People Who Feed You

“Fewer and fewer people just don’t know farmers, and so they don’t understand what goes into it,” says Abra Berens, who has received national attention for both her produce-focused cookbooks and her literal farm-to-table cooking at a farm in southwest Michigan.

Sisters Amy and Clodagh Lawless own and operate The Dearborn in the Loop, but previously chafed at the lack of recognition they received as women in the restaurant industry—and scions of an Irish restaurant family. “We’re always Billy Lawless’s daughter or Billy Lawless’s sister,” Clodagh says. “I’m like, ‘Excuse me.’”

The exuberantly creative Esmé presents plenty of culinary conundrums for beverage pairings, which are handled by Tia Barrett. But she also champions beverage producers who are people of color or have a charitable component.

Christian Hunter is the executive chef at Atelier, the new restaurant replacing Elizabeth in Lincoln Square, a tiny spot that Iliana Regan made famous for her local, foraged food. Hunter's approach to food is similar in its adherence to local products.

The Indonesian cake kue lapis legit is difficult to find in America because of its laborious process of baking twenty individual layers, but Ollyvia Putri bakes and sends them and other Indonesian treats across the country, especially at the Lunar New Year.

Pasta from Monteverde, sauces from Stephanie Izard, popcorn from Luella's, spice mixes from Galit: Here Here Market brings together specialty food products from Chicago chefs and entrepreneurs in one online marketplace perfect for gifts.

Mona Sang opened Khmai Fine Dining, one of two Cambodian restaurants in Chicago, to share the recipes and culture of her mother, who fled the Khmer Rouge genocide and ended up in Chicago, where she supported herself and four children as a caterer. 

Ayub Julany, the founder of Albaik Tahini in Arlington Heights, absolutely loves tahini, especially when it's fresh. “You know how some people love everything about peanut butter and they put peanut butter on everything?” he says. “That’s me with tahini."

Mead is one of the world's oldest alcoholic beverages. The owner of a meadery in Beverly shares insight on mead flavors, offers tips for those who are hesitant to try the beverage, and talks about what makes mead so environmentally friendly.

Lake Michigan's "playpen" inspired Chicago brothers Joseph Moton and Ted Robinson to launch their own vodka company. They talk about how they got started, their love for the versatility of vodka, and what it's like to work as brothers.

What does it take to make a fine dining restaurant run smoothly—especially one like Avondale's Wherewithall, where the menu changes every week? A creative and organized chef de cuisine and multitasking general manager, for one. 

Community-supported agriculture is a “mutually beneficial relationship” between the farmer and the consumer that allows a person to buy a share of a local farmer's product. We've got an explanation of how it works, along with a list of some of the CSAs that serve the Chicago area.

Chicagoland pretzel enthusiasts, take note. Gnarly Knots Pretzel Company is moving to a larger space in Lombard this summer, and their stuffed pretzels are still the main event.

Chicago-based Heray Spice works with a farmers' co-op in Afghanistan to support Afghan farmers while providing quality saffron to chefs and at-home cooks in the United States. CEO and co-founder Mohammad Salehi talks about his love for saffron and some of the challenges his company has faced since the Taliban took control of his home country last year.