Open House Chicago (OHC), now in its eighth year, is for anyone who has ever walked past a building, questioning what it was like inside, wanted to investigate a neighborhood and understand its history and visit spaces and places in the city never before explored. “OHC is a showcase to understand the basic fabric of…
Category: Chicagoland Area
Tiffani Thiessen Pull Up a Chair
Only six or so when she started helping out in the kitchen, Tiffani Thiessen grew up in a family where dinners were a gathering time to enjoy great cooking and conversations. She upped her game from traditional American fare when she and other stars from “Saved by the Bell” toured in Europe. “It definitely…
The Vintage Baker: More Than 50 Recipes from Butterscotch Pecan Curls to Sour Cream Jumbles
The author, an avid collector of vintage recipe booklets, shares some of her finds–updating them with modern twists.
Blissful Basil: Over 100 Plant-Powered Recipes to Unearth Vibrancy, Health & Happiness
Stressed out during her last term of graduate school when she was counseling clients 30 hours a week, Ashley Melillo returned to her love of cooking, combining it with creating healthy plant-based recipes and creating Blissful Basil, a blog to share her experiences of cooking plant-based meals. “I was taking my work home with me,”…
Tastings: The Japan Pavilion at the National Restaurant Association Show
Several weeks ago, when the National Restaurant Association (NRA) was holding its annual international show, my friend Kimiyo Naka, who lives in Chicago, asked me to stop by the Japan Pavilion where 19 companies from that country were presenting a range of both modern and traditional Japanese foods and beverages. On hand also, were several…
The Japan Pavilion: An Intro to the Best of the New and the Traditional
Several weeks ago, when the National Restaurant Association (NRA) was holding its annual international show, my friend Kimiyo Naka, who lives in Chicago, asked me to stop by the Japan Pavilion where 19 companies from that country were presenting a range of both modern and traditional Japanese foods and beverages. On hand also, were several…
Author Talk with John Coletta: Risotto & Beyond
On June 7, John Coletta, author of Risotto & Beyond: 100 Authentic Italian Rice Recipes for Antipasti, Soups, Salads, Risotti, One-Dish Meals, and Desserts (Rizzoli 2018) will be at Read It and Eat! talking about his recently published book on risotto, one of the most traditional dishes in Italian Cuisine and yet the least explored….
Turnips & Tortillas: A Mexican Chef Spices Up the Southern Kitchen
Southern food meets Mexican food in Eddie Hernandez’s new book Turnips & Tortillas: A Mexican Chef Spices Up the Southern Kitchen. Hernandez, the James Beard nominated chef/co-owner of Taqueria del Sol, has written a fantastic cookbook that explores the commonalities of these two cuisines. Never hesitating to improve upon tradition, Hernandez tweaks classic dishes to make…
The Spice Diet: Use Powerhouse Flavor to Fight Cravings and Win the Weight-Loss Battle
Sharing his life story and his struggle with food was the inspiration behind Judson Todd Allen’s recently released “The Spice Diet: Use Powerhouse Flavor to Fight Cravings and Win the Weight-Loss Battle” (Grand Central Life & Style 2018; $27). Indeed, when Steve Harvey wanted to lose weight he turned to Allen, who helped him drop…
Ben Watkins, Master Chef Junior
This December I received a notice on my Google calendar that Leila Edwards’ birthday was coming up. It was a painful reminder because Leila, who was a friend, had died in September when her husband shot and killed her and then himself. Anyone who knew Michael Watkins, her husband, couldn’t imagine him doing that, but…
