LOGAN SQUARE — A pair of award-winning Logan Square chefs are using their culinary talents to raise money for their kids’ neighborhood school.

As part of Brentano Elementary School’s third annual auction, Jason Vincent, chef/partner at Giant, and Diana Dávila, chef/owner of Mi Tocaya, are auctioning off a special private dinner.

“It’s really incredible that two Food & Wine best new chefs both have kids in second grade at the same school. … We were like, we gotta do something,” Vincent said.

The winner will get a private dinner in his or her Chicagoland home for up to 10 people curated and prepared by Vincent and Dávila. Full in-home catering service will be provided. Bidding will start at $1,000. All proceeds will go to Brentano Elementary.

Both Giant and Mi Tocaya have appeared on Bon Appetit’s best new restaurant list and 2019 Michelin Bib Gourmand list. Vincent is a James Beard Foundation semi-finalist and Dávila is a finalist.

Giant serves elevated Midwestern fare with a focus on farm fresh vegetables, while Mi Tocaya is all about traditional Mexican food with bold flavors.

The dinner, valued at $5,000, is just one of more than 100 activities and items available for auction as part of Brentano’s fundraising effort.

The elementary school at 2723 N. Fairfield Ave. is auctioning off tickets to Riot Fest and Cubs games, gift cards to local businesses like Damn Fine Coffee and City Lit Books and massages and dog grooming services, among many other things.

The auction kicks off at noon May 2 and goes until 8 p.m. May 6.

Friends of Brentano, the group putting on the auction, is hosting “a night of drinks, bites and bidding” 6-9 p.m. May 3 at The Old Plank, 2700 N. Milwaukee Ave. Tickets ($20) are now available online.

For those who can’t make the event, the group will be accepting bids online. Follow Friends of Brentano on Facebook for a link to the website once it goes live.

Last year’s auction raised about $15,000, which went toward improving the school’s gymnasiums.

The money raised this year will go toward improving the school’s auditorium which is in need of new lighting, AV equipment and better soundproofing materials, according to Colin Parks-Fried, vice president of Friends of Brentano.

“With the auction we pick one big thing and use those funds to make one big improvement to the school,” Parks-Fried said.

Parks-Fried said they’d love to be able to raise as much as $40,000 this year to cover the cost of new sound equipment, but “anything over that $15,000 is going to make a significant difference to the auditorium.”

The dinner could help make that dream a reality.

“Everybody’s really excited about [the dinner]. We have a number of parents who are trying to scheme to figure out a way to bid on it,” Parks-Fried said with a laugh.



Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor or donating an item for the auction should email BrentanoAuction@gmail.com.

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