1 Rick Bayless King of the Frontera Empire (Topolobampo, Frontera Grill, Xoco, Frontera Foods etc.) He brought “real” regional Mexican food to the American table. He made gardening look cool again. He’s done as much as anyone to promote local farms and farmers through his foundation and restaurant work. Through Xoco, he’s found a way to serve locally farmed, consciously raised foods to thousands of people a day without making any major compromises. He’s even made it almost fun to fly again with his Tortas Frontera kiosks at O’Hare. But, none of this probably means as much as the fact that the dude won the inaugural Top Chef Masters TV competition, which means millions more know these good deeds and better ways of eating.
How Rick Bayless’ “A Recipe for Disaster!” is Different than Culver’s Curderburger The immersion approach of “A Recipe for Disaster” is no gimmick; the medium and the message reinforce one another: running—or even working in—a restaurant can make you crazy, and you feel that craziness, up close—and it can be quite entertaining—when you dine at The Contumacious Pig.
Big Heat 2020: Chicago’s Food and Drink 50 This year we focus on chefs, pit masters, bartenders, bakers and those who prepare and serve the food that makes Chicago a major culinary center.
Childhood Memories: A Beautiful Bologna Sandwich from Big Kids, Logan Square It was a beautiful November day, with the temps in the mid-seventies, blue sky and bright autumn sunlight rendering everyone and everything gleaming golden. What could possibly make this beautiful day better? Why, a beautiful bologna sandwich, of course!
The Big Cheese: Veal Sausage and Stinky Cheese in Monroe, Wisconsin Wisconsin means dairy. It’s called “The Dairy State,” with a wheel of cheese and a cow on the state’s twenty-five cent piece. Monroe, the county seat of Green County, is the “Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA,” and cheese, along with Swiss culture, permeates the town.
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