Farmers' Market hosting Pie Bake-Off

Melissa Elsmo makes you believe you can enjoy every meal just as she does: fully and enthusiastically. A trained chef and ardent foodie, Mel’s passion for a good meal peppers her life. She is a regular food columnist for Chicago Tribune Media newspapers, reaching more than 500,000+ readers in the Chicago area via print and on the web. As part of Chicago’s underground supper club scene, she creates intimate 12-course dining experiences featuring her own recipes and artful approach to plating. Guests currently wait patiently for a seat around her table, but savvy food lovers can locate her at pop-up events around the city. Additionally, Mel is a passionate volunteer and frequently uses her kitchen talents to assist local philanthropic organizations with their fundraising efforts.

David Hammond is Dining and Drinking Editor at Chicago’s Newcity magazine, and a frequent contributor of food and travel articles to the Chicago Tribune, Plate, Spoonful and other publications. In 2004, he co-founded LTHForum.com, the 15,000 member Chicago food chat site; for several years he wrote the “Food Detective” column in the Sun-Times; he hosted two seasons of “Soundbites” on Chicago Public Radio and two seasons of “You Really Should Eat This,” a television series done in conjunction with the Village of Oak Park, where he lives and contributes a weekly food column to Oak Park’s Wednesday Journal. 

Walt is a Principal and founding member of Aria Group, a local Oak Park architecture and design firm with restaurant projects both nationally and internationally. Walt heads up the team that brought Nando’s to the Chicago area (including the Oak Park location) and who recently remodeled Rick Bayless’s Topolobampo. Walt and his family are long-time Oak Park residents. In his spare time, he is involved with the Oak Park Education Foundation’s innovative Vex Robotics Competition.
It is difficult to be involved in creating exciting restaurant spaces without also being interested in good food and cooking. Walt likes pie and considers himself to be an amateur chef. He has had on the spot training cooking Italian food with local chefs in Italy where his mom comes from. And of course he learned a great deal from the best, his Mom! He is also part owner of  a new concept, Pizzeria Bonci that just opened in the west Loop. Walt is looking forward to tasting the best pies Oak Park has to offer.

Milo Purrenhage is 13 years old, and is an eighth-grader at Percy Julian Middle School. He plays the bass at School of Rock and enjoys cooking, woodworking, archery, and art. His favorite pie flavor is key lime.