Food & Drink

Those who have been lucky enough to experience true Cajun jambalaya, cooked slowly over a wood fire in a cast iron pot, studded with succulent nuggets of andouille sausage, shrimp and what folks down by the bayou call the “holy trinity” (diced pepper, celery and onion) know how deeply satisfying a dish it is. Born […]

In her essay Love in a Dish, the renowned American food writer M.F.K. Fisher wrote about the importance of couples eating together. “There can be no warm, rich home life anywhere else if it does not exist at the table, and in the same way there can be no enduring family happiness, no real marriage, […]

I’ve always felt that a frigid February afternoon with no engagements on the calendar is one of life’s greatest joys. I truly love winter, even moreso after the frenetic pace of the holidays has subsided. I’m finally able to set right the deluge of disorganized chaos that flowed from lazy summer days right into Thanksgiving […]

Even though I’ve been living away from Springfield for the past 10 months I still get text messages out of the blue from my former CrossFit coach Mike Suhadolnik. Mike is an audacious crusader obsessed with helping older people reclaim wellness in the second half of life. He has taken on the medical establishment and […]

With the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in Illinois it might be “high” time that an alternative weekly newspaper publishes a food article about the nuances of cooking with cannabis. As a chef working in Oklahoma City, where there are more dispensaries than there are McDonalds and Subways, I just might be the one to […]

Years ago I worked for a catering company in Chicago that, in addition to standard wedding and corporate events, provided meals and hospitality for some of the biggest touring acts that came through the Windy City. We fed the crews touring with all kinds of acts, from The Dead and Fleetwood Mac to Jerry Seinfeld […]

I’ve been accused of being a bit of a Scrooge whenever I climb onto my soapbox and pontificate about the evils of sugary holiday treats. I promised my wife that over the holidays I would stop telling the grandkids that every sugar cookie or piece of candy they consume brings them one step closer to […]

After weeks of holiday indulgence, a simple supper of slow-simmered beans has always been a welcome New Year’s Day custom. My great-grandmother w ould always make a pot of beans on the first of January, flavored with copious amounts of onion and the ham bone left over from Christmas Eve. Only recently have I come […]

Growing up as a young child in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, I always envied the neighbors who lived next door to our 1950s ranch house. My parents had an unhappy marriage. My father always liked to say, “When I took the vows, it was for better or for worse,” and he wore it […]

An elegant finish to a rich holiday meal, fortified wines like sherry and port are perfectly suited to the long, cold nights of winter. These wines are steeped in history and tradition and, after years of declining sales, these wines are becoming once again popular. Many younger drinkers are discovering the versatility and complexity of […]

Looking for budget-friendly gift ideas for someone who loves to cook? Needing a stocking stuffer? Gifts that will actually be used and appreciated? Here are my recommendations for the 2019 gift-giving season. Because my restaurant gig gets me home after midnight, my wife tends to watch PBS documentaries during her evenings alone. A documentary that […]