FROM LEFT: Mark Giangreco, Charlie Strong, Ron Lofton, MaryAnne Smith, Ken Norgan, Liz Thompson

Philanthropy
HOMETOWN HEROES

WHO: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana, which provides a place to stay for families of seriously ill children receiving hospital treatment
 

2010 HIGHLIGHT: Breaking ground on the largest Ronald McDonald House in the world, which will open at 211 E. Grand Avenue in 2012. Chicago was the ideal locale, says CEO Doug Porter, because
of its proximity to the new Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Prentice Women’s Hospital and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. “It’s rare to fi nd an area so densely populated with individual hospitals,” he says. “We recognized a big need here.” Towering 14 stories high and providing 86 rooms for families, including two floors dedicated to transplant patients, Porter says the house will meet the needs of the community, one of the most important
goals for the RMHC-CNI. “The hardest thing to do is to turn people away when there’s no room, but we believe that with the new facility, we won’t have to,” he says. “Our first objective is to keep families together during difficult times, and second, we want them to be comfortable and provide an uplifting environment. We hope to be a source of pride in the community.”

Rick Bayless

Food
CHEF SENSATION

WHO: Rick Bayless, owner of Frontera Grill, XOCO and Topolobampo

2010 HIGHLIGHT: Coming off last year’s Top Chef Masters win, Bayless has seen his profile continue to rise: His newest Chicago restaurant, XOCO, just celebrated its one-year anniversary; he has consulted on and designed the Mexican-based menu for Red O Restaurant in LA; and he hosted a White House state dinner for President Obama and Mexico’s president, Felipe Calderón. “I feel like the past year has been a whirlwind,” says Bayless. “It’s been a mixture of craziness and gratefulness. Winning Top Chef Masters was the highlight of my career, but I was also humbled and excited to cook at the state dinner.”

If that’s not enough, Bayless is opening two outposts in O’Hare terminals, a collaboration between Frontera Grill and Frontera Foods (his line of prepared items like jarred salsas), featuring Bayless classics like tortas, fresh guacamole and margaritas. “My goal is simple: I want to provide good food to eat at the airport and take on the plane with you,” he says. On the front burner: Bayless is hard at work on his 25th-anniversary restaurant book, to be released in 2012.