flakes, and fennel pollen.

FOUR STARS OF CHICAGO RESTAURANT EXTRAVAGANZA

5:45 p.m.
Wednesday, May 19
Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers
301 East North Water St. Chicago
stjude.org