Joliet fundraiser offers best bourbons, ‘wurst’ food to help veterans

Come enjoy “Brats Bourbon, and Brews” on Aug. 23 and help provide service dogs to veterans.

Tom Grotovsky, owner of Great American Bagel in Joliet, founded the nonprofit Brats, Bourbon, and Brews in 2018, which hosts the fundraiser with the same name.

The goal this year is to donate $25,000 to VIP Service Dog Foundation to supply five service dogs to five veterans, Grotovsky said.

“It’s just a great community event,” Grotovsky said. “Nothing pretentious about it, just a fun evening of doing good things for the community we all live and work in.”

Grotovsky said the 21 and up event will feature 33 different bourbons to sample, such as Heaven’s Door, Espy’s, Widow Jane and Smokewagon as well as “all kinds of beer.”

Brats, Bourbon, and Brews will also include a bratwurst competition, where local professional and amateur chefs will vie for the “wurst” chef in Will County, he said.

“We give then a golden bratwurst trophy just to have a little fun with it,” Grotovsky said.

Tickets are $50.

“Unless we sell out, you can buy them at the door,” Grotovsky said.

Grotovsky said all proceeds benefit the community. No one in the nonprofit benefits from the event, he said.

“None of the money goes to salaries or anything else besides expenses and the people in need,” Grotovsky said.

Why start a nonprofit?

As a business owner in Joliet, Grotovsky said he wants to support the community that supports him.

“I saw a need in the community for help in different situations,” Grotovsky said. “So we started out with doing things for some of the social service organizations around here in Joliet.”

Grotovsky said the fundraiser began as a small “men’s night out” event. Guests brought a donation for a local homeless mission and enjoyed bourbon and brew in return, he said.

The nonprofit has since helped local organizations in a variety of ways. This included giving canned foods to MorningStar Mission in Joliet to donating $10,000 to the Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66 in Joliet to help provide restrooms on the first floor, Grotovsky said.

Grotovsky said helping the community makes him feel good.

“I want to have some legacy in my family for my son to look at when I pass and say, ‘Wow, my dad did good things for the community,” Grotovsky said. “I care about the city of Joliet. It’s a great city.”

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Brats, Bourbon, and Brews

WHEN: 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 23

WHERE: Jacob Henry Mansion, 20 S. Eastern Ave. in Joliet

ETC: Bratwurst by local chefs, samples of high quality bourbons and brews, live music. Proceeds benefit VIP Service Dog Foundation.

TICKETS: $50. Bought at bratsbourbonbrews.org.

INFO: Email bratsbourbanbrewsd@gmail.com and vipservicedogfoundation.com.