Joiners: Recent Episodes
Joiners
In Joiners, hosts Tim Tierney and Danny Shapiro take a casual stroll through the world of hospitality by chatting with its most colorful characters.
This week, Tim and Danny sit down with Katie Renshaw, founder of Bar Bambi and 2019 U.S. World Class Bartender of the Year. Katie traces her unlikely path from software development into Chicago’s cocktail world, the bars and mentors that shaped her, the intensity of competition bartending, and the leap from working behind the bar to opening one of her own. They get into the long, unglamorous process of building Bar Bambi and the care, ambition, and point of view behind what Katie ultimately created: a bar where deeply technical, flavor-first cocktails, a genuinely serious food program, and warm, unpretentious hospitality all feel of a piece. She talks about assembling the right team, the realities of ownership, and the obsessive work behind seemingly effortless drinks, from force carbonation and clarification to centrifuges and multi-day prep.
Also: drinking on the job in the old days, 14-hour Moneygun shifts, blood clarification, Speed Rack training software, and so much more!
Call him crazy, but Chef Darnell Reed is a hospitality aficionado who believes the customer who walks in five minutes before closing deserves the same care as anyone else. Chef Reed started cooking professionally at 16 and spent nearly two decades working his way through Chicago’s hotel kitchens, eventually becoming executive chef at the Conrad. He joins us to talk about leaving that world to open Luella’s Southern Kitchen, the acclaimed restaurant inspired by the food and hospitality of his great-grandmother. We discuss the mentors who shaped him, the discipline he carried from hotels into restaurant ownership, Luella’s evolution from a tiny Lincoln Square dinner spot into an Albany Park brunch destination, and his belief that the last guest through the door deserves the same welcome as the first. Plus: getting strong-armed into culinary school by a high school teacher, making chicken and waffles for Reggie Miller, learning the secret to his great-grandmother’s cornbread, the best way to clean a cast-iron skillet -- and so much more!
Bo Fowler is a true Chicago restaurant powerhouse, though she is far too modest to describe herself that way. After leaving medical school and finding her way into professional kitchens, she went on to open some of the city’s most memorable restaurants, including Fat Willy’s Rib Shack, Owen & Engine, and Bixi Beer. Her food reflects the full range of her upbringing -- Korean, Vietnamese, Scandinavian, and deeply Midwestern -- while her career has been defined by persistence, instinct, hard work, and a willingness to learn as she goes. In this episode, we discuss leaving medical school for the kitchen, growing up in a sprawling multicultural family, the rise and legacy of Owen & Engine -- and so much more!
This week we sit down with Barry Sorkin, founder and pitmaster of Smoque BBQ, a personal favorite of the Joiners boys and, for our money, one of the best barbecue joints on the planet. But the road to BBQ greatness wasn't exactly obvious. Barry joins us in the studio to talk about leaving a career in IT consulting to chase an obsession with barbecue, building Smoque from scratch, surviving the chaos of opening day, and what it actually takes to cook great brisket at scale. Along the way we get into the surprising economics of barbecue, why the best hires often have no restaurant experience, plenty of practical advice for anyone trying to smoke meat at home, a near-death-row meal -- and so much more!
Chef Danny Grant earned two Michelin stars before he turned 30, making him the youngest American chef of his time to hold the distinction -- and you could argue it all started with an Easy-Bake Oven. These days he's building Maple & Ash into a national hospitality brand, with restaurants in Chicago, Dallas, Scottsdale, Miami, Boston, and soon New York. This week, he joins us in the studio to walk us through the meteoric rise, the messy reality of opening restaurants in cities that don't know you yet, and the hardest problem of all: carrying a company's culture into a new room without flattening its people into robots. He goes back to cooking for golfers as a teenager, staging in Paris under North Pond's Bruce Sherman, and the slow, deliberate work of turning Maple & Ash into a Chicago institution. We get into hard-hat dinners and hand-to-hand hospitality, the French art of tailgating, the time he got fired for cutting himself too often, and plenty more.
This week, we're joined by Chicago hospitality veteran Mike Boschert, whose career has taken him from rookie back waiter mishaps in Columbia, Missouri, to the openings of some of Chicago’s most beloved spots, and now to his role overseeing operations at the historic Medinah Country Club. Along the way, he’s built a career around relentless preparation, gracious hospitality, and the belief that mistakes are opportunities to teach rather than reasons to lose your cool. A longtime friend and former colleague of Danny’s, Mike joins us to reminisce and reflect on the people, places, and hard-earned lessons that shaped his approach to service. We chat about the wild early days of Bavette’s and the Doughnut Vault, preparing Medinah for the 2026 Presidents Cup, White Castle, and as always, so much more.
For the first time in Joiners history, we welcome back a repeat guest: Mindy Segal. A longtime friend of the pod, Mindy remains one of our favorite people to talk to. She's funny, fearless, deeply thoughtful about hospitality, and never especially interested in keeping an opinion to herself (but she's working on it). She continues to hold it down at Mindy’s Bakery, the deeply personal neighborhood shop where weekend lines wrap around the block, the pastries inspire cult-like devotion, and her team has room to grow, experiment, and practice their craft. She comes to the studio bearing a birthday cake for Danny, teases an intimate new concept, and catches us up on everything else. We talk: the art of a real apology, getting “cancelled” for five minutes, Chicago bakery politics, concert etiquette, dirty bathrooms, dabbing with Mike Sula, why the best hospitality often has nothing to do with restaurants -- and so much more.
This week’s guest entered the restaurant business by offering strangers free labor at a dinner party. Sixteen years later, he’s still at it. Chef Nate Chung is the co-owner of Mott St, the enduring Logan Square restaurant known for Asian-American comfort food, one of the most celebrated burgers in the city, and the kind of hospitality that turns regulars into friends. He joins us at Joiners HQ to talk about growing up between Honolulu and Hong Kong, earning an MFA in sculpture and printmaking, and finding an unexpected creative home in Chicago restaurants. This week we talk: surviving bad reviews, knowing when to pivot, the complicated pursuit of awards, what makes restaurant math actually work -- and so much more!
This week’s guest was sketching out his dream bakery in a high school notebook. That alone might not be too remarkable, but turning those daydreams into one of Chicago’s most talked-about bakeries certainly is. Pastry chef Justin Lerias is the owner of Del Sur Bakery, where Filipino flavors meet Midwestern pastry traditions in creations like longanisa croissants, turon danishes, and toasted rice croissants. His rise, from working at Lost Larson and Big Jones, to baking hundreds of pastries out of his apartment, to opening a bakery with lines stretching down the block, has been remarkably fast. Even more impressive is the humility, humor, and care with which he has handled it all. This episode, we talk about learning pastry without culinary school, producing hundreds of croissants from an apartment kitchen, Malört tea cake, and so much more.
This week's guest is Chef Richie Farina, a man who turns food into theater without losing sight of flavor. A Johnson & Wales grad, three-time collegiate ice-carving champion, Moto alum, Top Chef competitor, and host of Carnival Kings, Richie has spent his career reworking familiar pleasures into strange, funny, technically impressive dishes, like Cuban sandwiches as cigars, smoked fish as a riverbed, s'mores toasted at the table, and fair food rebuilt under pressure. He tells us about finding his way from pizza shops and Boston kitchens to Moto, what he learned from Homaro Cantu about making food feel like an event, and why his next chapter is less about chasing stars than finding a life that leaves room for family, creativity, and the occasional dragon's breath puff. We're talking competitive ice sculpture, deep-fried Coca-Cola, Moto's creative process, TV-show sequestration, the decline of three-hour tasting menus — and so much more!
This week, we sit down with Chef Stephen Sandoval for a globetrotting whirlwind tour through a career that spans McDonald’s franchises in Southern California, Michelin-starred kitchens in the Bay Area, wood-fire cooking in Argentina, classical Mexican cuisine in Mexico City, and some of Chicago’s most celebrated restaurants. Stephen is a tour de force who’s worked alongside the likes of Rick Bayless, Stuart Brioza, and Albert Adrià, and his newest restaurant, Trino, is a deeply personal steakhouse concept inspired by Northern Mexico, Spain, Argentina, and the classic Chicago dining tradition. He joins us to talk through mastering seven different live-fire cooking techniques in Mendoza, the philosophy behind Baja Med cuisine, staging and cooking across three continents, and the long, winding road toward opening his dream restaurant concept, Entre Sueños -- and so much more.
We’ve wanted to have this week’s guest on since we started the podcast. Andrew Zimmerman is one of Chicago’s most respected chefs -- a five-time James Beard finalist and the chef behind Sepia’s remarkable 15-year Michelin star run. In a special episode, we hosted the Gratuity Round live during a dinner at the Stock headquarters featuring Andrew and Jonathan Zaragoza before sitting down with Andrew a few days later to talk about his journey from New Jersey kitchens and punk bands to becoming one of the defining culinary voices in Chicago. This week, we talk: American cuisine and cultural influence, the realities of consistency at the Michelin level, wild restaurant stories involving retirement homes and alleged mobsters, and why hospitality is ultimately about building something worth coming back to -- and so much more.
This week’s guest is an enjoyable diversion for us. Chef Zealand started cooking as a teenager, learning almost entirely through curiosity, YouTube, and trial and error before graphic design school, COVID, and a few hard pivots pushed him toward kitchens for real. He went from cooking in a senior living facility to grinding on the line at a suburban tavern, all while quietly building the voice and format that would turn him into one of the internet’s most approachable food creators. He joins us to talk about learning by doing, leaving restaurants earlier than planned, the strange jump from Snapchat cooking lessons to millions of followers, and what happens when the thing that saved you becomes the job. This episode, we talk: Alton Brown’s six-hour spaghetti sauce, butter noodles with cottage cheese and cinnamon sugar, the tomato soup video that changed everything, the terror of brand-approved music -- and so much more!
This week's guest is Chef Zubair Mohajir -- and he's got a lot going on. A former finance guy who found his calling in the kitchen after the 2008 crash, Zubair has since built one of the most compelling culinary identities in Chicago, rooted in the idea that food is migration made edible. He's the force behind Lilac Tiger, the Coach House, and Mirra -- and this summer, he's opening three more: Mariela, Muhājir, and Bobo. He joins us to walk through all of it, in a conversation that covers growing up between Qatar and the southwest suburbs, his mom's legendary garage catering operation, staging at Alinea with zero experience, why a 927-year-old duck recipe from medieval Islamic Spain is one of his signature dishes -- and so much more!
This week, we’re sitting down with Megan Marshall, the publisher behind Edible Chicago, whose work starts from a simple but expansive belief: food is never just food. It’s access, labor, sustainability, culture, policy, pleasure, and community, all in conversation with each other. After years moving through food, hospitality, and food systems work, she took over Edible Chicago with a vision to broaden the city’s food conversation beyond chefs and restaurants. She comes to the studio to tell us about building a free print publication in a difficult media landscape, championing Chicago and the Midwest as essential parts of the national food story, and using storytelling to make people more aware of the systems behind what they eat. This week we talk: composting and city buy-in, why Chicago belongs at the center of the food systems conversation, the strange world of USDA checkoff program, why perfectionism may not be the point when it comes to building a more sustainable food culture -- and so much more!
This week, we’re joined by Chef Noah Sandoval, the chef behind Chicago’s two-Michelin-starred Oriole and one of the more instinctive voices working in tasting menus today. An army brat with a Navy SEAL dad, Sandoval dropped out of high school, started washing dishes, and worked his way up through kitchens in Virginia and Chicago without much of a plan beyond getting better. He never really chased stars -- but they found him anyway. He joins us to talk about the early days, building Oriole from the ground up. Plus, an extended cameo from Chef Larry Feldmeier, to tout their new project, All Well, which just opened on April 22. We talk: cooking microwave cakes as a kid, learning under some of Chicago’s most intense kitchens, why he doesn’t overthink opportunities, balancing precision with instinct, what it actually takes to run a two-star restaurant, and why chasing a third might not be worth it -- and so much more.
This week, we're sitting down with Chef Lee Wolen, the quietly pragmatic leader behind some of Chicago’s most enduring kitchens, whose approach to food rejects gimmick in favor of clarity, restraint, and great product. Equal parts craftsman and operator, Wolen has built a reputation not just for consistency at Boka, but for cultivating teams that grow with him. He joins us in the studio for a wide-ranging conversation that spans early days in Cleveland, the realities of working inside temples of fine dining like Eleven Madison Park and El Bulli, and the shift toward something more grounded -- restaurants that prioritize flavor, longevity, and people over spectacle. We also get into what’s next, including expansion into Nashville and the continued evolution of concepts like Alla Vita and GG’s Chicken Shop. We talk: physically removing a guest mid-service, the hidden cost of chasing three Michelin stars, why “real food” is winning again, how building careers for the people around you might be the most important work a chef can do -- and so much more.
This week, we’re joined by Chef Sujan Sarkar, the chef and owner behind Chicago’s Michelin-starred Indienne and a growing group of restaurants that includes Nadu, Sifr, Swadesi, and Baar Baar. As he puts it, he’s a systems man first and a chef second, which makes a lot of sense once you hear the story: from hotel management school in India, to Michelin-starred kitchens in London, to working at McDonald’s just to study its systems, to launching side hustles like Oyster Boys and Gastronomy Guys while climbing the culinary ladder.
This week's guest is Rodrick Marcus -- international sourcer of mystery, master tea blender, and founder of Rare Tea Cellar. If it exists somewhere in the world and it's extraordinary, he's probably already found it. It all started with a trip to London as a kid, an obsession with afternoon tea, and a locked hotel hallway. Nearly 30 years later, Rodrick has built Rare Tea Cellar into a destination for the country's top restaurants -- supplying not just rare and vintage teas, but truffles, caviar, freeze-dried ingredients, vintage soy, and ingredients most people have never heard of. He also works closely with restaurant teams across Chicago through hands-on trainings at his lab. This episode, we get into the world of tea -- how to brew it, how to taste it, and why you're almost certainly oversteeping it. We also hear stories from decades of international sourcing trips, what it takes to develop a palate at this level, the customs nightmare that is importing a 28-year-old bottle of soy sauce, the ingredient he had to stop sourcing entirely, and, of course, so much more.
Doug Phillips studied architecture, which -- if you've ever watched him build a program -- actually makes a lot of sense. He came up through some of Logan Square's most beloved spots -- Boiler Room, Scofflaw, Heavy Feather, The Whistler -- developing a deep fluency in craft cocktails and the particular chaos of running a bar at the center of a neighborhood's golden era. Now, as a beverage lead at Trivoli within the Hogsalt empire, he's bringing that same creativity and rigor to one of the city's highest-volume programs. This episode, we're talking the architecture of a great bar program, the art of the dealer's choice, pants-around-the-ankles bar fights, the fine art of juicing forty pounds of potatoes -- and so much more.
This week’s guest didn’t grow up dreaming of restaurant kitchens -- but after finding her way into culinary school and landing an internship at Blackbird, she's become a true mainstay. Under the mentorship of friend-of-the-pod Chef David Posey at Blackbird and later Elske, Chef Tayler Ploshehanski developed her voice through rigor, repetition, and a deep respect for craft. Now, as chef de cuisine at Creepies -- her new restaurant with David and Anna Posey -- she’s stepping fully into that voice, translating years of experience into a playful, deeply technical take on Midwestern French cooking. This episode, we’re talking kitchen pranks gone too far, the quiet art of menu development under someone else’s vision, how to perfectly poach shrimp, and what it actually takes to earn trust in a Michelin-level kitchen -- and so much more.
We round out our pair of episodes at the Friends of James Beard Chef Invitational at Sand Valley with Amanda Rockman. After helping shape Chicago’s pastry scene in restaurants and hotels, opening teams across the city, Rockman is now back in Austin, where she runs Rockman Coffee + Bakeshop. In front of a live audience, we discuss her path through some of the country’s most demanding kitchens, the management style and technical discipline that shaped her career, and the leap of faith required to open a place of her own. Also: the story behind her legendary Basque cake, a Mariah Carey sugar sculpture, the operational nightmare of the draft latte — and so much more!
Damarr Brown is a chef and culinary leader known for his soulful, polished take on Southern cuisine; as the chef at Virtue Restaurant, he has become one of Chicago’s most celebrated voices in hospitality, a nationally recognized talent with a deep commitment to mentorship. He joins us for our first full-on live show at the Friends of James Beard Chef Invitational at Sand Valley, where he reflects on his path through Chicago’s restaurant scene and the mentors who shaped it. In front of a live audience, we talk: his early start cooking with his mother and grandmother, the discipline of his years at mk, what it’s really like competing on Top Chef, and a few early hints about the next concept from the Virtue team -- and, as always, so much more.
Before he became a corporate chef building flavors with scientists and packaging engineers, Chef Danny Espinoza was a kid from Humboldt Park working nonstop and learning the hard way in demanding Chicago kitchens. Today, he wears two hats: R&D at ofi by day, and Santa Masa Tamaleria with his wife by night, with pop-ups and long-term ambitions always in motion. In this episode, Danny walks us through the moments that shaped him, from the pressure-cooker lessons that made him better, to the behind-the-scenes realities of “seed to shelf” food development, to the origin story of a tamale business built on nostalgia, technique, and accessibility -- and so much more!
Born in Vigo, Spain to a Basque mother and Galician father, Chef Gabino Sotelino’s path to the kitchen began early and unfolded across some of the world’s great hotel dining rooms before landing in Chicago in the 1970s. Over the decades that followed, he helped shape the city’s rise as a serious dining destination, opening and guiding restaurants that would become institutions and introducing generations of diners to Spanish and French bistro traditions.
To mark Café Ba-Ba-Reeba!’s 40th anniversary, Mark sits down with his father, Chef Gabino Sotelino, for a rare, informal conversation. It’s a special opportunity to hear directly from a foundational figure in Chicago’s restaurant world.
Recorded outside the studio on a phone, the audio is rough and the setting shifts as the conversation unfolds -- more cinéma vérité than polished interview. We’re sharing it as is for the chance to spend a little time with a true original.
Mark Sotelino grew up in the kitchens and dining rooms of some of Chicago's most celebrated restaurants. His father, Chef Gabino Sotelino, emigrated from rural Spain and went on to partner with Rich Melman at Lettuce Entertain You to create landmarks like Ambria, Mon Ami Gabi, and Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!. Since then, Mark has built a 28-plus-year career of his own at Lettuce, rising from teenage host at Ba-Ba-Reeba! to Partner overseeing the Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! and Mon Ami Gabi brands across Chicago, River North, Bethesda, and beyond. Hot on the heels of Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!'s 40th anniversary celebration, Mark comes to the studio to reflect on the challenge of keeping a beloved restaurant feeling vital across four decades -- balancing the sacred cows (sangria, bacon-wrapped dates, patatas bravas) with the constant push to evolve. This episode we cover: the wild origin stories behind the Mon Ami Gabi and Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! names, opening Lil' Ba-Ba-Reeba! in nine days flat, surviving a two-day power outage with refrigerated trucks and candlelight -- and so much more!
If you’ve been to a major concert in the past thirty years, there’s a decent chance this week’s guest had a hand in fueling the talent. Debbie Sharpe, the charming Aussie behind The Goddess and Grocer, built her culinary chops touring the globe and cooking for the likes of Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, The Rolling Stones, and Paul McCartney before jumping off the tour bus and making Chicago her permanent home. Inspired by the bustling delis and markets of her native Melbourne, she opened her first Goddess and Grocer in Bucktown in 2005, combining rock ’n’ roll and a distinctly Australian sensibility to the neighborhood food scene. Today, her shops are known for globally inspired, ingredient-driven dishes, legendary sandwiches and salads, showstopping Rainbow Cake, and catering rooted in backstage hospitality for some of the world’s most exacting performers. She joins us to talk about life on tour, feeding rock royalty, juggling brick and mortar with catering — and so much more.
Rum -- despite its exotic reputation -- isn’t an escapist novelty so much as a lived-in, agricultural spirit, grounded in real places and real work. No one makes that case more convincingly than this week’s guest, Dan Smith, managing partner of Queen Mary Tavern, a Ukrainian Village institution and longtime favorite of the Joiners boys. Dan cut his teeth at The Violet Hour, then behind the bar at Barrelhouse Flat under Stephen Cole and Greg Buttera, before opening Queen Mary in 2015 with Heisler Hospitality and building its singular, maritime-spirits-driven program. He joins us on the coldest day of the year for a proper Rum 101, touching on what actually creates Jamaican “funk,” how fermentation choices shape flavor, and why Queen Mary has worked to place rum in a less escapist, more everyday context -- plus a handful of great stories along the way, from magnum Jamaican pours to the improbable discovery of a tavern sealed in time since the 1970s.
Chef Adam Sindler grew up inside Chicago’s first sushi restaurant, Kamehachi — founded by his Japanese immigrant great-grandmother and later revived by his mother and grandmother. A next-generation operator and creative force in the family business, Sindler left home to sharpen his craft at the Alinea Group, working as Kitchen Expo at the Michelin-starred Roister, before bringing big-league systems thinking back to a legacy institution. In this conversation, he breaks down the unseen mechanics of great hospitality — especially the expo role as the high-pressure “air traffic control” of a professional kitchen — alongside service pacing, allergy management, and the discipline behind small but consequential standards like “don’t rip the tape.” The episode also traces the arc from family tradition to contemporary expression through the opening of SHŌ, a modern take on Omakase he co-founded with Chef Mari Katsumura. Throughout, Sindler reflects on sourcing, precision, and how to modernize a legacy without breaking what people love—right down to why a “choose-your-own soy sauce” eyedropper is a quietly radical idea.
Our reverence for Big Star is well-documented — and for good reason. For a wide range of people coming up in Chicago’s hospitality scene, the spot represented a proof of concept: that you could take something familiar, do it with conviction, and build a culture around it. Its mythos is legend — from strong margaritas to nightly cash-only bonanzas — and this week’s guest was there for all of it.
Laurent Schroeder-LeBec was born in France and spent his formative years in Korea, a hardcore kid turned hospitality lifer, whose musical soul and DIY spirit can still be felt at the heart of Big Star. In this episode, we’re reliving the glory days of the gold-studded classic — from cheap Lone Star beers to its eventual growth and expansion — with a true original who had the inside scoop.
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We’re heading north: Joiners will be on the road at Sand Valley, Wisconsin, February 27–March 1, recording live episodes during the Friends of James Beard Sand Valley Chefs Invitational. Expect great chefs, beautiful surroundings, and a weekend built around food, conversation, and community.
Details and tickets → Friends of James Beard Chef Invitational
This week’s guest is Rosemary Waldmeier, a true hospitality lifer -- raised in downtown Chicago in the orbit of the Drake Hotel, then pulled (inevitably) toward the dining room’s gravity. After two summers hosting at Gibson’s and a formative management internship at Shaw’s, she found her long-term home at Lettuce Entertain You, rising through Shaw’s and onto the opening team at Oyster Bah before stepping into her current role as Partner and General Manager at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab. This episode, we talk about the long arc of a hospitality career -- how you grow from “working the door” to building culture, setting a service philosophy, and finding the next frontier. Also: her Swiss-German executive-chef dad’s old-school standards, the lost art of the clipboard (and the economics of a “secret table”), a recent pilgrimage to Florida to visit the original Joe's -- and so much more.
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As mentioned on the show, we’re hosting a limited run of Chef’s Table dinners at the Stock showroom in Logan Square -- 12 seats, chefs cooking in the room, stories included.
- February - Dear Margaret (Two Nights) - French-Canadian cooking from Chef Ryan Brosseau, presented as a rare pop-up while Dear Margaret rebuilds.
- March - Umami Q - Pitmaster Charles Wong blends Texas barbecue with umami-forward technique.
- April - Diego / Entre Sueños / Trino - Chef Steven Sandoval leads a borderless Baja-inspired dinner with Mediterranean influence.
Tickets range from $175–$250 per person (beverages included).
Only 12 seats per dinner. Tickets go fast, so get them while you can.
Much ink has been spilled on The Wiener's Circle as a Chicago institution -- known for late-night hot dogs, sharp tongues, and the kind of chaos you can only get away with if there’s real love underneath it. And Poochie, who joins us for this week’s episode, has been at the center of it for nearly three decades, turning that corner of Clark into something closer to a stage than a storefront. But if you only see the gimmick, you miss the real magic -- and the real Chicago spirit of Poochie and Wieners Circle: humor as hospitality, boundaries as a form of care, and a community that knows how to take care of its own. Poochie comes to the studio to talk about what the place actually runs on when the cameras are off -- feeding people who walk in hungry, protecting the vibe from the truly hateful stuff, and keeping it funny without letting it turn mean. In an all-time episode, we get into the unwritten rules of the room, the origin story of the chocolate shake, why reading a customer matters as much as taking their order -- and so much more.
The first guest of 2026’s origins might be modest, but the results are anything but. From deciding to cook as a nine-year-old so he didn’t have to eat the same meal every night, to bootstrapping a BBQ restaurant from a single Weber grill (the small version!) into one of the NYT's top 50 restaurants in the country, Chef James Sanders is very much the real deal. His South Side BBQ hotspot, Sanders BBQ Supply Co., is a much-loved gem -- and for good reason. James is obsessive about consistency, patient with craft, and deeply principled about the people and traditions he’s responsible for carrying forward. This week, we talk: being asked to oversee the storied Harold's Chicken franchise, mastering ribs, the plan for the forthcoming Sanders Barbecue Prime (with details about the liquor license), and so much more!
We round out 2025 with Bret Heiar, a true original of the hospitality world. These days, he’s the Wine Director at Avec River North, and he's gearing up to open a new Avec location in Highwood, bringing One Off Hospitality’s wine ethos north to the suburbs. Bret got his start as a teenager slinging fries at I-80’s World’s Largest Truck Stop in Walcott, Iowa, before bouncing through back-of-house gigs, front-of-house service, and eventually discovering a deep obsession with all things wine. Along the way, he lived a vagabond lifestyle, training obsessively in martial arts, hitchhiking on Grateful Dead tour, and bumming around Europe. As one of the city's foremost wine curators, Bret is known for building lists that favor lesser-known regions, older vintages, and unexpected finds. This episode, we talk creative ways to train your palate, the strange world of celebrity rider wine requests, the lost art (and enduring power) of puns, and what it really means to build a wine program with integrity. Plus: squirrels, scooters, grilled cheese philosophy, and plenty more.
It didn’t always seem inevitable that Margaret Pak would end up running one of Chicago’s most thoughtful and distinctive restaurants. She studied statistics, built a long career in finance and analytics, and spent years inside corporate systems where stability and structure were the goal. But alongside that work she fostered a quieter obsession for the culture surrounding food and food service. After a series of career pivots, unexpected layoffs, and some chance meetings with some of the city's more eccentric culinary characters, Margaret began following that instinct into kitchens, pop-ups, food halls, and eventually full restaurant ownership. Curiosity became craft, mentorship, and a deep respect for process: learning knife skills on prep shifts, absorbing lessons from chefs and collaborators, and shaping a truly authentic culinary voice.
Today, Margaret is the co-owner and chef behind Thattu, an Avondale restaurant focused on Kerala cuisine, pop-up collaboration, and creating opportunities for emerging chefs., She joins us in the studio to talk through her winding journey, touching on career reinvention, the realities of building a restaurant from the ground up, and what it means to honor tradition while finding your own way forward -- and so much more!
Before he became a hospitality lifer, Paul Abu-Taleb was considering a PhD in History -- he’s the type who could absolutely have ended up teaching undergrads how to think, argue, and spot patterns. Instead, he’s applied that same mindset to restaurants: building places that don’t just serve people, but actually hold communities together. We get into how Paul went from a restaurant-family childhood in Oak Park to a formative chapter in Whitefish, Montana, and back to Chicago to help shape Pilsen Yards. He tells us about taking on the huge project of bringing Beaumont’s back as a real-deal neighborhood restaurant -- including the debut of The Bull Moose, an upstairs steakhouse and cocktail lounge. We’re also talking: what “good taste” means operationally, why some concepts just don’t match their neighborhoods, framing the math of making restaurants work -- and so much more!
Chase Bracamontes grew up chasing triple axels as a competitive figure skater, but these days her rink is the bar and the dining room. She is the former wine and spirits director at The Publican and now partner and beverage director at Chef’s Special Cocktail Bar in Chicago, whose path from junior-elite ice rinks to a Chinese American cocktail bar says a lot about how she thinks about pressure, comfort, and hospitality. She joins us in the studio to talk about how a life defined by competition turned into a career built on creating places people actually want to haunt. This week, we’re talking what defines a cocktail classic, how New York and Chicago hospitality cultures shape the people working inside them, how serving American Chinese food means embracing both the comfort it brings and the conversations it inevitably sparks, and so much more!
This week, we sit down with Martin Kastner, the award-winning designer responsible for some of the most iconic objects in modern gastronomy. From Alinea’s game-changing serviceware to the now-legendary Porthole Infuser, Martin has spent his career reshaping how we experience food and drink — and the rituals around them. He takes us from his early days as a Czech metalsmith, to conceptual art school, and into a decades-long collaboration with Grant Achatz that helped redefine fine dining. We talk about the origins of his most influential pieces, the importance of “good friction,” designing objects that guide behavior, and so much more.
This week, we sit down with Bailey Sullivan, executive chef of Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio and a Top Chef: Destination Canada finalist, who seemed almost pre-programmed for a life in restaurants: raised at Goldyburgers, her family’s Forest Park burger joint, and glued to Food Network and Top Chef as a teen. She walks us through a career that runs from early gigs at Noodles & Company and Black Dog Gelato to a formative internship at two-Michelin-starred Acadia, ramen battles at Yusho Logan Square, a trial by fire at Parachute, and an eight-plus-year climb through every rung of Monteverde’s kitchen ladder before taking the top job. Along the way, we talk: what Top Chef doesn’t show you, no-heroes kitchen culture, fugazi tiramisu, and so much more.
This week's guest is an icon, a chef’s chef, and a tireless culinary educator -- it's not hyperbole to suggest that the entirety of food media as we know it, a food media that respects food and the process of making it as a skill to be fostered and shared, is in his profound debt. Raised in his parents’ restaurant near Lyon, Jacques Pépin went from unpaid apprentice and presidential chef for Charles de Gaulle to redefining American cooking after moving to New York in 1959, even turning down an offer to become John F. Kennedy's White House chef to learn the science and scale of food at Howard Johnson’s. His landmark books La Technique and La Méthode, followed by decades of PBS series from The Complete Pépin to Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home, made rigorous French technique approachable for home cooks everywhere. Now he’s channeling that lifetime of craft into the Jacques Pépin Foundation, which supports community kitchens and culinary job training for people facing barriers to employment -- all while celebrating his 90th birthday with 90 dinners across the country.
He calls into the Joiners studio from his home in Connecticut to chew the fat with the boys in a conversation that spans seven-day-a-week apprenticeships in postwar France to dinner parties with Julia Child and James Beard -- including who actually did the dishes.
This week, we’re enjoying some poured wine (his favorite) with the indefatigable Ken Fredrickson -- Master Sommelier, restaurateur, and founder of High Road Wine and Spirits, whose career runs from Charlie Trotter’s and Spago to Jackson Hole, Denver, Las Vegas, and Chicago’s most intentional wine lists. He went from Idaho ranch kid to the 40th American Master Sommelier in just five years, then bet big on his own programs, built and sold distributors, and kept doubling down on family-made bottles with real stories behind them. He joins us in the studio to talk about what that obsession costs, what it creates, and why he still believes in taking the high road.
We're swirling the glass around how to actually train a world-class palate (and why your nose is lazier than you think), the Wild West politics of wine lists, the future of terroir-driven Italian spirits -- and so much more.
This week, we’re thrilled to be joined by Chef Curtis Duffy, the culinary dynamo behind Ever and After. He's earned a constellation of Michelin starts for his meticulous, innovative approach to fine dining, where every dish showcases his obsessive attention to detail and zero-waste philosophy. He has a new book out called Fireproof: Memoir of a Chef, which chronicles his journey from a turbulent childhood in Ohio through the kitchens of Charlie Trotter and Grant Achatz to becoming one of America’s most celebrated chefs. We talk: the philosophy behind his silent kitchen, how he finds inspiration in unexpected places, the hard lessons from Grace that shaped Ever, what it takes to achieve greatness, and so much more!
This week we’re joined by Ryan Castelaz -- founder of Discourse (Milwaukee’s boundary-pushing coffee bars) and co-creator of Agency, a reservation-only cocktail lounge known for its made-to-order “dealer’s choice” program (and equally serious non-alcoholic builds). A former opera singer turned flavor obsessive, Ryan went from Door County pop-ups to running one of the Midwest’s most inventive beverage programs, with a best-selling book -- The New Art of Coffee -- along the way. You can catch Discourse at its Wicker Park residency across from Dove’s -- with a permanent neighborhood spot on the horizon. Expansion plans are percolating, too. Ryan joins us to talk storytelling as a service, why NA belongs at the same table as spirits, the alchemy of flavor science, how to design two-hour experiences in a two-minute coffee world, and so much more.
This week, it’s all smoke and discipline with the pitmaster–entrepreneur himself, Chef Charlie Mckenna. He’s the founder behind Lillie’s Q, known for Memphis in May-winning pork shoulder, as well as his regionally faithful Lillie’s Q sauces and rubs. He tells us about the journey from CIA grad and Michelin-line cook to Chicago barbecue, and what his Air Force family’s “six Ps” instilled in his leadership. Plus: how CPG realities differ from fine dining, how Roux lets him serve his favorite dishes, the secret salsa at Tony’s Burrito Mex, and so much more!
Joe is an Executive Chef, Culinary Director, and Director of Restaurants with SMG x PRG Restaurant Groups, where his reach spans multiple acclaimed Chicago concepts, new ventures at O’Hare Airport, and forthcoming projects across the city. A meticulous craftsman and systems thinker, Joe’s culinary journey has taken him from small-town Illinois to the helm of some of Chicago’s most innovative dining rooms -- including his leadership role at Apolonia, the Mediterranean-inspired restaurant he helped launch with Chef Stephen Gillanders in 2021. From growing up near the Indiana border with a gearhead father and a nurse mother, to learning the psychology of taste at Kendall College, Joe’s story is one of curiosity, adaptability, and deep respect for craft. This week, we discuss how a musician’s mindset shaped his kitchen leadership, what he learned about efficiency and culture from the Hogsalt Group, how Apolonia evolved during the pandemic, and -- don't you know it -- so much more.
This week, we’re firing up the pit with Heather Bublick, co-founder and CEO of Soul & Smoke, alongside her husband and business partner, Chef D’Andre Carter. A writing major-turned-restaurateur with front-of-house and sommelier chops, Heather blends fine-dining rigor with neighborhood warmth to power one of Chicago’s favorite barbecue brands. She joins us to talk about Soul & Smoke’s evolution with D’Andre -- from initial pop-ups to multiple locations -- the three-year Evanston flagship build, and launching an in-house bottling line. We also talk: scaling a commissary-driven model without sacrificing craft, why resting brisket beats rushing barbecue at volume, building a values-driven beverage program highlighting BIPOC and women-owned producers, and so much more.
This week on Joiners, we’re talking to Chef Rodolfo Cuadros, the executive chef and owner of the critically acclaimed Chicago restaurants Amaru and Bloom. Growing up in Cali, Colombia, before moving back to Queens and then New Jersey, he’s known for his bold, Pan-Latin cooking at Amaru and his award-winning plant-based philosophy at Bloom. Amaru brings together the flavors, history, and passion of Latin America, while Bloom -- named one of the city's best plant-based restaurants -- earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand for its vibrant, vegetable-driven menu.
He joins us in the studio to talk about growing up amid both joy and conflict in Colombia, his journey from dishwasher to acclaimed chef-owner, why balance and sustainability shape his cooking today, and so much more!
Since his days as a kid housing full packs of double-stuffed Oreos and torching his tongue with bootleg Chinese Warheads, Chef Josh Kulp has always been chasing big flavors. It makes sense, then, that the moment he and his business partners first dipped their fried chicken in honey butter felt like a huge eureka -- salty, crunchy, sweet, and creamy all at once. That unlikely pairing grew into Honey Butter Fried Chicken, the Avondale restaurant he co-founded with Christine Cikowski that became one of our go-to spots.
Josh joins us in the studio to share his side of the genesis and to reflect on his journey -- from underground supper clubs to his newest project, Honey Butter Beach Club, a seafood-forward spinoff opening inside SPF Chicago, the city’s massive indoor pickleball facility. We dig into Josh’s philosophy as both chef and owner, hear what it takes to run an ethical business, reminisce about how we all first crossed paths -- and as always, so much more.
We complete the holy trinity of Maxwells Trading by sitting down with their Executive Chef, Chris Jung. Born in Korea, raised across Alaska, Jersey, and Virginia, he ditched pre-law for the kitchen and never looked back -- and we’re lucky he did, because his food plays a major role in defining Maxwells’ compelling identity. He tells us all about that journey, from grueling training in Japan and celebrity-filled nights at Mataro to building Maxwells from the ground up with Erling and Josh. This one’s a ride -- we’re talking his grind as a workhorse in a Japanese restaurant, bidet destroyers, almost getting a law degree, and so much more.
This week, we’re nestling into the proverbial PDR at Michael Jordan’s Steak House with Josh Zadikoff, a central figure in the hospitality scene and the guiding force behind Cornerstone Restaurant Group. After earning his degree at the University of Illinois and working his way up -- from assistant manager at SolToro Tequila Grill, to Food & Beverage Manager at Hyatt Regency Chicago, to Assistant General Manager at Michael Jordan’s Steak House in Chicago -- he took the helm in 2018 to oversee a portfolio spanning Michael Jordan–branded restaurants, Chef Bill Kim’s acclaimed concepts like bellyQ and Urbanbelly, and innovative partnerships like Table at Crate. He joins us to talk about working with Michael Jordan, projects in South Korea, new opportunities in the suburbs, and so much more!
This week, we’re thrilled to sit down with the resilient and razor-sharp Thai Dang. A chef who rose meteorically through the fine-dining world -- from cooking under Laurent Gras at L2O to opening his own ambitious restaurant at just 26 -- Thai joins us to unravel the saga of Embeya: the dazzling debut that collapsed into chaos after his business partner disappeared in an international manhunt straight out of a crime thriller. He shares how he and his wife, Danielle picked up the pieces to open the community-driven HaiSous, and how they’ve since grown that into not just a restaurant but a platform for hardcore Vietnamese cuisine, coffee ventures, and incredible wings. Now, Thai’s focusing in on Crying Tiger, a bold new collaboration with Lettuce Entertain You that expands into the flavors of greater Southeast Asia. We’re talking: Thai tea, Vietnamese drive-thru pipe dreams, the highs and lows of a turbulent culinary career, and so much more.
This week, we’re riding into the dog days of ice-cream summer in conversation with Dana Cree — award-winning pastry chef, molecular enthusiast, and the creative force behind Pretty Cool Ice Cream. Serving up about 11,000 frozen delights weekly, Dana crafts everything from ice-cream bars and sandwiches to vegan pops and tricked-out popsicles, all from her flagship shop. With stints at spots like Alinea, Noma, Blackbird, and The Publican — plus James Beard nominations and a Jean Banchet Award — her deep roots as a pastry chef inform her at every step. Inspired by Jeni Britton’s trailblazing spirit, Dana shares what propelled her into the world of ice-cream, what she learned in elite kitchens, the lessons behind the NYT recipe controversy (and the power of three key differentiators), and so much more.
This week, we’re busting through the saloon doors with the affable chap Tony Selna — founding partner, operator, and bartender extraordinaire behind local favorites Little Victories and Spilt Milk. Tony takes us through his cross-country journey, from a coin-flip that sent him to Los Angeles, to the serendipitous find of a 1920s pharmacy space in Logan Square that became home to Spilt Milk’s timeless corner-bar concept. We get into the behind-the-stick fiascos, dream bar designs, the fast-flying popularity of Little Victories, mat shots, and plenty more, in an episode brimming with good vibes and raucous chatter.
This week we’re keeping things fresh with a member of a family business devoted to just that. Supreme Lobster & Seafood is one of the largest seafood distributors in the Midwest, with operations in Las Vegas and Chicago supplying restaurants, hotels, and markets nationwide. Jonathan Stramaglia, a third-generation vice president of the company, joins us in the studio to share the inside story of running a successful high-volume seafood operation in Chicago. If you’ve ever been curious about how seafood travels from the ocean to your plate, this is the episode for you — we’re talking crab, oysters, fishing regulations, the best day of the week to order seafood, the real deal with “market price,” and so much more.
This week we have a remote conversation with Alexis Readinger, an LA-based hospitality designer and the founder of Preen, Inc., a studio known for its soulful, story-forward spaces that translate a chef’s vision into architecture. In this episode, she joins us to talk about building Preen, designing from essence over aesthetic, and what it means to create spaces that hold meaning. We get into: lighting that makes lettuce look fresh, getting deported from the UK, rescuing Katana by redrawing the entire plan by hand, and so much more!
This week we sit down with Erin Carlman Weber, the founder and owner of All Together Now -- a cozy café, cheese counter, and natural wine shop in Ukrainian Village. After honing her palate at Formaggio Kitchen in Boston and working with Stephanie Izard’s restaurant group, Erin opened ATN in 2018 with a mission to bring people together over thoughtfully curated food and drink. We talk about what inspired her to launch this one-of-a-kind neighborhood spot, how it became a lifeline for connection during COVID, and her tips for pairing cheese and wine like someone who knows what they’re doing. Plus -- an extra-special gratuity round with a renaissance curator of the finer, funkier things.
This week’s guest once crunched numbers in finance -- a world that, as he tells it, never quite added up. But after one bite of brisket at Franklin Barbecue, Chef Charles Wong found a new equation that made sense: low and slow. He swapped spreadsheets for smoke and hasn’t looked back. A longtime fixture in Chicago’s pop-up scene, Charles built Umamicue from the ground up, mixing Vietnamese flavors with Texas barbecue. He held down a years-long residency at Split Milk and nearly opened a brick-and-mortar at Sterling Food Hall. These days, he’s focused on catering, collaborations, and fine-tuning his own vision of what barbecue can be. This week, we slice deep into brisket -- how to render it, what variables matter most, and how to make it your own -- alongside insights into hospitality, sides, pop-ups, and the messy, rewarding work of turning a cult favorite into a full-time craft from a man who knows his stuff.
When Chef Jake Potashnick opened Feld, it stirred controversy among Chicago’s culinary insiders -- some critics called the plating sparse, the seasoning “too European”, and the concept overly cerebral. But even as a first-time owner-operator, Potashnick leaned into his global experience -- from Michelin-starred kitchens in Tokyo, Berlin, and Sweden -- and a philosophy rooted in deep relationships with farmers and diners alike. Rather than retreat, he listened, adapted, and refined. Now, Feld is one of Chicago’s most distinctive tasting menus, known for its immersive 30-course format, transparent sourcing, and ever-evolving narrative. He joins us in the studio to talk about taking criticism seriously without losing creative voice, how Feld became a relationship-to-table experience, the importance of listening, and so much more.
This week, we’re joined by Chef Lamar Moore -- a celebrated chef and culinary innovator, known for winning Vegas Chef Prizefight and for memorable showdowns on Beat Bobby Flay and Chopped, as well as Bravo’s Welcome to Waverly. He’s cooked for Barack and Michelle Obama, fed the Chicago Bears, and coordinated menus for Super Bowls and NBA Finals. His latest venture is etc. (Experience, Taste, Cocktails) -- a bold new dining concept in the South Loop, where he blends elevated Southern cuisine with an intimate bar experience. In the studio, Lamar shares insider tips on making next-level grits, recounts the wild ride of Vegas during COVID as he worked at Bugsy & Meyer’s, reflects on the Waverly social experiment, and so much more.
From his early days at Chuck E. Cheese to launching a consulting firm with his son Tyler, Art Mendoza has built a career defined by innovation, hospitality, and a deep understanding of customer experience. He joins us in the studio to discuss new ventures with Barreled Aged Hospitality—including the playful, whiskey-forward “Toasted” brand and a forthcoming café bar at the Lyric Opera House—while reflecting on his storied career. We discuss his early lessons in leadership and systems-thinking at Marriott’s Great America, the strategic evolution of Chili’s and Brinker International, his approach to crafting concepts that balance simplicity with profitability, and so much more.
Alba Huerta is a Houston-based bartender, entrepreneur, author, cocktail educator, and owner of the James Beard Award–winning cocktail program at Julep—which is expanding with the addition of The Parlor, a new lounge space designed for private, immersive gatherings. Born in Mexico and raised in Texas, she has spent over a decade shaping the national cocktail scene, creating more than 110 cocktails and earning widespread recognition for her work. She joins us during her recent visit to Chicago for the James Beard Awards, where she shares insights into her inspiring career trajectory, her collaborative and story-driven approach to cocktails, and her evolution from hospitality professional to industry innovator.
The Chicago food subreddit has quietly become one of the internet’s most reliable sources for up-to-the-minute restaurant intel, thoughtful recommendations, and lively conversation celebrating the city’s singular hospitality culture. This week’s guest, Mitch Gropman — better known by his Reddit handle TriedForMitchcraft — has played a key role in shaping that space into what it is today. After moving to Chicago from Jacksonville, Florida, Mitch helped turn /r/ChicagoFood into a vibrant hub for both newcomers and seasoned locals. A top-notch culinarian with a knack for deep-dive posts into the city’s vast and varied food scene, he joins us in the studio to talk about the evolution of the subreddit, the etiquette of digital food discourse, how he ended up eating for free at Alinea, and plenty
When this week’s guest moved to Chicago from Ethiopia in 1997, she brought with her the deep culinary traditions of her homeland and a vision for sharing them with her new community. Now, Chef Tigist Reda is the acclaimed chef and owner of Demera Ethiopian Restaurant—featured in the Michelin Guide and soon expanding from its Uptown flagship to a new location in Bronzeville. In this episode, we're given a guided tour of one of the world’s most vibrant culinary traditions, with a colorful history and deep community roots here in Chicago. Our conversation spans Demera's opening, Ethiopia’s unique calendar and drinking culture, the communal identity shaped by shared meals and rituals, and so much more.
This week, we sidle up to the only chef on the planet to earn Michelin stars in more than one country: Carlos Gaytán. A trailblazer and culinary virtuoso, Gaytán is known for his bold, genre-defying approach that fuses French technique with the bright flavors of his native Mexico. His cooking is elevated yet playful, rooted in tradition but always evolving. From Tzuco in Chicago to HA’ in Playa del Carmen—and his latest ventures in Disneyland and beyond—Gaytán’s restaurants tell personal stories through vibrant, boundary-pushing cuisine. He joins us to share what’s next, in a conversation that includes perfectly cooked iguana, the art of juxtaposing French and Mexican cuisines, emerging culinary destinations in Mexico, and so much more.
This week, we welcome Chef Marcos Ascencio, the man behind Taqueria Chingón and Mariscos San Pedro. Taqueria Chingón is a Mexico City-style taqueria known for its bold Al Pastor and playful takes on classic tacos. From his early days at NoMi under Chef Sandro Gamba to mentoring young chefs in Chicago Public Schools, Ascencio has carved out a path that blends fine dining precision with street food soul. His collaboration with Oliver Poilevey at Taqueria Chingón honors tradition while embracing reinvention—offering tacos that celebrate the past and explore bold, new conceptions. His latest venture, Mariscos San Pedro, brings that same spirit to seafood. We’ve got an action-packed episode—sinkholes, days working for Jerry Springer, tales of jailbirds on the lam—full of practical advice and culinary insight from one of the city’s most grounded and generous chefs.
This week we’re excited to have Dylan Trotter in the studio. He’s the son of the legendary Charlie Trotter, and he’s now honoring that lineage with a series of pop-up dinners leading up to the much-anticipated reopening of Trotter’s. But Dylan is also a hospitality force in his own right. Having interned at the famed El Bulli and worked at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood — and a smattering of other notable gigs he touches on throughout this episode — he brings a wealth of experience to the table. He joins us to talk about what it means to iterate on legacy without diluting it, share stories about his visionary father, reflect on his choice to revive the family name in a new era — and so much more!
Gregg Horan is the founder — and namesake — behind The Greggory, and owner and managing partner of Hearth Hospitality. A sharp, good-humored force in Chicago’s dining scene, Horan’s journey took him from wild shifts at Cubby Bear in Wrigleyville to the polished halls of Gibson’s, where he helped the restaurant evolve into one of the world’s premier restaurant groups. Now, he brings his expertise to his own venture in South Barrington’s Arboretum, where rustic tavern fare meets steakhouse precision. He joins us in the studio to talk about scaling service without sacrificing soul, navigating celebrity tables, building a restaurant that reflects both his name (whether or not it’s spelled the same way) and his ethos — and so much more!
Ivan Valdez is the veteran chef and creative driver behind Taquizas Valdez, a vibrant taqueria and panadería tucked away in Irving Park. The establishment is renowned for its inventive tacos, house-baked shareable tortas, and weekend pastries, all of which pay homage to Valdez’s rich culinary heritage and personal journey. But his path to restaurateur was far from conventional. In addition to his culinary work, Valdez is a U.S. Marine Corps Reserve veteran and a trained electrical engineer -- his diverse background reflects a multifaceted creativity and a relentless drive to reinvent himself. This episode, we delve into the often-overlooked merits of culinary school, explore the nuances of different types of chorizo, discuss the past, present, and future of Taquizas Valdez, and so much more.
Chef Sarah Grueneberg — the James Beard Award-winning chef and founder of Monteverde, now celebrating its 10th anniversary — joins us in the studio for a warm and lively conversation. You might recognize her from her unforgettable run on Top Chef, but Sarah’s career spans far beyond television: she’s known for her soulful approach to Italian cuisine, the vibrant Creole influences woven into her cooking, and her time leading the kitchen at Chicago’s iconic Spiaggia. In this episode, Sarah shares behind-the-scenes stories from Top Chef — including how she now mentors friends and colleagues preparing for the competition — reveals the secrets to perfect pasta boil times, recounts the serendipitous story of how Monteverde found its home in the West Loop, and so much more.
This week, we sit down with Kevin Brown, former CEO and one of the earliest employees of the renowned restaurant group Lettuce Entertain You, whose depth, variety, and consistent success have made it a cornerstone of the hospitality world. Kevin’s creative instincts, quiet wisdom, and sharp business acumen have been central to the company’s remarkable growth over the decades. He joins us in the studio to share insights into the evolution of Lettuce, the secrets behind its enduring appeal, and stories from his own journey — from accepting the job in the ’70s while sitting in a car, to behind-the-scenes tales of Shaw’s, to a look ahead at what’s next for the company. This episode dives deep into what makes Lettuce a perennial powerhouse — and the people who keep it thriving.
Peter Vestinos is the driving force behind Bisous and Sparrow, two of Chicago’s most celebrated cocktail destinations, where his signature mix of elegance and intention defines the drinking experience. In addition to helming these standout bars, Peter is also the hospitality coach and cocktail program curator behind BarMedic, the consulting company through which he’s shaped dozens of restaurant openings across the country. He joins us with a bottle of Freezer Door Martini in hand to share his journey—from moonlighting as a bartender to designing his first cocktail menu and building bars that feel like home. This week, we’re talking ice theory, essential glassware, hospitality coaching — and so much more!
Chef Erick Williams is the award-winning restaurateur, community-builder, and mentor whose dedication to equity, leadership, and culinary excellence makes him one of Chicago’s most influential voices in food. He understands the importance of hospitality in making people’s days better—especially in a city like Chicago, which he sees as the perfect blend of southern grace and northern polish, the quiet strength that keeps the city’s cultural fabric alive and well. He comes to the studio to talk about his journey from his formative years at mk to founding Virtue, the South Side restaurant that has become a national beacon of inclusive fine dining. We hear the story behind his distinctive hospitality philosophy (rooted in memories of his grandmother’s kitchen, where every meal was a gesture of love) the moving experience of being cared for by nurses after a kitchen accident, the legacy of Black culinary labor in Chicago, and so much more.
This week’s guest needs no introduction — but we’ll give it a shot anyway. Ina Pinkney is the sage-like force and entrepreneurial spirit behind the late great Ina’s Kitchen, a beloved Chicago culinary landmark known for its warmth, character, and unforgettable food. But, as she wryly reminds us, she didn’t arrive fully formed. A childhood illness and a string of firings from corporate gigs — during a decidedly less-than-equitable era — shaped her path long before she became a hospitality visionary. It wasn’t a flash in the pan, but a hard-won opportunity that led her to redefine what a restaurant could be: not just a place to eat, but a place to belong. Ina joins us in the studio with a letter to her younger self, a list of ways restaurants can better serve their customers, a few pointed snipes at her friend (and former guest) Doug Sohn — and, of course, more stories, wit, and wisdom that only she could bring.
This week’s guest seamlessly blends the art of hospitality with the disciplined focus of martial arts, leading a life story that reads like a compelling redemption narrative. Raised above an Irish pub by first-generation Korean immigrant parents, Jason Chan was immersed in the world of hospitality from an early age. His journey led him from working as a nightclub security guard—a role marked by numerous arrests—to becoming a celebrated restaurateur, the force behind acclaimed establishments like Butter and Juno. A harrowing battle with cancer inspired Chan to embark on what may be his culinary swan song: Gavroche, a modern French restaurant in Chicago’s Old Town. Jason comes to the studio to tell us about a time he went above and beyond for a guest, share insights into maintaining a competitive edge, muses on an alternative path, and so much more!
This week's guest is a natural-born storyteller with a gift for amplifying voices in the hospitality world. As the president and founder of H2 Public Relations, Heidi Hageman has spent nearly two decades shaping the public image of top restaurants and industry professionals in Chicago and on the West Coast, with a client list that includes a number of Joiners alums including Daisies, One Off Hospitality, and even Scofflaw. She joins us in the studio to share how a serendipitous move to San Diego—and an unexpected post-college pivot—launched her into the world of PR. We get into the do’s and don’ts of restaurant publicity, navigating crisis communications, her cross-industry collaborations with the likes of Wilco and the Blackhawks, and so much more.
When Marcos Carbajal’s father, Inocencio “El Güero” Carbajal, opened Carnitas Uruapan in 1975 in Pilsen, he lived on a couch in the restaurant and ate carnitas for three meals a day, all to realize his vision of sharing and celebrating his home region of Michoacán’s specialty: delicious, mouth-watering carnitas. Marcos has since taken over the business, applying the skills and knowledge he acquired during his MBA program to expand the restaurant’s reach. This expansion includes a second location in Gage Park and a third, flagship location in Little Village, opened in January 2025 — and these days, they are slinging upwards of 24,000 pounds of pork every week. Marcos joins us in the studio to educate us on the diverse varieties of carnitas, demo an authentic carnitas taste test, discuss unconventional pork preparations, and much more!
This week’s guest is a powerhouse in the culinary world. Carrie Nahabedian, the James Beard Award-winning chef behind the acclaimed Brindille and the late, great NAHA, has left an indelible mark on Chicago’s fine dining scene. From an early love of cooking inspired by her Armenian heritage to helming the kitchens of high-end hotels like the Ritz-Carlton Chicago and the Four Seasons Biltmore, her career has been defined by bold creativity and an uncompromising commitment to quality. Carrie joins us in the studio to talk about the art of crafting a memorable dining experience, the highs and lows of working with family, and why she refuses to phone it in for events like Restaurant Week. We dive into her love-hate relationship with tasting menus, her thoughts on the ever-changing food scene, what it takes to keep things fresh when you’ve been at the top for decades—and so much more!
When this week’s guest isn’t satirizing the hospitality industry with incisive memes via his Instagram account @thesussmans, he’s the Chef and partner at Gertrude’s in Brooklyn. Eli Sussman joins us in the studio to discuss creative new lanes for chefs amidst an increasingly competitive landscape, explain what happens when the comedic and culinary collide, and give us his two cents on the LA vs. NYC rivalry. Keep an eye out for his book Me Chef, You Chef, Oui Chef (2027) and the return of his interview series Talkin In The Walkin, and myriad other creative pursuits.
This week’s guest is a passionate workhorse: when Sarah Stegner isn’t serving imaginative, seasonally inspired dishes as the founder and creative force behind Prairie Grass Cafe, she’s showcasing the potential for chefs to advocate for change in food sourcing or rallying her chef friends to cook for a good cause. As a founding member of the innovative and purpose-driven Green City Market, she has helped shape Chicago’s sustainable food movement, championing local farmers and fostering a direct connection between growers and chefs. She comes on the pod to tell us about the connections between classical guitar and dish composition, provide tips for success at the farmer’s market, and go deep on the systemic problems facing food — and what we can do to fix them.
This week’s guest worked in nearly every culinary setting imaginable—from Dairy Queen to sports bars—before making his mark in fine dining. Chef Jenner Tomaska earned his stripes at top spots like Mk and Next before founding the renowned Esmé alongside his wife, Katrina Bravo. He joins the pod to share how creativity serves as his North Star in navigating the fine dining world and gives us the inside scoop on The Alston, a new steakhouse concept that explores the surprising origins of ingredients. This week: tips for working with your life partner, reimagining farm-to-table, the origins of Esmé’s art gallery concept, and much more.
From Colombia to South Beach, Williamsburg to Chicago, Felipe Ospina’s hospitality journey has taken him through some of the most dynamic culinary landscapes in the world. With a track record of opening 25 restaurants in Chicago and a passion for concept creation, agility, and innovation, Felipe has helped shape the city’s dining scene. Now a business developer and consultant, he collaborates with top chefs and operators to refine restaurants and drive profitability. He joins us in the studio to talk about what it takes to launch successful restaurants, transitioning from on-the-floor hospitality to business development, the best Colombian food in Chicago—and so much more.
You might know this week’s guest from the antics of his Substack, Food is Stupid, where he lovingly skewers food culture with irreverent humor and subversive stunts. But don’t get it twisted: despite his approach, the man behind it, Dennis Lee, is a serious voice in Chicago’s culinary community—a true purveyor and champion of hidden gems, and someone who knows food inside and out. By day, he’s a writer for The Takeout, covering everything from fast food to local Chicago eats. His new Substack, The Party Cut, has him doubling down on his signature style, blending deep dives into Chicago’s food scene and a respectful approach to the city’s less-known establishments with sharp-witted observations. He joins us in the studio (with treats!) to talk about how Food is Stupid served as a refreshing antidote to the over-seriousness of food writing, why we’ll never run out of hidden gems, the rise of Korean culture in the U.S. (and a celebration of Korean markets), and so much more.
Greg Hall, the brewmaster and beverage visionary behind Goose Island’s meteoric rise, has long been a pioneer in the craft beer world. As the son of founder John Hall, Greg’s boundless creativity and willingness to experiment with unconventional styles helped establish Goose Island as a trailblazer in the golden age of craft brewing. After the brewery’s acquisition by Anheuser-Busch, Greg found a new passion—hard cider. A formative trip to England opened his eyes to what the U.S. was missing, inspiring him to launch Virtue Cider. In this episode, he shares how he got into brewing, the rollercoaster trajectory of Virtue, his predictions for the future of the beverage industry, and much more.
This week’s guest is a man whose reputation precedes him—we sit down with the inimitable Doug Sohn, the visionary behind Hot Doug’s. A lighthearted stalwart of Chicago’s culinary old guard, his namesake restaurant became a storied institution, and his sausages have been enjoyed at Wrigley Field since 2015. Doug joins us in the studio to share insights into his journey toward the culinary arts, the fire that razed the first iteration of his restaurant, the ascent of Hot Doug’s to cultural and culinary prominence, and much more.
This week’s guest is a beacon of warmth and inspiration in Chicago’s hospitality scene — a spiritual guide and charismatic leader with an infectious passion for taking care of others. Omar Cadena, a proud Chicago native and veteran of the restaurant industry, is the visionary behind Omarcito's, a vibrant celebration of his family’s Cuban and Ecuadorian culinary heritage. In this episode, we delve into Omar’s journey as a first-generation immigrant growing up in Chicago, the versatility of seafood stew, reimagined health inspections, and much more.
As we close out 2024, we’re excited to sit down with Malcolm Simkoff of Ritual Cannabis Hospitality. Simkoff honed his craft in some of Chicago’s most celebrated restaurants (Acadia, Elizabeth, Leña Brava...) before venturing to Tulum, where he navigated the region’s culinary gold rush. Upon returning to the U.S., he noticed a glaring gap in the cannabis industry: the lack of sophistication and care in public consumption spaces. Determined to change that, he founded Ritual Cannabis Hospitality, a company dedicated to redefining cannabis-infused lounge experiences with the same refinement and hospitality he advocated for in the culinary world. We dive into: Vegas lounge concepts, rubbing shoulders with the Mexican cartel in Tulum, the unique intricacies of serving cannabis, and much more.
This week’s guest got her start in hospitality PR before trying her hand at launching a restaurant of her own. Lacey Irby’s unique perspective as storyteller and tastemaker, coupled with inventive dishes courtesy of executive chef Ryan Brosseau, has helped turn Dear Margaret into a dining experience worth writing home about. She comes by the studio to tell us how they transformed an old dilapidated seafood restaurant into a space for a fine dining concept and offers some practical advice for aspirant restaurateurs looking to strike out on their own. We talk: the influence of influencers on the restaurant media landscape, running a nimble operation, getting your kids to touch tables, and so much more.
Last year, when we had Chef Erling Wu-Bower on the pod, Maxwells hadn’t opened yet — the concept was brimming with promise, but its mettle was yet untested. After a year of service, there’s no denying how much the spot is thriving, and it’s in large part to this week’s guest — Josh Tilden, Chef Erling’s front-of-house counterpart. Josh is an engineering major-turned hospitality maestro, whose methodical approach and attention to the finer points have made him an indispensable member of the Chicago dining community. He joins us to tell us about the inception of Maxwells, give us a tour of their inspiring space, talk Shaw's lore, and so much more.
This week, we are delighted to welcome a culinary artist who, despite his reluctance to embrace the title of "chef", is undeniably one of the industry’s most esteemed talents. Chef Giuseppe Tentori refined his culinary skills in some of Chicago’s premier kitchens before joining BOKA Group, where he led BOKA (the restaurant) and subsequently opened GT Fish & Oyster, GT Prime, and BOKA Catering. In our conversation, we dive into Chef Tentori’s experiences working with Charlie Trotter, explore the philosophy of allowing a protein to speak for itself versus enhancing it, discuss the pursuit of artful consistency, and much more.
This week’s guest is busy. From championing numerous charitable causes alongside fellow Chicago chefs to running the award-winning Bocadillo Market, James Martin embodies the spirit of humble grit and hospitality zeal. With a passion for crafting inventive dishes that put a modern twist on Spanish classics, James shares his journey from modest beginnings to becoming a celebrated force in the culinary world. In this episode, we explore saffron yields, the remarkable resourcefulness of Chicago’s culinary community, tips for achieving the perfect paella, and much more.
In his early 20s, this week’s guest was working as a builder when he accidentally dropped a pallet of bricks — and vowed to move to San Francisco to pursue a life in the kitchen. And we are lucky he did: Adam McFarland is a born natural (he started cooking when he was a toddler), and his latest venture, John’s Food and Wine, which he started alongside longtime co-conspirator Thomas Rogers, is a testament to his creativity and kindness-first approach to hospitality. After Thanksgiving, they’re launching a new reservation system and tasting menu that will give diners an intimate and playful dining experience inspired by the seasons. He joins us in the studio this week to walk us through how he designs a menu, tell some stories that influenced his vision for a kinder kitchen, give us the skinny on making a good egg, and so much more.
This week, we're thrilled to be joined by Joe Flamm in the studio. The Top Chef champion and driving force behind acclaimed restaurants Rose Mary and BLVD Steakhouse takes us on a conversational journey through his life in the kitchen. From his South Side roots and the influence of his Italian grandmother to his time spent working alongside culinary icons, Joe shares the highs and lows that accompany a life dedicated to food. He talks about the grit and determination it took to rise through the ranks, the importance of mentorship and finding your own culinary voice, the challenges and rewards of opening and running your own restaurants in a city as vibrant and demanding as Chicago -- and so much more.
This week’s guest is no stranger to blending global influences with a heartfelt approach to hospitality. Dani Alonso, the visionary founder and creative director behind Bonhomme Group, has created an expansive portfolio of venues that bring the vibrancy of both Chicago and Spain to life. From award-winning restaurants and lounges to Casa Beatnik, a boutique hotel nestled in the Spanish countryside, Bonhomme reflects a passion for storytelling, luxury, and escapism. He joins us in the studio to share fascinating insights about his journey, dive into the nuances of running a business abroad, explore the enigmatic calculus of design, and much, much more.
During the early days of the pandemic, this week’s guest was looking for ways to stave off dread and make a difference—and he decided to start selling pizzas out of the alleyway behind his house. That’s right: this week we are talking to John Carruthers, founder and proprietor of Crust Fund Pizza (and director of communications for Revolution Brewing by day.) He’s raised over $70,000 for a wide variety of charities and causes and created a cult following to boot: his maximalist pizza creations sell out almost instantly, with fans from all over the region trying to crack the code on his release process. He comes to the studio to tell us how to get a leg up on securing a pizza, dives into the genesis of his pizza-making nonprofit, tells us all about a recent tavern pizza odyssey across Chicago, and so much more. He’s also got a new book: The church cookbook-inspired Super Pizza World, a treasure trove of some of his most iconic pies, bound with a spiral so you can keep it open while you play chef (why isn’t this the standard for cookbooks?)
This week, we’re diving into the world of wine with a master class led by Des Echavarrie, master sommelier and owner of Scale Wine—a Napa-based distribution business dedicated to bringing exceptional wines to discerning palates worldwide. With a career that includes a stint as a sommelier at none other than The French Laundry, Des truly knows his craft — and he’s passionate about hospitality. Here’s what’s on the syllabus today: creating unforgettable wine accompaniment, unpacking the challenges in the wine collector’s market, exploring the rich past, dynamic present, and exciting future of the wine industry, and, as always, so much more.
From selling homemade hooch at his band's merch table to distilling one of the finest artisanal gins available, Brenton Engel’s story is worth telling and listening to. As founder of Letherbee, Brenton’s commitment to authenticity and craftsmanship has made the Chicago-based distillery a flagship for quality liquor, and his philosophy to “always work with friends” makes him an exemplar of a community-first approach. He joins us to tell us all about the early days of “Illinois joy”, dive deep into the nature of gin, debunk myths and misconceptions about liquor through the ages, and so much more.
After a career spent honing his skills around food, across many of Chicago’s best restaurant groups including One Off Hospitality, Hogsalt, and Land & Sea Dept, Max Robbins now serves as Culinary Director at Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, where he leads menu development and chef training with a hands-on, collaborative approach. Known for his creativity, dedication, and intrepid leadership, Max brings a deep respect for the craft, drawing on his diverse experiences to inspire innovation in the kitchen while maintaining a humble, team-oriented mentality. He joins us this week to discuss Chicago's renegade kitchen culture (of yesteryear), being spit in the mouth during a tense shift on the line, how to get the most out of your time at culinary school, and so much more.
This week, we sidle up next to our favorite curmudgeon at the end of the bar — a legend of Chicago’s bar and beer scene, the one and only Michael Roper. He opened Andersonville’s Hopleaf back in 1992, a bar renowned for its extensive selection of Belgian beers and its famous mussels and fries. He joins us to tell us all about his journey — how being laid off from his assembly line job and doored (in the throat) on his bike changed the trajectory of his life, to how he’s failing at being retired (but still giving it the old college try). Join us for a conversation about the historical significance of Trappist ales, one of the first R.E.M. shows on record, how a bunch of barflies reacted to having their noontime porno viewing taken away, and so much more.
We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you a casual fireside chat between our intrepid hosts. That's right -- a guest cancelled on us, and as people say all the time: when the guest's away, the hosts will play. In our first "In Case of Emergency" episode, Tim and Danny hash it out about Stock's Campfire Jamboree at Camp Wandawega 2024, the birth of Tim's child, shrubs (the drink, not the plant), and even offer up some business advice. Is there anything these guys won't talk about?
This week, we're excited to welcome Julia Kramer, a former deputy editor at Bon Appetit and acclaimed restaurant critic, who joins us to tell us about her career covering food. After honing her writing skills under the tutelage of literary giant David Foster Wallace, Julia found her calling in the vibrant world of food journalism. She cut her teeth at Time Out Chicago, where she fearlessly navigated the city's culinary scene, even taking a stint as a less-than-stellar barback at Danny's own Scofflaw. Her sharp wit, infectious enthusiasm, and discerning palate eventually landed her a coveted spot at Bon Appetit, where she traversed the nation in search of America's hottest new restaurants. In this episode, Julia opens up about the highs and lows of her culinary adventures, from the thrill of discovering hidden gems to the challenges of maintaining anonymity and balancing her own voice with the demands of a major publication. She shares candid insights into the changing landscape of food media, tells us about her favorite Substacks, and so much more.
From Chicago's bustling kitchens to the far corners of the globe, this week's guest brings a unique blend of culinary expertise and literary flair to the table. Hugh Amano is a chef, writer, and passionate explorer, fueled by a lifelong devotion to learning about our world through food. Armed with degrees in both English and Culinary Arts, Hugh's true education comes from his insatiable appetite for exploring new cultures and cuisines. Hugh's journey has taken him from the kitchen to the pages of acclaimed cookbooks like Let's Make Dumplings!, Let's Make Ramen!, and The Adventures of Fat Rice. He's the creative force behind Bon Vivant, a biannual culinary journal that dives deep into the heart of a single subject per issue, tantalizing readers with delicious recipes, captivating stories, and stunning photography. He comes to the studio to tease a new book, champion the merits of physical media, tell us about his mission to make food more accessible, and so much more.
It’s hard to say what stands out more about this week’s guest—her culinary passion or her legal expertise. Lauren Tuckey is a valuable asset to Chicago’s hospitality scene, bringing a unique blend of legal acumen and a true love of food. As a Level 2 sommelier and a genetic super taster, she knows her food, but with her law firm, Tuckey Law, she’s also ensuring that some of the city’s top owners and operators stay compliant and focused on what they do best. In this episode, Lauren gives us a master class in the legal side of running a restaurant, covering everything from how to protect yourself in a partnership to the nuances of sick leave, the realities of embezzlement, and much more.
After investing around $30,000 into a beer-making hobby, José Lopez, alongside his brother Javier, knew it was time to turn his passion into a full-fledged business. And we’re so glad he did. The Hermosa native’s Casa Humilde Cerveceria Artesanal has quickly become one of the most exciting spots to enjoy craft beer in town. Casa Humilde originally started in the Lopez brothers' childhood home in Chicago, but their operation has grown significantly since then. They joined District Brew Yards in 2019, and recently, they expanded to a new location in Forest Park. With the new location, Lopez has seamlessly integrated his Mexican heritage into nearly every aspect of the business, from the music and food to the beers themselves. He comes to the studio to tell us about his journey, from finding music as a kid to sourcing ingredients from Mexico for new beers at the brewery. Join us as we talk: the tricky business of making hard seltzers, the best session beers, establishing an identity amidst crowded craft beer market, and so much more.
Allison Rosenwinkel is much more than a design consultant — she’s a brand therapist. Alongside her business partner and husband, Paul Demyanovich, she co-founded and currently serves as the managing director of HiFi Brands. Together, they provide comprehensive, full-range brand strategy and a suite of design and branding solutions for a wide variety of clients in the hospitality industry and beyond. Their approach helps craftspeople and business owners integrate their stories in powerful, emotionally-resonant ways. Allison joins us in the studio this week to discuss the importance of being understated, the benefits and pitfalls of trends, the psychological underpinnings of menu design, and so much more.
This week, we're thrilled to welcome a culinary powerhouse, Milwaukee’s Chef Dan Jacobs, to the show. Known for his bold flavors and inventive takes on American-Chinese cuisine, Dan co-owns Milwaukee’s renowned restaurants DanDan and EsterEv. After a career working throughout Chicago and Wisconsin, he recently made waves on the 21st season of Top Chef, where he earned a top-three finish, showcasing the heart and soul of Midwestern hospitality. Despite living with Kennedy’s disease, a rare neuromuscular disorder, Dan's journey through the competition was a testament to his resilience and creativity, which he continues to showcase every day at DanDan. We dive into his approach to menu development, Bayview hotspots, the lessons learned from cooking under the intense pressure of the Top Chef kitchen, and so much more.
Allan Perales knows how to solve problems. He champions a powerful idea: that there's no such thing as an unsolvable problem -- you're just looking at it from the wrong angle. After working in hospitality as a hotel manager for a number of years, Allan pivoted to a career in real estate. As partner at Goldstreet, his discerning approach and eye for optimal experience have helped independent restaurateurs throughout Chicago secure the space they need to realize their vision. His client list is stacked: Galit, Kasama, Birrieria Zaragoza -- the list goes on. He comes to the studio to tell us all about what brought him to where he is today, in a discussion that covers trends in the real estate market for restaurant owners, the art of securing the right deal, best practices for being a respectful hotel guest, and so much more.
After a string of formative restaurant experiences in Detroit and Chicago, Norman Fenton, preoccupied by wanderlust, got in his car and drove to Tulum, Mexico. In this week’s episode, he tells us all about a journey that shifted the trajectory of his career and life — what he learned about food, leadership, and hospitality, all lessons he’s showcased by opening Cariño, an immersive, innovative taco Omakase joint in Uptown. Hear about his adventure in an episode that covers: the merits of experience over formal training, the challenges and opportunities inherent to opening a new restaurant, how to cook stoned, and so much more.
Green City Market has zeroed in on a number of problems plaguing food distribution and accessibility in our city – and they've resolved to do something about it. Our guest this week, Mandy Moody, is the executive director behind many of these initiatives, supporting farmers in selling their products (without sacrificing a major cut), educating people about food sustainability, and working hard to make locally-grown food as accessible as possible. And beyond all of that, the market itself is a beautiful, community-driven testament to the power of combining good food with good people. Mandy is also just flat-out fun to talk to, in an episode that covers: the true cost of growing real food, the eternal struggle of getting kids to eat, and insight into September 5th's Chef BBQ event (as well as some practical tips for scoring the best possible bites).
In collaboration with Tales of the Cocktail for our first entirely remote episode, we're on the horn with New York City's Harrison Ginsberg. He's a world-class bartender and bar director who cut his teeth at renowned establishments in Providence and Chicago before heading back to the Big Apple to help curate one of the finest hospitality experiences on the planet: Overstory, a 64th-floor cocktail bar that spoils visitors with a breathtaking view and equally memorable libations. He tells us all about his journey in a conversation covering the key differences between Chicago and NYC cocktail scenes, watching the first season of "Cheers" as training, the challenges inherent to memorizing an extensive repertoire of drinks, and so much more.
It’s happy hour on Joiners this week as we sit down for a booze-infused conversation with Luke DeYoung. He's a bartender and cocktail craftsman with decades of experience at some of the city’s finest bars, including Scofflaw, where he worked alongside the one and only Danny Shapiro. Together, they have been hard at work on Sip Sip, a video cocktail series that seeks to lower the barrier of entry for handcrafted cocktails with engaging tutorials and educational content. To top it all off, he's the beverage director behind Oliver's, a 1930s speakeasy in the South Loop that opened earlier this year to much fanfare. This is a man who knows his way around a good pour — we get into the nitty-gritty of technique, deliberately finite dining experiences, the best spots for heavy petting at Scofflaw, and, as always (because we can’t help ourselves): so much more.
This week, we're excited to sit down with Thomas Oh who recently opened his newest restaurant, Perilla Korean American Steakhouse with his partner Andrew Lim. It's a fine dining joint dedicated to creatively reinterpreting Chicago steakhouse staples with a modern twist -- and delivering with the commitment to hospitality Thomas clearly champions. We explore what it's like to collaborate with one of the world's largest food corporations, the best way to make instant ramen (and why it matters), the unique challenges and opportunities of being a second-generation restaurateur, and so much more.
This week, we delve into the world of Michael Muser, a charismatic veteran sommelier who has played a pivotal role in shaping Chicago's dining scene. With his characteristic showmanship and deep passion for hospitality, Michael guides us through a captivating array of topics, his raconteur's charm on full display. From his beginnings as a self-described "baseball brat" to his influential positions at prestigious venues like the Peninsula Hotel and Grace, Michael's journey is a fascinating one. Now a partner at award-winning establishments Ever, After, and The Canvas, his story offers rich insights into the world of fine dining. In this episode, we explore what draws people to the hospitality industry and examine the challenges and changes in a post-COVID landscape, particularly the exodus of mid-career professionals. Michael regales us with tales that range from Olivia Colman's near-miss as a scullery worker at Ever, to the intricate "Russian dolls" of wine knowledge, to rubbing shoulders with Chris Nolan's complicated brother, and so much more.
This week, we're strengthening the Chicago-Cleveland connection by chatting with one of The Land's kind titans of hospitality: Andrew Watts, the proprietor of the renowned Cordelia, a restaurant named for his grandmother. Known for its delicious, elevated, sharable takes on American classics (conceived by Andrew's right-hand man, Chef Vinnie Cimino), Cordelia was named Cleveland Magazine's best new restaurant of 2023 and was honored as a 2024 James Beard Award finalist. Andrew was kind enough to stop by the studio while he was in town for the awards, and we had an amazing chat about his fascinating journey across the hospitality landscape and how he realized his dream of opening his own restaurant. We cover the delicate dance of feedback, opening a hotel in Cleveland while the Browns were in the Super Bowl, tactfully bouncing celebrity guests, and a clandestine chef hang, replete with banana leaf exfoliation and bandsaw steaks for those lucky enough to be in the know.
This week, we sit down with Ria Neri, the creative force behind the acclaimed Four Letter Word Coffee and a certified Cicerone with an unwavering passion for craft beer, made crystal clear by her founding of Whiner Beer Company. Inspired by the vibrant coffee culture in Istanbul, Ria and her partners opened their first café on Burgaz Island before bringing their vision to Chicago. Ria shares the fascinating origin of the Four Letter Word name, their journey to creating a haven for coffee lovers in Logan Square, and her love for both beer and coffee. We also learn how a simple excuse to travel can turn into a thriving business and get to the bottom of the distinction between gose and gueuze (yes, they're different kinds of beer.) This is an episode you don't want to miss: Ria is a true connoisseur of sensory experiences, and it's clear that she loves to share her passion.
This week, we speak to another member of the growing Highland Park mafia — Adam Pollock, a cook turned farmer, responsible for supplying some of the best restaurants in the city. Adam grows his produce right here in the heart of Chicago at Closed Loop Farms. He tells us about his journey, from discovering his passion for food and fresh ingredients, and ultimately expanding his culinary horizons by learning how to grow his own produce. We dig deep into the soil with this one, exploring the art and science of urban farming and how it's reshaping our city's culinary landscape.
Do tropical drinks actually make for gnarly hangovers? What have been the major advancements in distilling in the last century? What happens when a college kid has drink-slinging know-how and unfettered access to booze? In this week’s episode of Joiners, we explore big questions with none other than Kevin Beary, the sagacious beverage director behind River North tiki treasure Three Dots and a Dash. He tells us about his journey from underage bartending in Philadelphia to working towards his master’s degree in distilling science. Listen now for a history of the perennial tiki fascination, a deep dive into what makes good rum, beverage direction wisdom, and much more.
For our latest episode, we sit down with the inimitable Cecily Strong to explore her fascinating path from the fashion world to the culinary scene. Cecily takes us through her early days being scouted at the mall as a teen, globe-trotting adventures in the modeling world, and learning the ins and outs of the restaurant industry from the ground up with Eat Free Pizza. She shares behind-the-scenes stories from opening Pizza Fried Chicken Ice Cream with Ed Marszewski and Won Kim, the joys and challenges of taking over an old school pizza joint with Kim’s Uncle Pizza in Westmont, and her latest venture -- Pizz’amici in West Town. Along the way, we dive into the nitty gritty of dough hydration, the perfect martini, an impassioned defense of Taco Bell, and as always, so much more.
For episode 101, we are sitting down for a master class on hospitality with one of its most innovative and fastidious practitioners. Chris Gerber is a front-of-house guru whose attention to detail and commitment to guests at places like Trio, Alinea, and currently Smyth + The Loyalist have helped earn those establishments scores of well-deserved accolades, including a third Michelin star for Smyth. He comes to the studio to tell us all about how he helped manifest such a coveted title, what Jeff Buckley taught him about excellence, going the extra mile to give guests an unforgettable experience, and so much more.
This week, we’re ringing in our 100th episode the only way we know how: exploring the world of hospitality by chatting with its most colorful characters. This week, our tagline is especially appropriate — we sit down with the multitalented, accomplished, and vibrant Stephanie Izard, whose list of accolades is as impressive as it is long. She opened her first restaurant when she was only 27, bested her competition on Top Chef to take home the top prize, and now runs a quartet of celebrated restaurant in the city —Girl & the Goat (which earned her a James Beard award in 2013), Duck Duck Goat, Little Goat and Cabra. She comes to the studio to spill the tea on the Top Chef experience, espouse the value of constructive criticism, reminisce about working at Olive Garden, and — as we’ve made sure of for 100 episodes — so much more.
This week, we’ve brought in an owner who just might handle more covers per night of service than anyone else in town. In this episode, Danny Wirtz, the fourth-generation owner of the Chicago Blackhawks, joins the crew to discuss everything from growing up in the northern suburbs to the evolving landscape of sports and entertainment in the city. Danny shares his passion for music, his experiences working in the industry, and how those lessons have shaped his approach to running the family business. He also dives into the nitty-gritty of brand building, both in the beverage industry with Breakthru Beverage Group and in the world of professional hockey. Tune in for some incredible stories, like: Danny's month-long stay in the Edmonton "bubble" during the 2020 NHL playoffs; the unforgettable Stanley Cup celebrations in Chicago; the time Ministry recorded a Blackhawks team song (that never quite made it to the arena speakers), and so much more.
Chef Christian Hunter may be new to Chicago, but he's already making waves in the city's culinary scene as the inventive talent behind Atelier, where he and his dynamic team recently earned their first Michelin star. In this episode, Christian shares his journey from his early days experimenting in the kitchen to his time at culinary school and his rise through the ranks of the restaurant industry. He discusses the challenges and triumphs of opening Atelier and creating an accessible yet extraordinary 12-course tasting menu experience. Christian also dives into his creative process, his focus on seasonal ingredients, how he accommodates dietary restrictions without compromising flavor or experience, and so much more.
This week, Tim and Danny are joined by Adam Meyer, the Chef de Cuisine at Brasero and John Manion's trusted right-hand man. Adam shares his inspiring journey of thrusting himself into the world of food at a young age. He discusses his time at The Bristol before the pandemic hit, and how he's now working alongside Manion to develop inventive South American cuisine at Brasero. Also: a New Year's Eve service gone awry at The Bristol, celebrity crushes, pro-tips for cooking steak to impress your friends, and so much more.
In a very special episode of Joiners, we start things out by sitting in studio with Donnie Madia. He’s a man who needs no introduction, but in case you’ve been predisposed for a few decades: he’s the James Beard Award-winning powerhouse behind acclaimed institutions like Blackbird, avec, The Publican, The Violet Hour, Big Star, and so much more — and maybe you recognize him from The Bear, where he delivered a powerful monologue that encapsulates the gritty hospitality thesis statement of the city we call home. And in a Joiners first, we take the Gratuity Round out of the studio, doing it live in front of a crowd at a special dinner at Publican Quality Meats prepared by former guest of the pod Rob Levitt, John Manion, and Mindy Segal. This in an episode you don’t want to miss.
This week on Joiners, we sit down with Jake Schneider, the owner of Schneider Deli, a new Jewish deli that's bringing classic flavors to the heart of River North. Jake takes us on a journey through his culinary career, from taking a cooking class as an adolescent, to staging at high-end restaurants, to working at a summer camp and even a kitchen technology company. He shares his passion for preserving Jewish food traditions and lets us in on the secrets to his popular pickles. This week we cover the inspiration behind Jake's affordable lunch options, selling pickles on Instagram, his hopes to expand to other deli deserts in the city, and so much more.
This week, we’re joined by Leigh Omilinksy. She is partner and executive pastry chef at Daisies, the Michelin Star adorned Chicagoland darling that was recently named the best restaurant in the city by Eater. And after chatting with her, it makes sense why — after having a borderline magical Crème Brûlée at San Francisco’s Top of the Mark, this would-be jazz pianist was set upon a fated path of pâtisserie that took her across the world and, to our delight, back to her home city of Chicago. She dishes on the unexpected success of her collaboration with Wiener's Circle, spills the beans on the secret to perfect meringue, explains why she'd love to be a nutritionist in another life, and so much more.
In this episode of Joiners, we sit down with the accomplished Chef Sahil Sethi. He’s the culinary mastermind behind Indienne and Sifr, two of the most exciting spots in the city today. From his early days studying hospitality management in India to stints at renowned restaurants like Noma in Copenhagen, Sethi has built an impressive resume and unique perspective on cuisine. He takes us on a journey through his career, dishing on everything from the grueling hours and exacting standards at Noma to the challenges of introducing elevated Indian dining to the US at Rooh.
Plus: the importance of true authenticity, the essential Indian spices every home cook should have, when to add that garam masala for maximum impact, how to properly drink a cocktail (according to Danny), and more.
This week, we’re joined by the talented Monica Casillas-Rios, the acclaimed bartender at Chicago's Elske, whose exceptional cocktail program recently earned her the prestigious 2023 Michelin Guide Exceptional Cocktail Award. Monica shares her fascinating journey in the world of hospitality, from her early days discovering the art of cocktails in Detroit to her current role as the creative force behind Elske's inspired drink menu.
Throughout the conversation, Monica takes us behind the scenes of her creative process, revealing her preference for simple, yet innovative ingredients and her unique approach to incorporating elements from the kitchen into her cocktails. She also delves into her personal taste in drinks, her love for non-alcoholic beverages, her thoughts on the biggest misconceptions surrounding her craft, and so much more.
This week, Tim and Danny sit down with Alfredo Nogueira, the talented New Orleans-born chef currently heading up the kitchens at NOLA's Cane & Table, Cure, and VALS. Alfredo shares his journey, from getting his start cooking in his hometown, to pursuing his passion for music in Chicago post-Katrina where he ended up falling in love with the kitchen life.
Alfredo takes us behind the scenes of his time as executive chef at Chicago's Analogue, where he brought classic Louisiana cooking to the Windy City. He reveals what drew him back home to New Orleans, and the challenges and triumphs of reimagining the menu at Cafe Henri. Alfredo also shares some insider tips on must-visit spots in NOLA, an intriguing McDonald's menu hack, and so much more.
Monica Eng knows a thing or two about how to talk and write about food in Chicago and beyond. She got her start at the Chicago Sun-Times as a copy clerk in high school and spent sixteen years as a reporter on the food scene for the Chicago Tribune. She went on to write for every major Chicago outlet and currently writes for Axios Chicago, where she covers a wide range of issues, from food policy, to dietary health and beyond. You can also hear her talk food with Tribune food critic Louisa Chu every week on their popular podcast, Chewing. Her new book with David Hammond, Made in Chicago: Stories Behind 30 Great Hometown Bites explores the history of some of the city’s most iconic delights. Monica’s natural curiosity and passion for food and people are crystal clear and on display in a lively episode that explores a career guided by Roger Ebert, the impact of AI on food journalism, her family’s chop suey legacy, and so much more.
This week we’re joined by beverage entrepreneur Jess Feller. She founded Aged & Infused with her husband, John — it’s a company devoted to providing innovative, palate-pleasing spirit infusion kits that take the fuss out of mixology at home. She tells us about what led her to leave behind the world of advertising to delve into the beverage industry. We talk about ingredients that infuse well (and the ones that don’t), her family's history of being prepared for a good time, her appearance on the Kelly Clarkson show, and so much more.
What does the future of the hospitality industry look like? What are the best ways to find work/life balance as a chef and parent? And does Danny have a solid gold car? We're sorting it all out with Chef Jason Vincent in one of our longest episodes yet. With decades of experience leading acclaimed restaurants like Nightwood and Giant, as well as spearheading industry healthcare initiatives, Jason has a wealth of wisdom to share.
This week we're talking: Jason's winding path through some of the city’s most lauded kitchens; what the healthcare crisis looks like for both front and back of house staff; whether hazelnuts are over or underrated — and of course, so much more.
This week on Joiners, we are thrilled to welcome Chicago culinary legend Todd Stein. With over 30 years of experience working in acclaimed kitchens around the country and overseas, Todd shares incredible stories and insights from his extensive career. We cover his early days working under renowned chefs like Keith Korn and Michael Kornick, being on the opening team at MK, winning major accolades as executive chef of Cibo Matto, and as always, so much more.
Our guest this week is Adam Witt, AKA Omnivorous Adam, a chef and videographer bringing major energy and enthusiasm to the online food space. He sits down with us and tells us all about his unconventional journey, from washing dishes as a teen to jetsetting for celebrity clients later on. We get into everything that fuels his relentless curiosity, from epic food crawls around Chicago to nerding out over cookbooks and obscure YouTube channels. Plus: Adam’s stint on a food truck in LA, his favorite places to shop for ingredients, the key to making videos people actually want to watch, and so much more!
This week, we’re garnering critical consensus with Adrian Kane, Editorial Director of restaurant recommendation authority The Infatuation. We trace Adrian's unexpected path from recommending eateries while dying hair at the salon to leading one of Chicago's most influential food sites. Adrian tells us about getting her start with the company in its early startup days, how she approaches editing the diverse voices on her team, the method behind The Infatuation's dining alias strategy, and much more. From getting scoops on new openings to dealing with the occasional Twitter outrage, we get the inside look at life as an editor on the food scene beat in Chicago.
What happens when a hockey-loving finance major turned firefighter hopeful decides to trade in his gear for a shaker tin? This week we're exploring that trajectory with Joe Briglio, co-owner and beverage director of Chicago's Blade Runner-inspired cocktail den Nine Bar. We journey along Joe's unexpected career path that led him from college summers slinging drinks at concerts to designing some of the city's most interesting neon-tinged cocktails. Joe tells us about emerging reinvigorated after a shocking diagnosis, Tim and Joe reminisce about their time on the trading floor, we learn all about the genesis of Nine Bar, and so much more.
This week, we’re flouring a clean surface with acclaimed pastry chef Sandra Holl, owner of the beloved Floriole Cafe & Bakery in Lincoln Park. Sandra shares her journey from growing up in Rockford, Illinois to unexpectedly falling in love with French pastries during a year studying abroad in France. She tells us about the process of opening Floriole, starting small with just a tent and a few pastries at local farmers markets, to establishing a flourishing cafe and bakery we know and love today. In a conversation that is both literally and figuratively sweet (she brought us a box of pastries), we talk: baking philosophy focused on the balance of quality ingredients and techniques, tips for enterprising home bakers, vying for the top of the class at culinary school, and so much more.
In this episode of Joiners, we interview Pineapple Audio founder and CEO Matt Edgar, an expert in hospitality audio with an ear for how sound can enhance spaces and experiences. Matt shares his journey from touring musician to becoming one of the top names behind sound systems in hotels, restaurants, bars, and other venues across the globe. In a wide-ranging conversation, Matt provides an inside look at creating memorable sonic identities for hospitality brands through a blend of audio art and science. Featuring: sleeping in vans, balancing music with conversation, the future of audio, and so much more. Plus: Tim provides some much-needed clarification around the Tierney Split.
This week, journalist Ari Bendersky joins us to discuss his career covering food, wine, spirits, and travel in Chicago. Ari reflects on his time as founding editor of Eater Chicago during the golden age of food media in the city, when he competed with outlets like Time Out Chicago while cultivating an underground network of insiders feeding him scoops. Ari digs deep into his newsletter Something Glorious, a recent passion project where he writes about wine, cocktails, restaurants, and adventures abroad. Conversation also touches on Chicago's underrated suburban dining scene, the next era of Asian-inspired steakhouses in the city, building his freelance writing process around discovering and telling people's stories, and as always, so much more.
Jeff Donahue, Vice President of Operations at Heisler Hospitality, joins us to discuss his long career in Chicago's hospitality scene. Jeff reflects on formative experiences at renowned restaurants like Fogo de Chão, Nacionale 27, and The Aviary, as well as lessons learned from mentors like Adam Seger and Grant Achatz. He explains the inspiration behind concepts like Sportsman's Club, Big Kids, and Estereo, which he created alongside creative partner Wade McElroy. Jeff also reveals details on upcoming Heisler projects like Friends of Friends in West Town and Lobo Pizza's third location in the West Loop. We talk about what makes a good barback, serving Dustin Hoffman, hidden gems in the often overlooked Dunning neighborhood, and so much more.
This week, Chef Erling Wu-Bower discusses his storied career in Chicago dining and the highly-anticipated opening of his new restaurant, Maxwells Trading, in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor. Erling reflects on formative experiences at renowned restaurants Publican, avec, Nico Osteria, and Pacific Standard Time, as well as lessons learned from mentors like Rick Bayless and Paul Kahan. With Maxwells Trading, which he's opening this winter alongside business partner Josh Tilden, he aims to cook "intimately personal cuisine" that incorporates his broad culinary influences, from Chinese and Thai to rustic Italian. Plus: after some culinary confusion, Tim conjures an accurate metaphor for sous-vide meat.
This week we are thrilled to be joined by restaurant legend Kevin Boehm, co-founder of the acclaimed BOKA Restaurant Group. With over 30 years in the business and 40 concepts launched, Boehm has countless insights and stories to share from his winding journey to becoming an award-winning hospitality icon. He takes us through the exhilarating early days, opening ambitious restaurants in different cities, enduring homelessness and fist fights along the way, before eventually forming an indomitable partnership with Rob Katz in Chicago. We learn about game-changing hinge points in growing BOKA group, prioritizing chef-driven creativity, the efficacy of a grassroots approach, and so much more.
This week, join us for a spirited conversation with Christine Cikowski. Along with her business partner Josh Kulp, she's the chef and co-owner behind the legendary Honey Butter Fried Chicken in Chicago. She tells us about how the Sunday Dinner Club, a multi-course dining experience, was a perfect canvas for their playful, seasonal approach to cooking, and the genesis for HBFC. Also: We chat about how she went from being a musician to finding her calling in the kitchen, starting out at Blackbird, the importance of diversifying your creative expression, and more.
Joiners listeners probably know Anna Posey as the pastry chef and visionary behind the dessert menu at Elske, the contemporary American restaurant she co-owns with her husband David Posey in the West Loop. Elske opened in 2016 and channels Anna and her husband’s philosophy of simplicity coupling seasonal ingredients with energetic hospitality. Anna came into pastry with a background in art and design, having studied painting and drawing at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design – and her artistic sensibility and process shine through in her craft. She comes to the studio to tell us about her journey, how she combines classic techniques with a modern vision, Elske's evolving menu, and so much more.
This week, we hear from Zach Engel, Executive Chef and co-owner of Galit, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Lincoln Park that just retained its much-deserved Michelin Star. Zach discusses opening Galit in 2019 to showcase his experience with Middle Eastern cuisine. He talks about his focus on Middle Eastern wines, building relationships with winemakers, and training staff on ingredients and techniques less common stateside. Throughout the episode, Zach thoughtfully reflects on his James Beard award, surviving as a new restaurant during the pandemic, the realities of running a successful restaurant in Chicago, and so much more.
This week, we get an inside look at the origin story and evolution of The Whistler bar in Chicago from co-owner Billy Helmkamp. He takes us through his early days in New York City, moving to Chicago and starting an arts collective, eventually leading to opening The Whistler in Logan Square in 2008. Billy shares anecdotes about pivoting to a major focus on craft cocktails with the help of Paul McGee, dealing with the trials of the first few years, and expanding the business to open music venue Sleeping Village. He reflects on building a local institution and community space, adapting through challenges like the pandemic, and pursuing his interest in architecture.
This week, we’re graced with insight into one of Chicago’s most dynamic restaurant groups from a woman who’s been with them from the start: Kristianna Smith was Land And Sea Dept’s first employee, and after helping them grow for over ten years, she’s got stories to tell and wisdom to share. With a clear zeal for bringing unconventional ideas to life, she tell us about projects like LSD’s first independent restaurant, Parson's Chicken & Fish, as well as the historic Chicago Athletic Association Hotel where they operate multiple restaurants. Plus: we talk managing egos, homemade perfume, oyster-loving children, and so much more.
This week's guest, Joe Frillman, cultivated his passion for seasonal, farm-to-table cuisine from an early age. As the executive chef and owner of Daisies in Chicago's Logan Square, Frillman emphasizes fresh, locally-sourced ingredients on the restaurant's vegetable-focused and pasta-driven menu. In our conversation, Frillman gives us the origin story behind Daisies, explaining how the pandemic pushed him to diversify revenue streams by expanding into bakery and cafe offerings. He also shares insights on topics like staff training, switching to a service charge model, and some of his formative experiences working under culinary masters.
This week's guest, Derrick Tung, dreamed of a life as a muscle-bound sanitation worker in his youth. But we're delighted his trajectory led him to his current role as pizza potentate instead. As the award-winning owner of Paulie Gee's in both Wicker Park and Logan Square, Derrick is responsible for some of the city’s most inventive and mouthwatering wood-fired pies. In our wide-ranging conversation, we go deep on the alchemy of pizza perfection. Derrick lifts the veil on the Paulie Gee's franchise experience, doles out tips for DIY pizza glory at home, and so much more. Plus: stick around for one of our most spirited gratuity rounds ever, in which Derrick spins an elaborate death row meal that would test the patience of even the most seasoned executioner.
This week, we are so excited to have Chef Oliver Poilevey, chef/owner at Le Bouchon, Taqueria Chingón, and Obélix, join the podcast. Oliver started washing dishes at his father's restaurant at age 13. After briefly attending culinary school and working abroad, he returned to work at Le Bouchon in his 20s, eventually taking over as head chef. A low-key master of his craft, Oliver talks about coming into his own as a chef while working alongside his father, shares stories from working in kitchens in France, and describes opening Taqueria Chingón during the pandemic. Plus: he hints at plans for a new restaurant concept coming soon to Chicago.
Maggie Hennessy, a writer known for whimsical and observational stories about food, joins the pod to discuss her career and experiences on the literary side of the Chicago culinary scene. Maggie details her journey from business writing to becoming a freelance food journalist, and the importance of relentlessly practicing writing every day. She shares thoughts on the current state of food media, including the rise of social platforms and AI-generated content, and the role writers play in shaping the landscape. She offers a behind-the-scenes look at pitching stories, dealing with online comments, and tailoring pieces for a range of publications. Plus: glassware preferences, (more) damage control for MSG, and movies where kids run the show.
This week, we're joined by acclaimed chef Doug Psaltis, who has worked in some of the world's most prestigious kitchens alongside legendary chefs. As a partner at Lettuce Entertain You, Doug opened some of Chicago's hottest restaurants, including RPM Italian, Bub City Chicago, Three Dots & A Dash tiki lounge, and more. Now at Eat Well Hospitality, he brings decades of experience combined with an infectious enthusiasm for hospitality. Doug reflects on lessons learned from mentors like Keller and Ducasse, the importance of culture and team, and a back-to-basics approach he champions today. He shares insights into his latest projects like Andros Taverna and Asador Bastion, staying true to his ethos of impeccable sourcing and heartfelt service. Join us for a wide-ranging exploration of a life richly lived in restaurants.
This week, we're treated to an effervescent conversation with Instagram's Urban Bourbonist, Chris Blatner. Chris, who started his journey into the world of bourbon in 2019, regales us with his boundless passion for all things whiskey, inviting everyone along on his voyage of discovery. He tells us all about his initiation into the world of whiskey, schools us on bourbon mash bills and barrel aging, digs deep into the fascinating lore and stories behind heritage distilleries, and much more.
This week, we sit down with one of Chicago's preeminent beer insiders. Samantha Lee of Hopewell Brewing Co. takes us through the origin story of how she, her husband Stephen Bossu, and their friend Jonathan Fritz turned their college dream of launching their own brewery into a reality. We get a behind-the-scenes peek into scouting locations, securing loans, and creating an inclusive vibe. Her passion for ethical business practices shines through as Hopewell aims to perfect its craft while making positive change in the community. Pull up a chair, crack open a fresh can of Ride Or Die, and see what lessons this homegrown Chicago brewer has to share.
If you need anything grocery-related, just give this week’s guest a call. Whether it’s fielding over 400 text messages at the dawn of Covid, surveying the neighborhood for interest in new products, or doing some personal shopping for Tim’s mom, Kosta Drosos is a model of hospitality in the grocery lane, and Fresh Market Place, the independent store he manages in Bucktown, is a community institution. We go deep on process and procedure this episode: the tricky margins of grocery, surpassing customer expectations, and the invaluable — if often overlooked — role of grocers in the culinary scene. Plus: we suss out Tim’s dad’s suspiciously meager yield of goat meat.
This one has been a long time coming. We are immensely delighted to share some quality time with none other than Chef Jason Hammel, the executive chef and owner of Logan Square’s acclaimed Lula Cafe. With humility and an eye trained on constant improvement, he’s a tour de force in Chicago’s culinary landscape, a man whose restaurants engender fierce loyalty amongst guests and staff alike. He joins us to discuss his long-awaited book, The Lula Cafe Cookbook: Collected Recipes and Stories, which is available for preorder for an October 4th release. We talk Italy, David Foster Wallace, cookbook photography, the Lula labyrinth, and of course, tennis.
It’s all things chocolate on Joiners this week as we sit down with the one and only Katherine Duncan. You know her from her Irvine Park based company, Katherine Anne Confections, where she has been delighting patrons since 2006 with inventive treats and a community focus. In an episode that will certainly pique your sweet tooth, Katherine joins us to dispel myths about truffles, provide insight into Chicago’s small but mighty chocolate scene, tell us all about her business and craft, and (as always) so much more.
This week, we’ve got Brad Bolt on the show. Brad stands as a trailblazer of Chicago's cocktail movement, and his resume is rich with time spent at the helm of some of the city's most iconic bars. We talk about the opening of Bar Deville, whether or not bartending is a young person's game, what happened to that beautiful Chartreuse sign, and as always, so much more. Plus: Brad provides an updated recipe for his signature Hard Sell cocktail.
This week, we're treated to a delightful series of framings and meanderings by sommelier Derrick Westbrook. Derrick, who served as the Cellar Manager of Alinea Group's NEXT and Beverage Director for Elizabeth, harbors a profound passion for wine that is crystal clear and infectious. With spirited storytelling and an inclusive attitude, he is generous with his knowledge, inviting everyone to discover their voice by trusting their senses. He tells us all about his journey into the world of enology, schools us on wine textures, digs deep into the sociology of hospitality, and much more.
David Manilow understands the magic of bringing people together with an unforgettable meal. In fact, he made a whole television show about it, one of this very podcast’s spiritual progenitors: Check, Please! Hundreds of episodes later, his passion for people, places, and food is undoubtable, and he has stories galore to back it up. He stops by the Joiners studio to tell us all about his inspiration for the show, some of its more notable guests, and what he’s working on now. Plus: a deep dive into the avant-garde, a reflection on the “hidden gem” category, chef tattoos, and so much more.
This week, we're joined by the founder of Heisler Hospitality (and half of its portmanteau namesake), Matt Eisler. With the uncanny ability to impliment a signature vision, Eisler is one of the most respected names in the industry -- and along with his partner Kevin Heisner, he's responsible for some of the city's most enduring and innovative establishments, from Estereo to Sportsman's Club to Lone Wolf. He tells about transitioning from playing Hockey in Calgary to buying Spike's Rat Bar, reminisces about opening a bar in Wicker Park during its salad days, walks us through the many phases of Heisler, and as always, so much more.
Don’t let her down-to-earth approach and genial humility fool you: Bridget Albert is an absolute legend of the craft cocktail scene, a powerhouse of creativity and raw performance whose keen sensibility and passion for education helped make the scene what it is today. With a raucous story that spans 19th century small-town taverns, airplane rescues, and riverboat casinos, she walks us through her storied career, and what inspired her to create one of the most influential and innovative mixology courses of all time (of which Danny is a proud alumnus.) This episode is rich with classic yarns and invaluable insights from an industry titan — we can't wait to have her back for a second round.
This week, we’re joined by Chicago’s preeminent bread head, the wheat wizard of West Town, Greg Wade. Greg runs Publican Quality Bread and cut his bread-making teeth all over the city — his knowledge of the rising staple is vast, and he conveys it all in a low-key and relatable way, made evident on this episode and in his new book, Bread Head: Baking For the Road Less Traveled. We talk the history of flour, how to assess a loaf of bread, the intricacies of gluten, and so much more. Plus: Grateful Dead trivia in honor of Dead & Company’s last show.
This week, we have the multi-talented Elise Bergman on the pod. A musician and apparel designer, she is also one of the creative powerhouses behind Judson & Moore, an award-winning whiskey distillery based in Chicago that she founded alongside her husband, Collin Moore. We go deep into the spirit distilling process, with an insightful conversation about barrels and proof, as well as the puzzle of branding whiskey (a thing they’ve clearly solved.) Plus: Tim reveals an old tennis rivalry, we discuss the intersections between parenthood and running a business, and so much more.
For our longest episode yet, we are talking with prolific food writer and critic Michael Nagrant. A long-time champion and observer of Chicago’s food scene, he takes us through his storied career, from his pioneering podcasting days to covering the scene in an independent fashion on his Substack, The Hunger. In a sprawling and delightful interview, we talk the ethics of food criticism, taking precautions to ensure an authentic dining experience, breaking the Publican story, and lots more.
Our guest this week is more than just a bartender (though there's no questioning his bonafides in that arena) -- he's a glorified YouTube sensation who's managed to successfully marry his love of making craft drinks with his panache for storytelling and performance. Anders Erickson stops by the Joiners studio to tell us all about getting his start as a soda jerk in Door County Wisconsin, his thespian roots in Chicago, and the unintended consequences of running a drink-making YouTube channel. Plus: the curious seasonality of online engagement, the challenges of working with pals, and Danny's questionable pants.
This week, we dive deep into a big cup of joe with none other than Xavier Alexander of Metric Coffee. His dogged persistence and commitment to independence have earned him one of the top spots the city’s coffee upper echelon, and his knowledge of and passion for every part of the process are both crystal clear and inspiring. He tells us about buying his first coffee machine with credit cards and student loans from a notorious grifter, his mission of incentivizing producers to stay in the business, and how to brew a perfect cup (which, it turns out, is defined by the person drinking it.)
This week's guest's body of work is rivaled only by his low-key demeanor and genial humility about it all. From working under Charlie Trotter and Grant Achatz, to taking a chance with Town House in Virginia's countryside, to opening the much-lauded pairing of Smyth and The Loyalist in the West Loop (with so much more in between), John Shields is a true gem of the Chicago culinary scene, and it was a pleasure to have him on the podcast. In addition to a laundry list of casual shout-outs to previous and future Joiners guests, we're talking the butterfly effect of dial-up internet, the hierarchy of Trotter's kitchen, developing a menu that reflects the pastoral qualities of a restaurant's location -- and plenty more.
As the Director of Sustainability and School Food for the Academy for Global Citizenship, this week’s guest is piloting a revolutionary new way of thinking about food in schools, with a holistic system that integrates environmental justice, urban farming, and equity into the school’s curriculum and structure — right in the heart of Chicago. With a master’s degree in Human Development and Education from Harvard, a true passion for complexity, and a diverse body of experience in food and hospitality, Kris De La Torre’s vision for a better food future is as convincing as it is utopian. She sits down with us to tell us all about her unconventional trajectory, give us a crash course on the cheesemaking process, provide some nuanced perspective on the Blue Hill controversy, and so much more.
For our fiftieth episode, we're lucky to be joined by none other than R.J. Melman: he's the president of Lettuce Entertain You, one of the finest restaurant groups in the country, a family enterprise renowned for its imaginative spirit and commitment to quality. He tells us all about growing up immersed in restaurant openings, how Lettuce settles on new concepts (it always starts with the food), and what it's like working alongside his brother and sister.
Raised on pans of arguably some of the best beef stew ever made in the Chicagoland area, our guest this week comes from a family devoted to taking care of the neighborhood with excellent food and warm hospitality. From its halcyon days as Raskin’s, to its evolution into Manny’s and beyond, Dan Raskin joins us to tell us all about what it was like growing up in and around Chicago’s finest Eastern European cafeteria style delicatessen. He tells us about taking over the restaurant right before Covid (and how they weathered that storm), maintaining a work-life balance, how to order at Manny’s without racking up a gargantuan bill (though we don’t blame you if you do), and so much more.
This week, we're joined by a man whose bombastic diction is matched only by a glut of talent and good taste. Won Kim is a DJ, artist, and chef whose raw curiosity and passion for collaboration has brought about some, well, extremely cool shit. Join us for a conversation about the hustle, the importance of good communication, amplifying pop-ups, and so much more. Plus — a shocking secret affinity is revealed.
With is/was brewing, this week's guest is flipping the script on craft brewing, expanding its scope while honoring its heritage with less-conventional beer styles, all composed with impeccable care and razor-sharp technical savvy. Mike Schallau joins us to share his journey, from playing jazz guitar in college to crafting some of the city's best artisanal beer. And what do you know, he brought some of those beers along to share with us. We go deep in this episode, discussing open top fermentation, the history of beer for kids, the evolution of flavor and taste buds, and as always, so much more.
Funeral Potatoes is composed of Eve Studnička and Alexis Rice -- they're industry veterans from the catering world who opened a virtual kitchen during the pandemic, and now they’re transitioning into a full-on brick and mortar. Today, we're talking with Eve, who walks us through their origin story, shining a light on some of the more unconventional sides of hospitality in our city that are really well embraced. We're talking about how they chose their fantastic name, drawing a vibrant cross-section of society when putting on an underground dining series, bread storage techniques, and so much more. Make sure you stay till the end for morel-hunting tips, too.
We also wanted to shout out the Funeral Potatoes fundraiser -- they're trying to raise $60k by January 1st of next year to help cushion the startup costs of opening a physical location, and their monthly goal grows every month. Stop by and offer them some generosity -- you won't regret it.
Don’t let this week’s guest’s low-key demeanor fool you — she is a creative powerhouse behind Hogsalt, a restaurant group known for their impeccable design and commitment to quality, and her work speaks for itself. On the precipice of their first (okay, technically second) foray into Paris, co-founder and beverage specialist Jean Tomaro joins us to chat the concept-to-implementation process, the importance of feedback, cardboard stand-ins, and the magnificence of the Vesper Martini. We also debate whether Small Cheval qualifies as a fast food joint — the results of which could spell major consequences for future Gratuity Rounds.
You might notice that this week's guest is a bit... untethered (in the best possible way.) Though he might not be tied to any particular concept, or restaurant, or project, when we talk about the "colorful characters" in our intro, our guest is exactly the kind of person we're referring to. He harbors a vast quantity of knowledge about various foods -- and beyond that, he's an enthusiast who truly loves immersing himself in cuisine and culture, in the intrinsic experience and community-making of good hospitality. Pull up a chair and join us for a round of drinks, legend telling, and genuine cheer with the good man Rob Lopata. We're talking The Urinator (#1 and #2), food fandom in 80s and 90s Chicago, the Beef-a-thon, the Wasabi incident, and so much more. All hail Pigman!
This week, we're thrilled to be joined by a man who takes no shortcuts and leaves no stone unturned: the Ramen_Lord himself, Mike Satinover. A true enthusiast and champion for the Japanese culinary staple, he got his start sharing recipes and musings on Reddit, and has grown his personal brand and knowledge to impressive heights. His passion culminates in the imminent opening of his own restaurant, Akohashi, in a few months, and we couldn’t be more excited. Listen in to learn about the best off-the-rack noodle (and where to find it), ramen-adjacent dishes in Japanese cuisine, why alkaline agents are essential to the process, and so much more.
This week, we welcome one of Danny’s mentors to the studio for a special conversation with a man who embodies the true spirit of generous hospitality. He helped spur Chicago’s cocktail revolution with forward thinking and graceful grit at The Whistler, and gave us one of the city’s best tiki bars with the opening of Lost Lake in 2017. We are lucky to have renowned bartender, cocktail champion, and our truly stand-up pal Paul McGee in the Joiners studio. We talk the intricacies of measuring baby feet in Houston, monitoring booze pump rooms in Vegas, rare bottles, and more. Plus: Danny reminisces about the good ol' days learning from Paul at the Whistler, and Tim tells us about spanking mint before a Super Bowl party.
Our guest this week wears a lot of hats. As the founder and creative director of Good Beer Hunting, he's fostering a worldwide conversation and community around the ubiquitous brewed beverage and helping breweries of all shapes and sizes thrive. He also founded Feel Goods Company, a full-definition beverage development studio innovating on the always-evolving world of drinking. That's right: brand guru, creative visionary, and poet Michael Kiser saunters into the Joiners studio to tell us about what drew him to beer, apple products (the actual fruit), what's hip and happening in the beverage industry, and so much more.
We can say with absolute confidence that this week's guest is the most famous butcher in all of Chicagoland. Luckily for us, he's also an affable mensch and an extremely pleasant hang. After studying jazz at the University of Illinois in Champagne, Rob Levitt found his true passion in the culinary arts, and decided to trade his tenor saxophone for an even-more-cutting arsenal of meat-rendering implements. These days, he works for One Off Hospitality as the head butcher and lead at Publican Quality Meats. Our conversation spans pork belly injuries, the fundamental differences between Italian salumi and French charcuterie, meeting his wife Allison at the CIA, and he helps us get to the bottom of Tim's questionably pink chicken breast.
Our guest this week cut her culinary teeth at her parents’ restaurants, where she witnessed firsthand what it takes to run a successful operation, and Oaxaca’s Seasons of the Heart Culinary school, where she opted to go instead of Paris. This devotion to heritage, augmented by an almost mystical creative approach, has helped her find success as the chef-owner of Logan Square’s lauded Mi Tocaya Antojería. Chef Diana Dávila joins us for a captivating conversation that covers her years at Butter and beyond, enticing Mexican dishes that are new to us, and where dreams and cooking intertwine.
Our guest this week never intended to break into the newspaper game, but we are happy he did. Nick Kindelsperger stumbled into food writing by following his gut — after college, he moved to New York City, where he was blown away by the ubiquity of high quality food, and the concept of making one single dish as well as you possibly can. Fast forward to now — Nick is a food critic for Chicago’s paper of record, and his no-nonsense passion for food and expressive panache have helped form and chronicle our city’s vibrant hospitality culture. He sits down with us to tell us about staying excited about food writing, burgers that blew his mind, and what’s new and notable in the Chicagoland food scene.
With a body of work as impressive as it is diverse, our guest this week is a consummate world builder whose unique approach to concept development marries a commitment to community with acute systems thinking. That's right: this week, Cecelia Cuff pops by to tell us all about her international hospitality journey, from bringing trays of food to the neighborhood trash collectors as a child, to launching an airline in Taos, to what's new at Bronzeville Winery. Plus: Tim tells us a cautionary tale about the first time he visited New Orleans.
April Fool's pranks, James Beard awards, and more cheesecake than we know what to do with -- this week, we're talking to our friend Elana Schulman of Eli's Cheesecake, who knows all of these things well. She tells us about growing up in a food family, the extended history of Eli's, and what makes Chicago style cheesecake Chicago style. And at the head, the boys play an educational round of two truths and a lie.
We've been trying to get this week's guest on since we started the podcast, and even though we weren't able to record this episode over cocktails, we hope you agree that it was worth the wait. Terry Alexander of One Off Hospitality is the industry veteran behind countless classic joints of today and yore, from Danny's Tavern to Big Star. He tells us all about falling ass-backwards into the world of food, cueing up cassettes during the early days of Danny's Tavern, serving celebrities Guinness and Jameson at Francescas, and how Big Star became a spot for tacos instead of BBQ. This one is filled to the brim with the goods, ladies and germs.
We've been trying to get this week's guest on since we started the podcast, and even though we weren't able to record this episode over cocktails, we hope you agree that it was worth the wait. Terry Alexander is the hospitality veteran behind countless classic joints of today and yore, from Danny's Tavern to Big Star. He tells us all about falling ass-backwards into the world of food, cueing up cassettes during the early days of Danny's Tavern, serving celebrities Guinness and Jameson at Francescas, and how Big Star became a spot for tacos instead of BBQ. This one is filled to the brim with the goods, ladies and germs.
This week, we're joined by Fifty/50 Restaurant Group's extraordinarily talented Director of Beverage, Julietta Campos. She joins us a mere two weeks after she helped open Kindling, a new concept bar that encompasses two floors of Chicago's historical Willis Tower, a project three years in the making. She tells us all about what such an undertaking entailed, offers some insight into The Aviary's hospitality sign language, tells us what it takes to set yourself apart as a bartender, and as always, so much more.
We’ve got an exciting one for you this week, folks. You know him from his PBS series Mexico: One Plate at a Time, his seven James Beard Awards, and his winning run on Top Chef Masters -- and you've probably dined at Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, Tortas Frontera, or any of his other widely lauded restaurants. That’s right: this week we are talking to Rick Bayless, the magnanimous master of Mexican cuisine, who comes to the Joiners studio to tell us about the changing nature of celebrity chefdom, the spoils of Mexico City, the ephemeral beauty of Oaxacan radish festivals, and so much more. And of course, not even Rick Bayless is safe from the sizzling grill of the gratuity round.
For Episode #32, we're shucking the oyster of life down to its bare essentials with our friend Pete Ternes. He's one of the founders of Bungalow by Middle Brow, "the littlest bar in Chicago," and one of our favorite brewpubs around. He tells us about his days farming oysters in a windy atoll in French Polynesia, and how that experience helped him leave behind a career as a corporate tax lawyer to start a brewery with a charitable bent. We're talking beer, pizza, and the connected etymology of Middle Brow and Bungalow, as well as their planned enological future.
This week, we break one of the Violet Hour's cardinal rules by having their bartending alum Abe Vucekovich crash the podcast. He's currently working as the beverage director of Meadowlark, one of Chicago's best craft cocktail lounges. He delves into his unique approach to curating a fine drinking experience, illuminates the process of developing one of the most creative menus in the business, and helps us review The Violet Hour's list of rules.
This week, we're going long on all things agave with one of its most zealous evangelists: Lou Bank of Saving Agave for Culture, Recreation, Education, and Development, or S.A.C.R.E.D., a not-for-profit corporation that helps build libraries, replant agave, and maintain water-preservation systems in rural Mexico. A delightful raconteur, Lou comes to the studio to do more than preach the holy gospel of Mezcal, though there's plenty of that. We talk about the power of leveraging your passions to make the world a better place, the dangers of homogenization, the world's rarest liquid, and of course, so much more.
For our first podcast of 2023, we're perusing a loaded display case with Sarah Mispagel-Lustbader, co-founder and head chef of Avondale's Loaf Lounge. Recently, she took a turn as head consultant on The Bear for all things baking -- and if you caught a glimpse of any of the cakes or doughnuts that the final cut, you know she knocked it out of the park. She joins us today to tell us about her education as a pastry chef, opening a restaurant with your spouse, how working on The Bear felt a lot like working in an actual kitchen, and so much more.
Happy Holidays, Joiners fans! Our guest this week is Chef Wilson Bauer. Bauer is the talent behind Flour Power, a gem of a pasta restaurant he opened at the beginning of the pandemic. They're doing incredible stuff over there, and it makes sense why: Bauer came from Elizabeth and Schwa, and even helped out as a mercenary cook at Scofflaw. He cuts no corners: he puts a lot of emphasis on ethical sourcing, maintaining relationships with vendors, and making sure he uses local and sustainable ingredients. We get into the sometimes-tricky ethics of food, pricing and service, as well as the illuminating practice of growing your own ingredients.
This week, we're hitching a ride down the hospitality highway with Dinah Grossman of Spinning J fame. Coming off of winning Good Morning America's inaugural United States of Pie competition, Sarah tells us all about how Spinning J evolved, from its humble soda fountain origins into the beloved Humboldt Park institution it is today. This episode, we're talking about the power of collaboration, hippie parents and baking off of the land, and the important difference between Benny the Bull and his more dexterous double.
This year, we were treated to a gritty depiction of the trials and tribulations of Chicago restaurateurs via the electric, brusque, and lovingly crafted television show The Bear. Celebrated for its unmistakable rhythm, judicious character development, and sharp attention to detail, it's up for all kinds of awards this year, and its authenticity is so palpable that many hospitality vets had trouble watching it -- including our own resident scofflaw, Danny Shapiro (though he's very happy he got eventually got through it.) It was in large part the hard work and unflappable eye of today's guest, set decorator Eric Frankel, that made the show feel so real, textured, and alive. He tells us all about the process (and so much more), in an episode that touches on controlled burns, sex toy continuity, and the sleepy giant that is the Chicago film industry.
This week, Billy Zureikat, aka Tripping Billy, brings an inspiring story -- and his trademark shishito pepper pizza -- to the podcast. After being diagnosed with muscular dystrophy a year and a half ago, he has worked to find the silver lining via a variety of creative pursuits, and has been using food collaborations in particular to bring awareness to the disease. He tells us about leveraging perceived limitations, embracing new circumstances by baking up a storm, making your own hot dogs, and so much more.
To follow along with Billy's collabs, and/or make a donation to the MDA, click here.
This week on Joiners, your hosts Tim Tierney and Danny "LA Cool" Shapiro are table-crashed by journalist and the Chicago Reader's resident culinarian: Mike Sula. He tells us about his salad days covering music in Pittsburgh, his early boots-on-the-ground reporting at the Reader, and what he's learned about telling captivating stories about food. It's a conversation that covers the feral hog craze, squirrel hunting, unnecessary (and necessary) parental censorship, and so much more.
This week, we have the pleasure of interviewing the sagacious Tereasa Surratt, a widely accomplished human being, and for our money, one of the greatest creative minds around. From her station in the advertising world, to the founding of Camp Wandawega, to her turn as an author, her list of bonafides is as textured as it is long -- and we touch on as much of it as we can in this week's episode.
Paul Virant is a legend of the Chicago culinary scene. As the Executive Chef of Vie, Vistro Prime, and Gaijin, he's been flexing his epicurean muscle around town for decades. In this week's episode of Joiners, he tells us all about his journey, from being a soda jerk for Six Flags in Eureka, Missouri, to overseeing some of the country's most singular dining experiences.
Welcome to Taste Test, a new segment where a ̶b̶l̶i̶n̶d̶f̶o̶l̶d̶e̶d̶ Tim and Danny, with the help of Tim's Sister Liz, pit local culinary delights against their mass-market counterparts. It's the Chicago food version of David vs. Goliath, or Jerry Maguire vs. Sports, with Tim and Danny's pallets settling the score.
In episode three, we're rounding out Liz's first stint by tackling a classic Chicago condiment: the smattering of pickled veggies known best as Giardiniera. Will Tim and Danny relish in glory by continuing their winning streak, or will Liz finally to jam them up in a jar of sweet, salty brine? You know what to do, folks.
This week, we're exploring the aesthetic side of the culinary world with none other than Huge Galdones, a man whose portfolio spans the hospitality gamut. This man knows just how to frame art, craft, and product -- he has experience photographing every facet of the Chicago restaurant scene and beyond. He tells us all about transitioning from a career in science to bootstrapping as a photographer, provides some friendly tips on raising your Instagram food photography game, and reminds us all just how important pre-production is.
Welcome to Taste Test, a new segment where a blindfolded Tim and Danny, with the help of Tim's Sister Liz, pit local culinary delights against their mass-market counterparts. It's the Chicago food version of David vs. Goliath, or Jerry Maguire vs. Sports, with Tim and Danny's pallets settling the score.
In episode three, we tackle a Chicago classic: the Italian Sub. Will the boys be able to sus out the true heroes amidst a trio of mystery hoagies, or will they be mystified by mass-market meat? More importantly: will a lack of onions send Danny over the edge? There's only one way to find out!
This week, we're hotboxing the studio with Mindy Segal of Mindy's Bakery and Mindy's Edibles. We settle in deep and plumb the depths in jocular fashion, exploring the true meaning of success and how to arrive at radical self-acceptance -- and Mindy shares some practical advice on safely enjoying cannabis.
Welcome to Taste Test, a new segment where a blindfolded Tim and Danny, with the help of Tim's Sister Liz, pit local culinary delights against their mass-market counterparts. It's the Chicago food version of David vs. Goliath, or Jerry Maguire vs. Sports, with Tim and Danny's pallets settling the score. For our sophomore episode, we're going to Flake Town with a quintessential French Pastry: the wonderful, butter-full croissant.
Join Tim and Danny as they take a seat with Robby Haynes III of Apologue Liqueurs and Sunday's Finest. He's a world-class drink designer using the knowledge and experience he gained as one of the nomads of Chicago's cocktail renaissance to create obscure liqueurs with one-of-a-kind flavor profiles. He takes us through his creative process (it involves not writing things down, but he's getting better about that), let's us know what inspired him to start Apologue, prompts Tim to reveal his dark history of pretentious Absinthe drinking, and so much more.
This week, we're taken to school by none other than Chef Brian Jupiter, the extremely accomplished gentleman currently helming Pioneer Tavern Group, the driving force behind spots like Frontier, Jup Soups, Ina Mae Tavern, and Lottie's. He tells about cooking with his grandmother and making food for his friends as a teenager in New Orleans, and leads us through the kitchens that compose his extensive resume. We're cooking llama and gator today, folks (amongst other things) -- and we're already thinking about part two.
Welcome to Taste Test, a new segment where a blindfolded Tim and Danny, with the help of Tim's Sister Liz, pit local culinary delights against their mass-market counterparts. It's the Chicago food version of David vs. Goliath, or Jerry Maguire vs. Sports, with Tim and Danny's pallets settling the score. For the first episode, the guys take on an early morning staple, often attempted and rarely perfected: the eggs-laden breakfast sandwich.
How do you get from Dua Lipa to Hibiscus Wine in three moves or less? Find out this week, when the boys crack open a few cold ones with Dan Abel, Co-Founder and CEO of Pilot Project, a brewery incubator based out of Chicago. Fittingly, it's the first episode to feature actual drinking, and it's complemented by incredible insight into the type of creativity, market savvy, and attention to detail that makes a passion project stand out, from a man who perceives the logic in music and vice-versa.
This week, we're lucky enough to have D'Andre Carter sidle up to the booth. D'Andre is the creative force and culinary talent behind a number of celebrated projects, like Feast & Imbibe and Soul & Smoke: two Chicagoland mainstays that put the chef's attention to detail and panache front and center. We talk about what characterizes Chicago-style BBQ, how Olive Garden is low-key a masterclass in culinary process and planning, and how D'Andre and his team successfully pivoted to provide hundreds of emergency meals every day during the dawn of Covid.
This week, we're yelling "fore!" with Soo Ahn, executive chef of Adalina, and (to Danny's fanatical delight) fantastic golfer. He tells us about his unconventional journey to the world of hospitality, the invaluable education provided by failure, and how to nail your tasting interview for a world-class restaurant.
This week, we welcome Emma Janzen, the celebrated writer responsible for such lauded collaborations as The Way of the Cocktail and The Bartender's Manifesto, as well as her own fantastic tome on Mezcal, called Mezcal: The History, Craft & Cocktails of the World's Ultimate Artisanal Spirit. She is a certified expert on cocktails and a fantastic writer to boot, and this is a fun conversation that spans the craft of both: from the fundamental differences between writing and editing and the exciting opportunities of collaboration, to what makes a memorable cocktail bar experience (and one of the worst Negronis in recorded history.)
For lucky episode #13, renowned Urbanbelly chef, Cornerstone partner, and all around Chicago gem Bill Kim slides into the booth. He talks to us about how he ran with the chances he was given early on, the hectic coordination that characterized the salad days of farm-to-table, and what it means when you're told to "throw down or go down."
This week, we're with our friend Wade McElroy, a man who has kind of done it all in hospitality. From working as a server, to helping open The Standard Hotel in New York, to designing bars with his creative partner Jeff Donahue, Wade has a diverse range of experience to draw from, and he's kind enough to share what he's learned along the way. We talk about making people comfortable with design, spotting good frames as a photographer, and some of our favorite Chicago bars.
Our guest this week is Amy Cavanaugh, a food writer whose held positions at Plate Magazine, Time Out Chicago, and elsewhere. She currently works at Chicago Magazine as their dining editor and her knowledge of Chicagoland cuisine runs deep (and she has the Google Doc to prove it.) Our conversation runs the gamut, from the ideal Chicago hot dog and the fluctuating price of lobster rolls, to the ethics of restaurant criticism amidst the climate of Covid. An absolutely delightful conversation with a bevy of good tips to boot.
This week, the table is crashed by none other than Chef Jonathan Zaragoza, the intrepid Goatboy of Birrieria Zaragoza. He walks us through the process of making birria (turns out it's good to start with a goat that's no longer alive), kitchen mishaps, and his family's less-than-legal culinary origin story. Listen to hear tips about the best Mexican spots in and around Chicago, the importance of under-promising and overdelivering, and so much more.
This week, we have the pleasure of speaking with Lily Wang, who along with her partner Joe opened up Nine Bar, an exciting new cocktail bar located in Chinatown. Nine Bar opened up in the back end of her family's restaurant, Moon Palace, which has been around for quite some time, and continues to serve its expansive menu to go. Lily takes us through the process of growing the concept from a pop-up to a permanent fixture, unravels a fake Google review conspiracy, and extols the virtues of working fast behind the bar.
A good soup takes time. It's intuition and breadth of knowledge that brought this week's joiner, Ethan Lim, to his current station as the chef-owner of the renowned Hermosa Restaraunt, a one-of-a-kind dining experience built around intimacy, connection, and a profound seriousness. This week's conversation runs the gamut -- from Ethan's time selling cars for Mini and Tesla to his experience making meals for a surprising celebrity clientele.
This week, the two-top is crashed by Ronnie Kaplan, business-owner, writer, and contributor to the great LTH Forum, a beloved resource for Chicago food enthusiasts and insiders seeking the best neighborhood restaurants and bars throughout Chicagoland. A formative interaction with the late Anthony Bourdain helped him find his place in the hospitality landscape -- and from this one-of-a-kind perspective, he delights us with stories, insights, and recommendations.
This week, we're joined by John Manion, fire-breathing chef and raconteur. He takes us on a journey through his formative years as a Hemingway-inspired youth seeking connection in Brazil, to his salad days navigating kitchens across the US, and how it all lead him his current station: chef-owner of the renowned El Che Steakhouse.
This week we have Charles Joly, one of Chicago's most celebrated bartenders who has in many ways done it all. His skills have literally taken him around the world, and now he has a line of ready to drink craft cocktails, called Crafthouse Cocktails. Join us as we discuss Charles ascent from humble barback to World Champion Bartender.
This week, we talk to the dynamic Zoe Schor of Split-Rail, a Boston native who cut her culinary teeth in the country's three biggest markets. In addition to telling us a bit about her new venture, Dorothy Downstairs, a neighborhood lesbian bar, she explains the difference between competing on Chopped and being in the weeds at a restaurant on a particularly busy night, and details the relationships she's formed via the food competition circuit. A thorough ribbing of the played-out "menu tour" format, the importance of fostering a culture of mentorship in the culinary space, unconventional pest control strategies: this episode has a little bit of everything.
This week we're joined by Nicole Alexander of Siren Betty design. She has designed several beautiful concepts across commercial and residential spaces in Chicago and throughout the country. She tells us about her path, studying art and fashion in college, and finally finding herself in interior design.
This week we talk to owner and operator David Posey, who could have become a florist, but instead decided to pursue the culinary arts. David attended the Culinary Institute of America before working in some of Chicago's best kitchens. After meeting his future wife and culinary partner Anna, he opened the award-winning, Michelin-starred Elske, a gem in the hospitality landscape. Join us for a delightful conversation that spans food allergies, rye-crust pizza, kitchen drama, and so much more.
For the inaugural episode of Joiners, we take a peek under the proverbial hood of the creative side of marketing and PR with Jenna Liberman. Jenna cut her teeth with beloved Chicago restaurant group One Off Hospitality as their first in-house marketing and PR person. After that, she moved on to a full service agency called Skoog, where she managed several clients. She eventually spun off of that and started her own agency, Slow Down Co., that provides marketing and PR for hospitality clients. She's also half the brain behind creative agency and not-so-secret society, Eye Eaters, which she shares with her partner Paul Octavius. We talk with Jenna about her career path through the hospitality world and what she's learned along the way.