chicago

Growing tired of your usual dinner-and-a-movie date? Mix it up this weekend and attend the 3rd annual Chicago Food Film Festival. The brainchild of George Motz, Travel Channel host and filmmaker, the festival will screen 17 films highlighting food and drink. There are 7 awards categories including: Best Feature, Best Short, Best Super-Short, Best Food Porn, Food Filmmaker of the Year, Best Film Made Locally, and Audience Choice Award.

I know what you’re thinking. It’s too early to talk about holiday stuff. Halloween just ended, right? Well you may not want to participate, but next thing you know, you’ll be hearing “Let it Snow” on LITE FM. In between searching for the perfect gifts for your loved ones, take a break to enjoy some Chicago holiday classics.

Jordan Lemick here- the representative from the Healthy Schools Campaign! I wanted to let you in on a great event that’s taking place this Friday. On November 9th at the Bridgeport Art Center, Chicago Public School students will be re-writing the recipe book for food that is served in our schools. Healthy Schools Campaign will bring fourteen Chicago Public Schools culinary teams to face off in a battle to create a gourmet healthy school lunch using only foods available to schools while following tight budgetary constraints.

History is not as dull as everyone though back in high school. Mainly because the Chicago History Museum is teaching you about Chicago through pub crawls. Finally! Mixing education with alcohol! Plus there are several different kinds of crawls you can go on. Let me tell you about a few of my favorites:

Handlebar, Magnum P.I., Easy Rider? What’s your mustache poison? Starting today, men all over the world unite to grow magnificent mustaches and raise money for men’s health initiatives such as prostate and testicular cancer every year during the month of November. This phenomenon is deemed “Movember” and adds a fancy little spin to the widely recognized and female adored “No Shave November” and has been sparking the interest of facial hair Aficionados everywhere.

The Chicago Comedy Film Festival got it’s start in 2011 when a few good funny people got together and realized that comedy hasn’t be equally recognized in the film scene. Aside from the usual drama shorts and films, most other pictures chosen to be included in film festivals consist of experimental works that give you a different perception on things. Emotional rollercoaster titles and pseudo intellectual ideals are great, but where are the laughs at these special events?

Are you blog curious? Want to know more about how to start (or improve!) your own blog? Shani Silver, former editor of Refinery29 Chicago and current Editorial Manager for clothing company Free People, is returning to Chi for ONE very special edition of her popular Dabble class, Blogging Basics.

Show the men what’s up the next time football come’s up in a conversation at the water cooler – throw the pom pom’s down and take charge, ladies!

On November 2nd, a fabulous ball will be held to commemorate and honor one of the art communities’ most valued and respected “outsider” artist. Cleo F. Wilson, a founding member of Intuit and former Executive Director of the company, also spent 25 years at Playboy Foundation while using her powers for good around the Chicago art community to inspire and encourage those around her. The philanthropist and art activist will receive the 2012 Visionary Award for her respected achieved efforts that have helped make Intuit the organization it is today. The organization I’m talking about is of course Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art. At Intuit, they strive to spread their mission of nurturing outsider, self-taught, and unconventional artists. The organization believes in all kinds of artists – whether they are outside of the normal realm of artistry, are self-taught artists or are classically trained.

If haunted houses aren’t your style, then perhaps you can be scared another way this weekend: with frighteningly awesome deals. Thanks to Gilt City Chicago, there are two ways you can get some amazing new clothes.