Check Please!

More people have won a Nobel Prize than have passed the infamously challenging exam to become a Master Sommelier, and Alpana Singh is the youngest woman to have ever passed, when she was 26. She discusses the rigors of the exam and what draws people to the wine world. 

"For me, sustainability is developing and training the largest sum of African American and brown young men and women that I can possibly find," says chef Erick Williams, who has recently garnered national acclaim for his new Hyde Park restaurant, Virtue.

Food halls are proliferating in Chicago – why are they suddenly so popular, and how are they any different from food courts, markets, or old-school cafeterias? The answer lies in their clever adaptation to a millennial age.

Instead of buying chocolates for Valentine's Day (whether for a loved one or for yourself!), why not try making some delectable chocolate hearts studded with cranberries, with a recipe from Chicago's Bittersweet in Lakeview?

After five years immersing herself in the food world away from Check, Please! – opening three restaurants, helping bring the James Beard Awards to Chicago – Alpana Singh is back as host. "I know a lot more sitting here at 41 than when I started at 26," she says.

Finalists for the James Beard Awards, often called the Oscars of the food world, have been announced, and Chicago has ten nominees up for prizes. Watch interviews and Check, Please! reviews, get recipes, and learn a bit about them here.

Dishalicious is a fast-paced, live demonstration cooking show and event featuring some of Chicago's top chefs that will be filmed live at WTTW. Meet the outstanding chefs taking part in three episodes, including the James Beard winning host Sarah Grueneberg.

Check, Please! always finds some of the best restaurants in Chicago, both well-known and off-the-beaten-path. Can you guess some of the unique places that will be on the show in fall of 2017? The 17th season premieres Friday, October 13.

Few people know Chicago's food scene as well as David Manilow. He chooses nine essential Chicago restaurants, from a sexy steakhouse to a place with unbelievable sushi, from the best breakfast joint in town to the perfect date spot. 

Robert Falls, artistic director of the Goodman Theatre, and actor David Duchovny join Mark Bazer on The Interview Show. Find out Mark's aspirations for the show and what guests he's most excited about this season.