The People Who Feed You

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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