Battle of the Chefs, a cooking team competition in downtown Flossmoor, is set to return on the evening of Saturday, July 11. The event will raise funds for the iCan Dream Center in Tinley Park and the Center for Food Equity in Medicine (CFFEIM) in Flossmoor.
The first Battle of the Chefs was in 2021. It’s been held every year since, except in 2025, when it was canceled due to construction in downtown Flossmoor. The event is held under a tent in front of Dunning’s Market at 1050 Sterling Ave.
Battle of the Chefs has always been a fundraiser for the iCan Dream Center, a nonprofit that empowers kids with autism and intellectual disabilities and helps neurodivergent young adults transition into adulthood.
This year will be the first Battle of the Chefs to raise funds for the CFFEIM, a nonprofit that organizes community pop-ups and delivers food to families struggling with cancer and other life-altering health conditions.
Maureen Mader, Dunning’s Gourmet Market & Deli owner, Flossmoor Business Association president, and Battle of the Chefs organizer, previously has raised funds for CFFEIM at the annual Soup’s On for Equity event at Flossmoor Community House.
Mader said she decided to make the Battle of Chefs a fundraiser for the CFFEIM after someone close to her was affected by cancer.
Mader said she was already “personally connected” with the iCan Dream Center’s mission because her son, local artist Nico Martinez, is autistic. She said the CFFEIM’s mission became “near and dear” to her, too.
With two nonprofits involved this year, speeches will likely be spread out throughout the evening instead of just at the end, Mader said.
The event will feature the same competing teams as previous years, Team Dunning’s and Team 3v3.
“Both teams were excited to come back and go for one last battle, since we are tied at two (wins) apiece,” Mader said.
Team Dunning’s includes Mader and Chef Won Kim, the co-owner of Kimski, a Korean-Polish fusion restaurant on Chicago’s South Side, and other chefs from the Chicago Southland.
Team 3v3 includes Chef Jerome Brown, a personal chef who has appeared on Food Network, and celebrity chefs Ricky Simpson Jr. and Sondra Rhodes.
The two teams will have the same surprise batch of seven ingredients, and they’ll open it simultaneously. Both teams have the same spices and oils. Every ingredient must be used during the competition.
“You’ve got to know how to cook,” Mader said. “That’s what makes it fun.”
Both teams have exactly 45 minutes to cook a dish using all of the ingredients. A panel of judges determines the winning team.
While Battle of the Chefs is free to watch, if an attendee wants to receive gourmet appetizers, cooked by participating chefs and signature cocktails, they must purchase a ticket from Dunning’s Market. A bar will be set up outside where attendees can purchase additional drinks.
The band Return2Soul is set to perform, Mader said.
Attendees can purchase Battle of the Chefs tickets on the Dunning’s Market website, under the Events tab.
