The Chopping Blog

As the buyer for The Chopping Block, I shop for the fall and winter Holiday season all year long.  Hence, when it’s time for me to do my Holiday gift buying there’s not much in stores I haven’t already seen. It’s for this reason and many more that I love the One of a Kind Show held at the Merchandise Mart December 2^nd thru the 5th.  The One of a Kind Show is a large indoor gift show for the public that features an endless selection of handcrafted items created by talented artists and craftspeople. This year there will be more than 600 artists from across North America bringing their imaginative and handmade creations to Chicago.

The One of a Kind Show has become a Holiday tradition for me.  I save up all my pennies and shop for everyone on my Holiday gift giving list at the show. Everything at this show is unique, special and not seen around town.  I have indulged in jewelry, scarves, framed artwork, fancy hats, pewter ornaments, artisanal serving pieces, pickled vegetables, salsass and even a lamp.  I never know what I am looking for, and yet I know instantly when I have found it.

The Chopping Block has participated in the One of A Kind Show every year since it has been in Chicago.  We present some of our favorite Holiday ingredients, candies, scrumptious gifts and truly one of a kind culinary finds.  This year Aunt Else aebleskivers will be doing live cooking demonstrations all weekend long.  What is an aebleskiver?  It’s a traditional Danish spherical pastry, somewhat similar in taste and texture to an American pancake, but light and fluffy like a popover.  Stop by our booth to see them made hot and fresh for you to taste.

We will be featuring Hammonds Candies hand pulled artisanal candy canes, rich and silky hot cocoa and fun peppermint straws.  For those looking for a truly Chicago style gift we will have Pizzeria Uno deep dish pizza pan sets and  Chicago’s very own Terry’s Toffee will be sampling out their many tempting toffee flavors on Saturday from 12pm to 2pm.  For those of you who have visited us at the show before, don’t worry, we wouldn’t forget our truffle salt and popcorn or our pantry staple Cream of Balsamic vinegar.

The Chopping Block will have free passes to the One of a Kind Show in our Merchandise Mart location while supplies last. Stop by and fuel up on our sumptuous treats while you peruse the wonderful finds of a truly unique One of a Kind Show.

One of A Kind Show Hours:

Thursday, December 2nd 12–9 pm: Opening Day

Friday, December 3rd  11 am – 9 pm

Saturday, December 4th  10 am – 7 pm

Sunday, December 5th  10 am – 5 pm

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Liz Songer, Buyer for The Chopping Block always knew she would somehow end up in the culinary industry. Having grown up with parents deeply entrenched in the restaurant franchise business; you could say it was inevitable. She has been selecting the tools, cookware, knives, cutting boards’ cookbooks, ingredients and fun gadgets for our students and customers for 8 years. She feels honored to contribute to the Chopping Block and deeply believes in the company’s mission of Getting the County to Cook. Cooking has always been at the heart of her family and she believes in getting cooking into the hearts of your family. Liz loves her vegetable garden, laughing with her friends, Santa Fe, green beans, and turquoise but she hates deviled eggs!

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Tags: aebleskiver, Aunt Else, Hammonds Candies, Merchandise Mart, One of a kind show, Pizzeria Uno, Terry's Toffee

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