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The People Who Feed You

From Pulpit to Pint Glass: How One Former Pastor Created a North Side Brewery

Meredith Francis

Brent Raska, the founder of Burning Bush Brewery, is used to getting questions about how he went from the pastor of a small church to the head of a North Side brewery. But he has found one common thread: community.

This Mythology-Driven, Suburban Chicago Brewery is Here to Serve ‘Nerds, Creatives, and Revolutionaries’

Meredith Francis

South suburban Homewood, Illinois is home to Rabid Brewing, a mythology-inspired brewery that the founders say is meant to be a welcoming place for people who might not stereotypically fit into the brewery scene. 

For Chicago Mushroom Producer, Fungi Have Untapped Human and Environmental Benefits

Meredith Francis

Joe Weber, founder of Four Star Mushrooms near the West Loop, thinks mushrooms are a prime example of how to produce food that is both good for the environment and for people.

Pickles, Zickles, and Giardiniera: Founders of Pickled Prince Relish Their New Role

Lisa Futterman

Alex Skrzypczyk and Brian Greene were both busy chefs in the restaurant industry, but the pandemic slow-down gave them a new passion: pickling. 

A Guide to Exploring the Latino Flavors at a Back of the Yards Flea Market

Lisa Futterman

Explore the food stalls surrounding the Swap-O-Rama Flea Market in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood, where there are a variety of diverse and sometimes rare Latino foods and flavors.

Not All Bourbon Comes from Kentucky. One Chicago Distiller Talks About What Makes Their Bourbon Unique–and Midwestern

Meredith Francis

Dr. Sonat Birnecker Hart, president and co-founder of Koval Distillery, talks about what makes her distillery's bourbon uniquely Midwestern: it's all about the grains.

The Owners of Monday Coffee Co. Want to Change the Way People Experience Mondays

Meredith Francis

Amanda Christine Harth and Felton Kizer love Mondays. They want their coffee company to be about high-quality beans, the experience of coffee, and making a safe space for others. 

Chicago History and Hoppy Beers Inspire Local Brewery Hop Butcher for the World

Meredith Francis

Hoppy beers and a love for all things Chicago history and food have inspired the owners of Hop Butcher for the World. The brewery recently opened a new brewery, taproom, and store in Lincoln Square.

How to Spice Up Your Hot Chocolate: Pointers from the Owner of Katherine Anne Confections

Meredith Francis

Katherine Duncan of Logan Square's Katherine Anne Confections has started to think about chocolate in the same way that people think about wine. She shares her tips for making a decadent hot chocolate in your own kitchen.

Pullman Pitmaster Dominque Leach Wants Lexington Betty to Become a Household Name

Samantha Nelson

The work hasn't always been easy for pitmaster Dominique Leach, co-owner of Pullman barbecue restaurant Lexington Betty Smoke House. But she says her community has been receptive to her work as a Black woman chef, and lines at her restaurant are longer than ever.

A Q&A with Chef on the Rise Alisha Elenz

Samantha Nelson

Alisha Elenz, chef de cuisine at the new West Loop restaurant Bambola, was an executive chef at age 23 and was nominated for a James Beard Award before she was 25. She talks about her perspective as a young woman in the culinary world and balancing life outside the kitchen. 

This Oak Park Bagel Shop Was Born Out of an Amateur Baker’s Home

Samantha Nelson

Oak Park's The Daly Bagel is the brainchild of resident Amanda Daly, who began as an amateur baker making bagels for her son.
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