Courtesy of fete night market
Monday, 4/1: Don your Cubs or White Sox gear to buy one cupcake and get one free at Sprinkles (50 E. Walton St., 312-573-1600). No fooling!
Thursday, 4/4, through Sunday, 4/7: Celebrate Chicago food and design at Fête, beginning with a night market on Thursday at Room 1520 (1520 W. Fulton St., 312-952-1520). A glass of Virtue Cider or 5 Rabbit beer comes with the $5 admission fee, and along the way you’ll find pop-ups from Ruxbin and Trenchermen, empanadas from La Sirena Clandestina, and sweet treats from Blackbird. See the Fête website for a full event schedule.
Friday, 4/5: Prep your palate for Baconfest (April 20) with a Wine and Swine dinner at 2 Sparrows (553 W. Diversey Pkwy., 773-234-2320). Starting at 7 p.m., the dinner includes four porky courses, including wild boar sausage, pork belly, and a pineapple cupcake with candied bacon. $60 with wine pairings; call for reservations.
Sunday, 4/7: Splurge for the common good—Common Threads, that is, a nonprofit founded by the chef Art Smith (Table Fifty-Two) to educate children about healthy living through food. BellyQ (1400 W. Randolph St., 312-563-1010) will co-host a “Fashion Rocks” charity event from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. that includes cooking stations and passed appetizers from Spiaggia, Carriage House, GT Fish & Oyster Bar, and others. For tickets, $150, and more information, click here.
All month: Save room for more cupcakes. Magnolia Bakery (108 N. State St., 312-346-7777) has teamed up with the Michael J. Fox Foundation to donate part of every sale ($1.75 from each $3.75 cupcake) to Parkinson’s disease research.