Vincent Lai, director of culinary operations at McCormack Place.
Photo: courtesy NBC Chicago
NBC Chicago has a video piece on how Chef Vincent Lai, director of culinary services at McCormack Place, plans to feed NATO delegates and staff during this weekend’s summit. Lai, who commands a staff of 400 to 500 (larger than the armies of some attending countries, we suspect), will be cranking out meals 24 hours a day for the 19,000 expected attendees. Although some of what will be on offer will include (as anyone who’s been to the Auto Show knows) deep dish pizza, hot dogs and Italian beef, his main focus will be on what’s plainly “contemporary American” food, often using midwestern ingredients such as whitefish and Latino flavors such as pasilla chiles.
