Gearing up for The Hashbrown on Saturday, March 19, we introduce Tanner Woodford of The Chicago Design Museum. As a community-focused organization, the Chicago Design Museum brings together volunteers from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to produce dynamic exhibitions, workshops and events that define, celebrate and explore our collective relationship to design. Get your tickets to the 2016 Hashbrown Chili Cook-Off to see how well they do!
Organization: The Chicago Design Museum
Guest Chef: Tanner Woodford, Co-founder and Executive Director
SPC: What’s the backstory behind the museum? How did it get started?
Tanner: The museum started in Phoenix in 2011 as a collaborative effort, and a point of inspiration for designers who were traveling to Phoenix from around the globe for Pivot, the AIGA National Conference. In 2012, it moved to Chicago, under the leadership of Tanner Woodford. The Chicago debut was in the form of a pop-up exhibition in an 6,000 square-foot warehouse in Humboldt Park. Today, we have a permanent location in the Block 37 building.
SPC: How would you describe your role at the museum?
Tanner: Custodian and wrangler.
SPC: If your organization had a spirit animal, what would it be?
Tanner: The small but mighty ant. They’re eager to mobilize, intelligent, and the ultimate team player!
SPC: Can we leak any details about what our guests can expect to find in your crockpot on March 19?
Tanner: Our secret ingredient is sweet Kentucky Bourbon.
SPC: Yum! Final question: What is a tagline that could represent BOTH Chicago Design Museum AND your chili?
Tanner: Youthful, complex, and intriguing.
Tanner’s Favorites:
Favorite Chef: Jason Hammel
Best Cookbook: YouTube videos all day long.
Favorite Restaurant: dos Urban Cantina
Favorite Type of Bean: Kopi luwak
Favorite Recipe: If we win the cook off, we’ll gladly share the chili recipe.