Wherewithall

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. 

Women are drastically under-represented as lead chefs in the restaurant business, but a new nonprofit aims to begin changing that. “I feel like the difficulties and the lack of systemic support for motherhood are a big part of why a lot of women drop out of this industry," says Beverly Kim.

During Women's Restaurant Week, from August 26 through 31, you can support women-owned restaurants during the difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic as some twenty establishments across Chicagoland offer various specials. 

The James Beard Awards, a coveted achievement among America's chefs and food industry, were held tonight. Out of fourteen Chicago finalists, four took home an Award.

This year's finalists for the James Beard Awards, often called the Oscars of Food, have been announced. As usual, Chicago has its fair share of nominees: fourteen, in eight distinct categories, plus two more for cookbooks. Find the list, plus reviews, interviews, and recipes from the finalists here.