RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

“It’s really amazing to think that this fundraiser started with a group of women inviting their friends to someone’s kitchen—to see how that family lived and raise money for their community’s hospital,” observes Erica Chesney, one of the three co-chairs for the 2023 Cooks’ Tour. “This is the 52nd year of this event and it’s incredible to think that at its core, this event hasn’t changed very much.”

North Shore Cooks’ Tour is a project of The Auxiliary of the Woman’s Board of RUSH University Medical Center. The Auxiliary and the Woman’s Board support the medical center’s outstanding patient care, research, and community outreach initiatives in the diverse communities that RUSH serves. In addition, they provide support and guidance to the Rush Junior Board, an active board of high school girls on Chicago’s North Shore. The Auxiliary also supports the Simpson Academy for Young Women’s mission to educate and empower young mothers to prepare them for success in college, career, and life.

“This year’s event has a little bit of a twist,” says co-chair Tracey Lowry, who joined the board a year ago at the urging of Chesney. “Coming out of COVID, we realized that families are living in their homes differently than they were before. For this reason, we’re highlighting the homes of four very different—yet relatable— entrepreneurial women.”

Guests of the Cooks’ Tour will get a peek inside four impressive North Shore homes: a grand Georgian owned by the founder of a bespoke textile company; a 100-year-old home that has been lovingly restored by a recognized travel consultant; a celebrated interior designer’s reimagined 1960s colonial; and newly constructed modern farmhouse that was specifically designed for a woman who specializes in family therapy.

“It was so nice to work around this theme—to find these women entrepreneurs who were willing to open their homes for a good cause,” Lowry adds. “It is a big ask when we approach a homeowner to participate in Cooks’ Tour. It’s a vulnerable thing to have 700 people walk through a home that you have created for your family. But everyone has been so lovely and easy to work with.”

While each of these homes is vastly different from the others, there are some notable trends.

“You will see home offices, upstairs playrooms for the children, elaborate entertainment spaces in the basements for the adults, and pools,” adds co-chair Molly Foster, who served on the Junior Board for RUSH when she was in high school. “Everyone has a pool.”

It takes a village to pull off an event like Cooks’ Tour, and the planning committee is filled with gratitude for the support it has received from the entire Auxiliary Board. The women of the Auxiliary Board continue a proud tradition of supporting the work of RUSH University Medical Center. RUSH is making concentrated investments in the areas most likely to improve the health of our region, including:

• Care and research in cancer, bone and joint, and the neurosciences;
• Education and career pathways to strengthen its healthcare workforce;
• Health equity initiatives to narrow Chicago’s life expectancy gap; and
• Medical innovation to transform access, outcomes, and patient experience.

“We’re thrilled to have Dr. Omar Lateef speak at our luncheon this year,” Foster says of RUSH’s new president and CEO who will speak at the Cooks’ Tour luncheon at Skokie Country Club. “He will share how the money we raise makes a difference across all of these pillars. Dr. Lateef is an engaging speaker and will share some inspiring stories of RUSH’s work in acute care.”

Chesney, Lowry, and Foster want guests to make the connection between the Cooks’ Tour and those it benefits. “We’re not just visiting pretty houses,” Chesney reflects. “We’re making a real impact on people’s lives. There is a reason this event is 52 years strong, it’s a special day raising money for a life-changing cause.”

For more information, visit nscookstour.org.